StarwoodGuy

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Sheraton Universal

I was in Universal on a friend's birthday trip to Universal Studios Hollywood. We opted for the Sheraton Universal, a large Sheraton right next to the the theme park and just a five minute walk up the hill. The hotel is undergoing some massive renovations which were a bit of a pain, but clearly necessary to bring the dated hotel up to par.

The staff was friendly, and even though it was quite busy, the packed Club Lounge still managed with the crowds and had some good offerings at both breakfast and dinner.

I was upgraded to a large suite with a view over the pool. The gym was quite good but the construction was a hassle as it caused part of it to be closed off. The lobby seems done and quite nice now. We ate at the downtown Universal area so I did not get to try the restaurant, but overall if you are in Universal the Sheraton was a great choice.

Sheraton Universal Suite Bed

Sheraton Universal Suite View

Sheraton Universal Pool- Room Construction

Sheraton Universal Room Construction

Sheraton Universal Gym

Sheraton Universal Room View

Sheraton Universal Pool

Sheraton Universal Exterior

Universal Hollywood

Side trip to Disneyland

Sheraton Universal Suite Living Room

Sheraton Bellevue

I had a brief work stay in Bellevue, just over Lake Washington about twenty minutes from downtown Seattle. The nearby Westin is the more modern and more expensive, but the Sheraton was a good and inexpensive choice for a work trip. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. It is a short walk to the main shopping areas in Bellevue, but we were offered a shuttle service at any time if needed.

The Club Lounge was quite nice and spacious with some good appetizers at night. I missed breakfast the next morning so I am not sure how extensive breakfast was in the lounge.

The gym was good but not too large, the rooms are typically Sheraton business focused but updated nicely with classic details.

A great stay for the price.

Sheraton Bellevue Gym

Sheraton Bellevue Club Lounge

Sheraton Bellevue Bathroom

Sheraton Bellevue Bedroom

Four Points Victoria, BC Canada

I had a quick trip home for the Christmas holidays, and my favorite hotel in Victoria, the Westin Bear Mountain was full, so I had to opt for the more modest Four Points by Sheraton. The hotel is close to Bear Mountain out in the suburbs of Victoria. There is shuttle service to town but if you opt for this hotel you would most likely prefer to have a car.

The hotel has a small gym and basic restaurant and lobby. There is an indoor pool and it is definitely more of a business focused property. The staff was excellent and the price is very hard to beat. I still love the Westin Bear Mountain but this was still great.

Rogers Chocolates in Downtown Victoria

Christmas Bear Competition

Westin Bear Mountain Seasonal Skating Rink

Sheraton Four Points Bathroom

Sheraton Four Points Lobby

Sheraton Four PointsSuite Kitchen Area

Sheraton Four Points Sitting Area

Sheraton Four Points Beds

Friday, September 9, 2016

SLS Las Vegas Labor Day Getaway

For Labor Day this year I headed to the SLS Las Vegas. A quick stop at the American Express Centurion Studio in Seattle and an easy flight on Alaska Airlines found us in Las Vegas by midday on Saturday. We took a quick Uber ride to the SLS Las Vegas at the north end of the strip. The hotel is a modern hotel, previously the Sahara, with three towers, a small lobby and lobby bar with large concierge area. It is slightly out of the way up at the North End of the Strip, but the Monorail goes right into the hotel making it easy to connect to the main areas on the Strip and other hotels. There are two pools, one that gets quite busy and which is open to the public, and one that is just for hotel guests. The service was quite good, but we had problems at check in when we were given a room instead of a suite even after having used Starwood Suite upgrades. Once we did get an upgrade it was to a great suite in the Lux tower with a large living area and a separate bedroom, along with a small guest bathroom at the entry, and spacious master bathroom. The mirror over the bed is a very Vegas touch. The views out are not as good as those farther into the main strip but it was still quite nice.

The food at Northside for breakfast and dinner at Cleo were both excellent, just two of the restaurants on offer at the hotel. We wanted to have spa treatments at Aria which were excellent, and dinner at Mon Ami Gabi at Paris to overlook the Bellagio Fountains, so we missed some of the other offerings at the SLS. Overall it was quite a good stay, the casino is on the quiet side and not too large which I preferred and the gym is a bit small for Vegas Hotels. Of the 3 towers, the Lux Tower we were in seemed the best, but this will soon become the W Hotel tower as Starwood was taking just this tower over directly on the day that we were leaving. As with most of Vegas, there is a lot of smoke around, and even in the non-smoking rooms some smoke manages to seep in through the bathroom vents but this was solved by keeping the bathroom doors closed.

A good property with helpful staff, especially the concierge team, great food, just a little out of the way but much more exciting then the Westin which is really just a business hotel and very quiet.