tebfunk

We stayed here last weekend for one night. The hotel is about a 20 minute drive from CTA, and would probably make for an expensive cab ride. We had a car, and paid €9 to park overnight.

We may or may not have been given an upgrade (I was too tired to ask, so that may be on me), but we did have a sea-view room, which, while large, was very close to horrifying. We were on a designated "SPG Floor", but there was no indication that the area had been upgraded in anyway, and there was no water in the room. The carpet was old and dirty, the furnishings were very worn, holes in the curtains, etc. The bed was lacking a box spring (which is not uncommon in Europe), but the bed frame was at ground level - resulting in the top of the bed being awkwardly close to the ground. I felt like I was camping!

The bathroom was also unfortunate - the walls and floors featured blue glass tile and old filthy grout. I actually contemplated not taking a shower just so I could minimize the time spent in the bathroom.

Although our rate included breakfast we did not partake as the weather was horrid and we wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to get to the airport. The spread seemed decent, but was typical of what one would generally find in a Club Lounge - not worth the €19 they were charging.

The staff was fine, but if you have no Italian you may struggle, as the majority did not speak English.

Overall, I think that even with the recent downgrade to Category 2, this hotel is still overpriced. I would definitely not recommend it to leisure travelers, although it is probably a fine option if you have to be in the area on business, but make sure that you will be in a renovated room!

pricesquire

Flying into Catania for a 2 week trip around Sicily. Wanted an SPG hotel for night 1 near Catania to get my bearings. This seems to be the only SPG on the island of Sicily.

Any recent stays here? Any better/worse than it was in 2011?

terminalfive

Bump - any recent stays?

Thks^

tebfunk

I've had three subsequent stays here since I posted in 2011, the most recent in May of this year. The physical plant remains the same, though as a SPG Platinum you should receive a renovated room. Even these are quite dated, but you should be able to avoid the blue-tiled horror I experienced in 2011.

The staff is friendly, but in a very "Sicilian" way, and service is definitely better during the summer season than in winter. It's certainly fine for a night, or for business, though it's not terribly convenient to either the airport or the center of Catania.

I think as long as you're managing your expectations you'll have a good stay, though I still wouldn't recommend it for a vacation, necessarily.

pricesquire

So, nothing on this property since mid-13.

Visiting family // not a biz oriented trip. Assuming most would go non-SPG here, or have there been any recent renovations that I'm not privy to that would make this a good place to stay.

pricesquire

Bump -- anything? Upgrades? Renovations? Not a lot of info on TA...hoping FT pulls through

beckoa

Heading to this property for two nights- starts tomorrow~ sounds like they have a new pool?

josep

Bump - any news? I am thinking of going to Sicily, and this looks like the only property for Starwood.

Anyone can comment?

remymartin

Cat 2 but still no love from FT? 23 posts (okay, now it's 24) in 10 years.

tebfunk

Because it's not a great property, nor is it in a great location, and not many people go to Sicily anyway (unfortunately).

Sicily is beautiful, but rugged in many ways. I can't think of any chain/points hotels on the island that I would recommend. Stick to the boutiques and guest houses here, or the FHR/Virtuoso properties in Taormina if you want the traditional grand European hotel experience.

GVA

There is a new Sheraton set to open in Ragusa this July, so might provide a better experience.

As for the Sheraton Catania, it's a worn down property, terribly outdated, in a poor location and not really service centred. If I had to vote for the worst Sheraton in Europe this property would win hands down.

pricesquire

I am a frequent visitor to Sicily, and Catania in particular...my mother-in-law is from there/currently lives here, as do much of my inlaws.

The Sheraton is a terrible property...maybe en vogue in 1980, but that's about it.

Even after an update, I can't imagine this property would ever be good. I'd go so far as to call it a 1 star property, 2 max. Nah, it's 1 star.

For better or worse, you don't visit Sicily to stay at a chain hotel. I know that goes against what most people on FlyerTalk live for, but you just can't go to CTA and spend a dime on the Sheraton.

If you want a reasonably priced, well located (via Etnea) property, try UNA Palace Hotel. Great property in that old world, Sicilian way.

Taormina: Hotel El Jebel, Belmond Sant'andrea, and Belmond Hotel Timeo (Timeo being one of the most classic properties in all of EU).

Tons of local, cute options abound.

But yeah, moral of story: there are so few posts on Sheraton CTA because, no holds barred: it sucks. End of story. You've been warned

remymartin

It's interesting to hear FT opinions - on SPG.com this property is rated as 4.2*. If we compare with other properties there is a huge gap between spg.com reviews and FT opinions.

tebfunk

Well, that's because the hotel is frequented by German tour groups and sports teams. And in those cases, it's probably lovely.

remymartin

I sort of feel pressured to try myself

Edit: I see Sheraton Rhodes Resort is 4.5*. I see what you mean now!