UPDATE 2: No longer a Sheraton
Written: Jun 08 '06 (Updated Sep 28 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Really nice treadmills. Landscaping.
Cons: No longer affiliated with a major hotel chain. It's a trumped up road-side motel.
The Bottom Line: Avoid this hotel. There are better hotels in the area that offer more amenities with better service at similar prices.
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| belynch's Full Review: Sheraton World |
Update 2 - 28 September, 2006 as of midnight tonight, the Sheraton World is loosing its status as a Sheraton. Although confirmation can not be provided as to why the hotel is no longer affiliated with the Starwood brand, one can only surmise that it was because of its terrible condition and service.
The hotel is staying open and is being rebranded as the "International Plaza Resort & Spa". However, not much is expected to change as the original owners are retaining it (they just don't have to report to a brand compliance level of a company like Sheraton / Starwood, so you can expect this hotel to go downhill even further.)
I am updating this hotel to a 1 star as I can not, in good faith, recommend this property to anyone. At least when it was a Sheraton, you had a major company backing you. Now, you've got nothing.
(Update 1 and original review follows).
Update 1The day after I wrote this review I had to make a last-minute trip back to Orlando and guess where I had to stay. Yup, the Sheraton World. I'm now updating this review from a "tower room."
I'm pleased to say that the tower rooms are more in line with Sheraton standards. They are up-to-date, clean, and seemingly new. There's nothing exceptional about them, but they are a lot nicer than the "resort" rooms described in the review below.
Check-in today was inefficient, but the lady was nice. Self-parking, for whatever reason was free.
However, I just learned something I have to pass along to you. They're running a little scam here in the restaurants. On every check whether you are 1 person or 20, they add a 15% service charge, but don't tell you. They then provide a copy of your receipt to sign where it asks you for a tip, with no notification that you've already paid one. As someone who routinely tips 20%+ I find this to be insulting and infuriating. Sure, it's only a few dollars here and there but it's a scam, plain and simple.
They don't tell you (on the menu, at check-in, or anywhere) that an auto-grat is added to everything. It's a simple line-item mixed in with everything else on an itemized bill that is stapled to the back of the room charge slip. They intentionally hide it from you.
So, please be warned of this scam. Please don't stay at this hotel for the very reason that they try and take advantage of their guests. THIS IS WRONG.
Original review follows
This review is based on a 3 night stay during the month of June, 2006 booked in a “resort” room at the fixed rate of 114 USD/night + tax through my corporate travel agent. The reason for travel was business.
Location
The location of the Sheraton World is both good and bad. The good is that it’s located on International Drive, which is probably at the heart of everywhere you’re going to want to be in Orlando. The Orange County Convention Center is a fast $6 cab ride / 10 minute walk from door to door. Sea World is no more than 5 minutes away and the hotel offers a free shuttle to Disney World (5-10 minutes).
From the Orlando Airport, the Sheraton World is about 25 minutes ($38 USD taxi) down the Bee-line Expressway (West – 2, 75 cent tolls, have change ready) at the Sea World / I-drive exit.
Why do I say the location is also bad? Because there’s closer hotels to everywhere you want to be. Going to the OCCC? Stay at the Peabody or one of the Rosen’s. Going to Sea World? Stay at the Renaissance. Going to Disney or Universal Studios? There’s a myriad of closer / on-property hotels.
Checking-in
I checked-in around 1 a.m. on a Sunday and there was one associate working the front desk (immediately on your right, just past the bell stand) in the lobby building. There were two people in line in front of me and I waited about 5 minutes before being seen to.
The gentleman behind the desk (Brian) was nice enough, confirmed my reservation for accuracy and tried to find me a better room. He then whipped out a map and told me I’d be staying in building 12, which was about a 5 minute walk from the reception area.
The reception area itself is very indicative of the resort as a whole. It’s ugly, it looks cheap, and it’s more spread out than it needs to be.
Had I brought a car they would have charged $10/day for valet or $7 for self-park.
Property
Walking to my room for the first time was an adventure. My first impressions of the property (at night mind you) was that it was expansive and disorganized. With the tower being the focal point of the resort (newer, more expensive rooms) around the perimeter is where you’ll find the majority (700+) of the hotel’s 1,004 guest rooms, called “resort rooms.”
I thought to myself “if Sheraton were to design a trailer park this is what it would look like” with low-slung buildings as far as the eye could see.
The Sheraton, as I mentioned, has a tower, surrounded by about two dozen two and three stories buildings. In highway-side Days Inn style, the corridors are outside and the buildings lack common amenities such as elevators. There are cheap metal framing things with cut-outs of palm trees to help liven up these miserable buildings. But to me, it only made everything look worse.
The restaurants and deli are all located near the tower and the reception building at the center of the resort. There are three pools spread throughout the property so you’re never too far from one. There are also two children’s pools. The nicest pool is the one in the center of the resort, which is a bit more free-form and has a little water-fall. Next to this pool is a pool-bar, which was never opened when I passed by (but I wasn’t really around during the day).
Meeting rooms are clustered in the reception building (along with the retail shops) and in an area near buildings 18 and 19, near the spa and complimentary workout facilities. There is also a mini-golf area and game room on this side of the resort. The workout facility was small, but actually not too bad. For all of my negative comments about the resort I am proud to say that this hotel features the nicest treadmills I have ever seen anywhere. And, everything was kept very clean.
The landscaping is kept up very well and is definitely one of the best parts of the resort. I wish they would focus as much attention on the rooms as they would the lawns, but who am I to decide priorities.
Room
After much confusion walking from the front desk to my room (the map isn’t really much help) and trudging through countless puddles (it had just rained and the sprinklers were on) that smelled like sulfur I finally found my way to building 12, although I didn’t know it. You see, building 12 lacked lights.
I rounded a corner and, literally, ran into a security guard walking around. I asked him where my room was and he pointed into the dark abyss and told me to go up the stairs, not offering to help me or at least shine his flashlight in the direction I was walking.
Another 5 minutes later I finally found my room, and cautiously entered. Flipping on the light switch, I held my breath, and viola, power. What was revealed to me was a room that is straight out of a roadside motel. Two queen beds were the focal point of the room, which shared the space with a very cheap table and two chairs, a desk (wireless internet access with a very weak signal. No Ethernet cable is provided). There’s a dresser with the obligatory TV sitting on top and a small closet next to the bathroom. Florida theme artwork adorned the wall over the beds. There was floral trim near the ceiling that complimented the red carpet.
The vanity and sink area are open and are actually part of the bedroom. Only the toilet and shower are clustered into a small area separated from the other areas. If you’re coming here with your family and you’re planning on 3 or 4 people sharing this room, you’ll have virtually no privacy.
Everything was very clean and I could tell it had been updated in the last couple of years (cheaply though). Everything worked, except for the remote, which needed to be whacked against the palm of my hand to get it to function, and the drain in the shower, which needed to be unclogged. There was also a small fridge in the room, but I never opened it, so I can’t tell you if it was functional and clean (I’m rather afraid of these types of things in hotels like this.)
There is an in-room coffee maker and during the week USAToday’s are delivered. TV gets basic cable channels and HBO as well as pay-per-view.
Soaps and shampoos were provided (Pantene) and the shower had decent pressure and no problems with the hot water.
One of the best things about Sheratons are the “Sweet Sleeper” beds (read my recent review on the Sheraton National), baby cousins to the Westin “Heavenly” beds. I was elated to see that the beds in the Sheraton World had the Sweet Sleeper signature pillow and the red duvet. However, when I crawled into it, I was very disappointed to find the mattress hard as a rock and other areas were scrimped on in outfitting with Sweet Sleeper material. That is a perfect indicator of how this Sheraton really isn’t a Sheraton.
I should also note that on my second night my building block again lacked lights, however they worked on the third night. Staff was indifferent when I informed them of this. “Yup, we know.”
Service
Remember when Sheraton launched the Sheraton service guarantee a few years ago? It’s a good thing that no longer exists because no one would ever have to pay for anything at this hotel. Although there were a few nice employees, generally everyone I interacted with was miserable and rude.
When I called down about the weak internet signal in my room and asked about the Ethernet cable I was told “no” (after the woman who answered complained to me that her computer wasn’t working.)
I had three packages delivered to the hotel and I was never once notified they were waiting for me. And one morning at breakfast I waited for 15 minutes to pay. And then there was the whole interaction with the security guard I detailed above.
Food & Beverage
I only ever ate breakfast at the hotel but that was enough for me to be turned off from other meals. There is a menu or buffet option for breakfast. I ordered once off the menu and then opted for the buffet the other two days. Nothing was that great. Although the buffet with omelet station, a decent selection of fresh fruit, and other dishes was a decent value at $11 including OJ and coffee compared to other hotel buffets. It was a little sparse though and the quality left a bit to be desired.
The three-meal restaurant is the “Blue Marlin Grill” and is actually pretty nice on the inside with this odd multi-tiered set-up. It is next to Coconuts bar, which has a stage for live entertainment. There is also a pretty large deck for outdoor seating. Colleagues ate dinner at the Blue Marlin Grill and described it with a shrug of their shoulders and an “eh”.
Next to the BMG you’ll find a deli that serves sandwiches and light breakfast options. The pool bar, if it ever opens, apparently also serves appetizers.
Check-out
I was glad to leave and thankful that my bill was accurate. They actually do a very nice thing here in that they itemize the charges on the bill by room, F&B, incidentals, taxes, etc. making it very easy to fill-out expense reports. I hope this is a trend at all Sheratons, because I’ll be very happy if it is. Although if Sheratons start going the way of the Sheraton World the Hilton family will be getting a bit more business from me.
Travel Safe.
website – www.sheratonworld.com
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
belynch
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Location: Nyack, NY
Reviews written: 64
Trusted by: 17 members
About Me:
A full-time consultant, a part-time writer, and a volunteer EMT.
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