dhotchkiss

Having grown up in New England, I would second the comment that most Sheraton's in the area do not paint a good picture for starwood. I was surprised when someone recommended I stay at the Sheraton HK and was even more surprised while I was there and found it to be a decent property. Seeing the Sheraton's while growing up here has still left a bad impression of the brand.

mauld

I have had the unfortunate experience of having to stay here 2 or 3 times a month. Each and every time, despite my calling ahead to reconfirm that I am Platinum and have confirmed a King room (at an expensive corp rate of over $300) on the Club Floor, I am routinely initially given a room on a lower floor with no access to the club room. I then always have to request a room on the club floor at check in, and it's like pullng teeth to get one. Only to find only a couple of rooms on the CF occupied. Thankfully I made Platinum for 2008 in mid Oct, and was able to book the Marriott Hartford for my last 2 Hartford stays. One of my colleagues was not as lucky, and ended up at the Hartford Airport Sheraton, in which all rooms appeared to be smoking rooms-- He ended up checking out the same night and driving home to Long Island, rather than staying there!

sbtinme

This lousy property is still a Sheraton for the same reason that the miserable Sheraton in Milford MA was allowed to come back into the Sheraton network after having left once to become a mediocre Radisson. It is very frustrating that Sheraton, as a brand, has such a wide range of brand standards.

I would agree with the OP that the Sheraton E Hartford is just plain crap. It was a Ramada for many many years, if that tells you anything. The last time I was there, the hotel restaurant did have a buffet for breakfast, but it was worth about $1.44. Preservative muffins, mini yogurts, and cruncy honeydew melon... I distinctly recall that NONE of the workers in the restaurant were in uniform and the host was wearing street clothes with a tan MEMBERS ONLY jacket on. To boot, he barely spoke English.

Good grief -- one wonders how this place passes brand standards inspections!!!!

timothyp_787

On the flip side, I've stayed at the Sheraton in Danbury and been quite pleased.

mauld

Well somewhat good news for me* (sorry, but bad news for Starwood), due to the numerous complaints about the Starwoods in the Hartford area, my company just notified us that they've changed our 'Preferred' hotel chain in Hartford to Marriott

*But now with this change coupled with the Stamford Westin going over to the Hilton family, it's going to make gaining Plat again just a bit more difficult--either that or it will be lots of stays at the Norwalk 4P next year

sickofbiztravel

Although the service is very good, staff is very courteous and nice, and housekeeping is meticulous, this hotel definitely needs some maintenance! The sofas are frayed, carpets are stained, and the heavenly beds are lumpy.

I can live with these, but the most I'm annoyed about, as a biz traveler (Platinum member for 8 years straight!), is the gym! It is small: only 2 treadmills (and one is so old that guests compete for the one good treadmill); one old elliptical machine that has been broken for more than two weeks; one old stairmaster; and weight trainer that has some loose bolts. I don't understand why they can't expand the gym by removing the swimming pool that no one uses--what a waste!

Hope management does something...

sbtinme

Hmmm... Admittedly, I've not been back to this hotel in a while, but it must've really undergone a dramatic renovation and a complete reversal renaissance since I was there last. My impression was not the gym, but rather the entire property needed to be bulldozed.

I still have a vision of the man in the "player's only" mocha jacket who was the restaurant manager on site the last time I was there. He spoke very broken English and I thought I was dreaming the whole time. (I mean, a "player's only" jacket while you're managing a chain hotel's restaurant.)

Oy.

NBSPGMEMBER

Well, I was there last summer and my stay was ok. The staff was nice and I was treated nicely. Housekeeping could have been better and it wasn't renovated (as of August 2007) in the new Sheraton style (2007-ongoing) that we've seen in newly renovated Sheratons. It was the old (2000-2002) Sheraton style that we saw at many properties on the east coast; the dearly departed Sheraton South Portland comes to mind...

3timesalady

Is this the E. Hartford Sheraton? Yeah, that place is kind of a dump when compared to other hotels in the area (e.g., that Mariott). I guess that's why they constantly run a triple points promo... .

sbtinme

So I was talking with a hotel GM this evening and found out that he was formerly a GM of the Sheraton E Hartford for about a year. Boy, I couldn't wait to start asking questions since I consider this place a royal pit.

Before I could even get warmed up, this GM told me it was his opinion that the hotel should simply be bulldozed and blasted off the face of the earth. I almost cheered aloud, but instead simply shook his hand.

When a hotel's own former manager makes such statements, it certainly says a lot about the overall quality of this property. I've said it before, I'll say it again: why mediocre properties like this continue to be a part of the *wood network is, to me, simply puzzling. This is a C- Sheraton.

WScottsdaleInsider

Well Hello There,

Thanks for expressing your opinion on your recent stays to all the Flyer Talk Community. Now contact Corporate Customer Service (CCS) toll-free at 1-800-328-6242 or send them an email at [email protected] to let them know what the hotel did wrong so it can be addressed and let the SPG Hotel Coordinator fix the problem. Thanks again and pleasant travels.

sbtinme

Not sure where that all came from, but it's largely accepted as fact that said property is a "detractor" within the Sheraton brand. I established my firm opinion based on several stays here over two years. This was built as a Ramada Inn and, frankly, belongs a Ramada Inn.

The simplest of searches for this hotel here on FT or on tripadvisor or, well, anyplace, will consistently return a consensus opinion that matches my thoughts above. For the record, I have twice submitted specific feedback to *wood on this hotel. That said, I don't think this hotel is worth saving. It's in an odd, unfortunate location and it has the feel of a 1979 Ramada. Not sure how that's fixable.

Anyway, the point of my post tonight was to share the glee I experienced to hear a former GM of this very hotel share my precise view.

SWG

Yeah, this place sucks. And to the OP's point they still don't tell you about the club level or lounge unless you beg. At least they have finally been getting my amenity points right recently

SportsTech

Wow...86 posts, an attitude, and an optimist! sbtinme has repeatedly made significant contributions to this board, and certainly didn't need a lecture from someone who clearly has never even seen this property. "Dump" is a generous review of the Sheraton Hartford, and there's nothing that Starwood Customer Service can do to correct the deficient physical plant.

hhoope01

It seems that the hotel's internet access will allow someone to access certain sites without paying (i.e. usatoday.com). What I found interesting is that while they don't give you free access to spg.com, they do give access to marriott.com.

I guess its their way of letting you know what your missing.