This hotel belongs in a museum - no really, I mean that.
I have been traveling for work for right around six years and this is by and large one of the worst hotels I have visited in terms of guest service, cleanliness, amenities, room condition, and overall guest experience.
First of all, it is an absolutely nightmare to find - hemmed in by one way streets on all sides - the driveway to access the front door is tucked in between two buildings.... while the tower rises 20+ stories, it is very easy to SEE the hotel - but, well.... you can't get there from here!
Next - parking at $44 a day for Valet and $38 for self park is outrageous! The parking garage is filthy beyond measure - literally my car got dirty, covered in what seems like dryer lint after just one night. The ventilation fan when the P2 elevator door opens rivals the sound of an Airbus A380 on departure/takeoff. Who can justify $38 for SELF PARKING at a dated, dirty, and has-been hotel? Just wait till you hop on the elevator to the lobby - want to talk about disgusting? There was what appeared to be blood on one of the elevator buttons - GROSS!
OK - let's talk a walk to the front desk - you had better look hard, because there is nothing to distinguish the rest of the lobby from the tucked away, unassuming, and difficult to identify bowling alley of a front counter. No identification of hotel brand, no marker to indicate individual check-in stations - I felt like I walked up to the front desk of any generic hotel and was coldly acknowledged - not greeted - by a staff member who could frankly care less if he did anything during his shift or not. No offer to explain the hotel amenities, what was available in the lobby... hot to get around the hotel... let alone to my room. I've had better experiences at hotels that cost FAR less, and were FAR more appealing. I used the lobby restroom upon arrival after a long day of driving and the restrooms were just as you will find the rest of the property - dirty beyond belief.
So I take my keys, hop in the elevator (once again, absolutely filthy) and arrive on my floor and proceed to follow the signs to my room. The carpet in the hallway hasn't been touched in weeks - loose threads, dust bunnies, random candy wrapper - and oh, yes - you guessed - room service trays from breakfast! I check in after 11:00pm, and there were still room service trays from 12+ hours ago!
After that I insert my key into the door, and open up the door to the smell of dust, dirt, and mildew. There were dust bunnies hanging from the ceiling! The baseboards were covered with dust and dirt. There were stains on the carpet, the furniture looked like something rescued from the thrift store pile - dirty, worn, and dated... not good.
My room was located with a view of the driveway - so I heard taxi's honking their horn till well after midnight. There were several bouts of screaming and shouting throughout the night.
This hotel deserves some serious attention from the folks who 'sign off' on franchise agreements each year - this hotel is a disgrace to the Starwood family of hotels.
Let's continue down the path of more cash to pay at a horrible hotel - $9.95 a day for internet access - and when I called the front desk to inquire abut Starwood Preferred Guest members receiving free Wi-Fi - the lady was extremely rude, and practically shouted "Only in the LOBBY!" - Yeah, sorry I asked... sorry I called GUEST SERVICES. Oh, and you CANNOT put the internet charges on your room bill - you have to pay it online WITH a credit card - EVERY DAY! You can't pay for length of stay, you have to log back on and re-enter your credit card information every 24 hours. REALLY? What is this 1996? Should I have remember to check my AOL Dial Up number before leaving home to avoid long distance charges? WOW
Finally, let's move on to the renovations that are taking place - they are transforming a hopelessly dated lobby in to a white hopelessly dated lobby. The furniture is trendy and well... that's about it! The marble floors belong in an episode of Dallas.
If you are going to Philadelphia for work, do yourself a favor and stay as far away from the Sheraton Dust Bowl as possible. Between $9.95 for internet, $38 for parking, and the allergy medicine you will need after sleeping amongst the dust bunnies - you could have stayed at a really nice hotel with competent management, a true sense of hospitality, and a physical structure that is just depressing to be around.
I rarely ever give a hotel a terrible rating, but for what you will pay to stay here, park here, and connect to the internet - you might as well stop at the casino on the way in to town, I'm willing to bet you will get more for your money there - even if you lose!
Never again, Sheraton - never again!
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