thehowieee

Arrived today and received a similar two bedroom ocean suite ... rooms x41,x42,x43. My wife and I in one room, my brother and sister in law in the other, and a shared living room. From the SPG reception today ...



The last time I was here in 1988 the property was the Cable Beach Hotel and having such fond memories from then I'm so far very pleased with the excellent experience so far. Thanks!

loopies

I'm heading here in mid-April for 4 nights. Using a combination of points and $$ (4000 plus $60/night) it's quite reasonable, despite the extra fees etc. Just wondering about getting a 'better' or upgraded room. Some on this thread seem to be quite successful - if paying with points/cash will this make it less likely to get an upgrade upon check-in? I don't have gold status, just lots of starwood points with my Mastercard

Any suggestions?

FreqFlyerNYC

I booked a 5 nts stay using all SPG points for my parents who are going to celebrate their 35th anniversary from 3/19 through 24th. I won't be staying with them but will be there to check them in and out. I'm a SPG Gold status (lost the Platinum status a couple of yrs ago) and booked a high-floor, full ocean view room. I've called the property a couple of times in an effort to reach concierge who I was hoping would note the reservation as "special occasion." Whenever I'm forwarded to the Concierge, I get a voicemail (left one message, no one's returned it") and everyone that I've spoken to at Reservations and Front Desk claim I have to speak to Concierge. Who do I need to contact at this property to trying to ensure my folks have a memorable and pleasant accomodations without any headaches?! The GM? I'd gladly contact him/her, just give me their email address! PLEASE :-)

Benjh

HA! For the two days I was there I kept looking for the concierge, kept being told he'd come back any minute, and never saw anyone.
Even if you did speak with a concierge, I wouldn't trust him or her. Plus, I really don't think this is concierge matter.
If I were you I'd try to get in touch with the front desk manager or the General Manager.

FreqFlyerNYC

How do I contact the GM for Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort??? I need to email them ASAP! Thank you!

Flews

I think the answer is pretty straightforward - you contact reservations and book the room you feel will please your parents.

With all due respect, chasing the GM when you have no status and aren't even staying in the room yourself just doesn't cut it, in my opinion.

Cheers,

MilesTalk

Agree with Flews. I'm NOT normally in the camp of "If you want an XYZ room, book it" when you have a good chance at an upgrade. But in this case, with no status (Gold really doesn't count) and guests (your parents) with no status, I think they are likely not returning your call because they don't want you to argue when they tell you they can't help you. Worse, if they tell you they will "do what they can" and your parents don't get an upgrade (very possible when you leave it to chance), will you be disappointed?

But to add something constructive, did you ask SPG about the Specialty and Specialty Select awards available? For just a thousand or so points a night (say 4-6K total for the stay) you may be able to BOOK a much nicer room type.

kokonutz

Well I am headed down tomorrow. Here is what I have learned from this thread:

- Expect a goodly wait at check-in with no expediting for plat status
- Let the bellman take my bags but DO NOT tip him since I'll be charged anyway
- Hope for a suite, but expect a 'full ocean view;' pushing for a suite wont help
- Don't tip non-food folks like maid, towel attendant, etc as I'm paying a resort fee
- Don't re-tip on the mandatory 15% service charge food/drinks
- Don't expect much from the the food there anyway.

Even as a plat, I always find it's good to go in with proper expectation.


Going to try dinner at Sun And... Saturday night.

Will report actual experience next week.

kokonutz

Expectations vs. Reality

- Expect a goodly wait at check-in with no expediting for plat status
There is a plat desk, but it is also apparently used for group check-in. In any case we waited behind only one other couple for check-in and were served in < 10 minutes.

- Let the bellman take my bags but DO NOT tip him since I'll be charged anyway
Worked out just fine, especially given the below.

- Hope for a suite, but expect a 'full ocean view;' pushing for a suite wont help
We arrived around 11:30 and were told that we had been upgraded to a suite but that it would not be ready until 3pm. We had the option of taking a regular room then or waiting for the suite. We opted to wait and headed to the pool for lunch and refreshments. In the end our 'Suite' was not the wonderful ones Flews and hdawg describe above. 315 is in one of the bends of the hotel and has a sitting area with chairs, sofa and coffee table as well as a bed. More of a 'studio' than a suite. Best part about it was being on lobby level so we got a view from the small balcony without having to use the elevator. ^

- Don't tip non-food folks like maid, towel attendant, etc as I'm paying a resort fee
I didn't find the resort fee unreasonable given that it paid for non-motorized watersports including snorkling and sea kayaking.

- Don't re-tip on the mandatory 15% service charge food/drinks
I had lots of discussions at the swim-up bar with other guests about this policy and whether it colored the efficiency of the service. We all generally agreed that it did. Don't get me wrong, service was ok, just that it seemed like no one really cared or tried too hard. when they did they did earn another 5%, from me at least.

- Don't expect much from the the food there anyway.
The breakfast buffet was the biggest rip-off I have experienced in some time. Wait in line for a table then wait in line for fried eggs then wait in line for toast then wait in line for cheese and meats. For the bargain price of like $23 PLUS 15% despite the fact that it is a buffet.

The pool restaurant food I actually really thought was perfect for lounging-by-the-pool food. Nothing fancy but good solid sandwiches.

The casino at the attached Wyndham is a piece of crap, btw. There are only about 10 tables: a couple craps, blackjack, 3 card poker and roulette each. On friday and saturday nights all tables are $25 minimums (they went down to $15 on Sunday). And there is no drink service...well, there is buy you pay resort rates for the drinks. We found it well worth the investment to take a taxi to Atlantis where, although there is no poker room (?!?!??!?) there are a variety of $10 minimum tables and Nobu for dinner.

Speaking of asian food, we ate at the asian place upstairs from the Wyndham casino Sunday night and it had decent crispy duck and garlic lobster and the service was very cheerful.

All in all a lovely place for a quick getaway weekend.

I don't spend as much time in this forum as I probably should, so if you have any specific questions feel free to shoot me a PM.

I have some photos of 315 that I'll post when I get a chance.

loopies

We stayed here in April but forgot to post my review.

I was at the Atlantis for 5 nights prior to our move to the Sheraton and to be completely honest, preferred the Sheraton because it was quieter, took less time to get from our room to anywhere and I was able to get one of the ground floor rooms upon check in.

Check in was quick and (as mentioned above) we got the exact room type we requested when asked. I would highly recommend the ground floor rooms as you have your own private patio with lounge chairs, table and umbrella. We could also be in the pool in under 10 seconds or the beach in about 1 minute. It was so nice and relaxing after the crazy mayhem at Atlantis.

We picked up fruit at the local grocery store for breakfast and bought coffee daily at the starbucks in the casino. the local 'bus' service is worth the trip just for the experience and the fun pictures you'll take.

JFKSFOLAX_friend

Is over 2 months enough time?

gya007

Hello all,

It's been 6 months since the last post here. So, lets see if we can revive this thread...

I'm headed there over the upcoming holidays on a Cash and Points option - which JUST recently became available at spg.com (for my dates).

I'm not an SPG expert - so, I need to have someone reassure me that Cash and Points (20k spg + $300 + taxes) is the wiser option and not the Points option (I'm going to be there for 5 nights = 40k spg if I choose the points option).

Also, any more recent reviews, anyone?

Lastly, in my reservation email, it says, to email the hotel for a $20/day upgrade.
The link is: Upgrade Specials.

Someone mentioned, though that all rooms are Ocean View, so this offer seems to be a lil bit of a scam? or am I missing something?

Thanks!

-g

prncess674

That seems like a scam. All the rooms are facing the ocean. You may have a better view from an end or a higher floor, but I wouldn't pay for it.

SceneStealer7

I booked a weekend points stay here for January, but just saw a great deal crop up on Travelzoo for $79/night plus taxes and fees (http://www.travelzoo.com/hotels/cari...mexico/944833/). With the Q1 promo, I thought it might make sense to switch to a paid res under this great rate; however, I then got hit with the high resort fee everyone here references.

The odd thing is, in the T&Cs on the Travelzoo page, it says that the resort fee $40 is for two people based on a per person per night charge - and I am traveling solo. Shouldn't that mean I would only have to pay $20/night in resort fees?

When I go into the T&Cs on SPG.com, the rate description says:
STARWOOD PREFERRED A. EX PERSON CHARGE:35USD PN ROLLAWAY ADULT CHARGE:25USD PNROLLAWAY CHLD CHRG: PN CRIB CHARGE: PN:Fee Disclosure Information Taxes/Fees: *18% occupancy tax applied to agreed room A charge of $38 per room, per day includes:*Internet access in your room or via Wi-Fi in the lobby areas*Unlimited local phone calls on island *Our state of the art Fitness Center*All non motorized water sport equipment at the Sheraton Beach*Use of the Sheraton Link, located on the lower lobby level*Staff gratuities for the Room Attendants, House Attendants, the Beach Attendants and Pool Attendants. Identification required.

It seems there's a discrepancy between what Travelzoo promises and what SPG says, and I assume the SPG offer is what counts. However, I do find it interesting that the text says $38/night in resort fees while the actual charges are $40/night...

dkelly1110

Have a 5th Night with points tacked onto a 4 night "sunsational savings" stay. Wondering whether to book the 5th night via Travelzoo (wasn't going to get stay credit/ bonus points anyway) and reclaim the 10K points.

Anyone see any downside to this?