What Exactly Does "Towers" Mean?
 

When booking rooms, looking at the SPG Terms and Conditions and looking at certain locations, the term "Towers" is mentioned, sometimes with special conditions such as "Best rooms are identified by each property and do not include Towers level accommodations unless original reservation is for Towers level accommodations."

What does Towers mean and how are those rooms differentiated from non-Towers rooms? Why would they be so special as if not to upgrade Platinum Members to a Tower room if the original reservation is not for Towers level accommodations.

Mike

A very few Sheratons have Towers rooms which are sort of a level above Club rooms, without being larger suites. The Sheraton Frankfurt or Singapore, for example. It's a remnant of a 20th-century "hotel within a hotel" concept.

And rarely are they plural. There is usually one tower. Add an "s", add an "$".

Every Towers hotel is different, and vary from marginally better to being twice as good as the rest of the hotel. Usually the rooms are bigger and with higher quality furnishings, carpet, bathrooms, as well as soft product (towels, bathrobes, shoe shine). Basically the Towers part is run as a separate hotel from the regular Sheraton, often having separate check-in and check-out and even conference rooms (but sharing room service). Some are spectaculalry good and worth a hefty premium of >50% (e.g. Hong Kong) while others are dismal (e.g. Lisbon). Most are in-between and not really cost-effective.

How many "towers" hotels are there? Are they limited to the Sheraton brand?

Someone want to waste some time, I mean help everyone, and type up the list? :D

Quite often they have a Lounge with access restricted to Towers rooms; Club rooms and Platinums. Snacks and drinks available during the day and a free breakfast. The Sheraton at Frankfurt Airport also has a chef on hand at breakfast time to do freshly cooked eggs.

That's a good question ... whatever the number is today, it's been diminishing for about 20 years. Once upon a time, there were a LOT more Towers hotels --- I know the old Sheraton NY and the Sheraton BOS both had Towers floors, for example. I've been told, but can't confirm, that the Sheraton Montreal also did.

... for a non-Starwood property, there's the Waldorf-Astoria and the Waldorf Towers in New York. The latter has its own entrance and elevator.

david

Does for example, the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers have a separate check-in, entrance, etc. for the Towers portion?

At my local Sheraton (The much maligned Sheraton Media hotel and Towers), the two levels are just club rooms by another name.

In fact, I presumed that Towers was just a branding for club level.

The ITC Welcome Group (India) usually have Tower rooms......