厦门喜来登酒店 — Attraction in Xiamen

The Sheraton Xiamen is a nice hotel with some shortcomings.||||First impression at checkin no efforts to make you feel you are a Platinum member.||||Only upon asking I got confirmed that they actually know that I am a Platinum meber and that they have given already "an upgrade". ||||In a good hotel things go differently:||Upon handing out your passport, "hello Mr.xx, welcome to our hotel. As you are a Platinum member, we are happy to offer you a suite room".||Then the GSM comes, introduces himself and gives you his name card.||||Not like this here.||||On my room I realized I did not get an upgrade at all. Small room with two beds instead a large double bed. Heavily used furniture. ||||Also there was no welcome gift like some small sweets or a plate with fruits, presents former SPG hotels are providing to their best customers as a sign of appreciation.||||I went down to complain about the no-upgrade.||||This time I asked to get as suite room. Only now they actually checked its availability. You need to ask by yourself? Should it be this way?||||They agreed to upgrade to a junior suite room (2213) on the next day. ||||This room was in a lot better condition. Was unhappy with the air conditioning, switched it off because not needed, but still had a strong cold air flow just above the bed right into my face all the night.||||The breakfast is not memorable at all. Not many choices and for long stayers it gets boring after some days.||Nothing special there.||||The hotel seems to not be able to provide some different types of bread even.||The cornflakes of low quality and zero taste. The bacon is not crispy and has a strange and bad taste, total disappointment. Juices are as cheap as possible, like sugar water with some colour. ||Come on! This is not Sheraton!||Such low quality is absolutely unacceptable for a Sheraton hotel and I never encountered this in any Sheraton in China.||||The executive lounge with it's "Happy Hour" is even worse. ||||Same bad juices and no service unless you force them to do something. Not even a "hello" or "do you like a coffee?" or similar. Tables could be cleaned and freed up for new guests instead of leaving back all and block them. Generally poor service attitude here too.||||In a good hotel they learn your name the first time you enter the lounge. Then they call you by your name and lead you to a free table and offer you a drink. They show care. ||||Zero care, zero hospitality here.||||All in all, this hotel is by far substandard in service and hospitality compared to other former SPG hotels in China. ||Polite English speaking staff is a good starting point but just not enough for a Sheraton. You need people who make guests feel appreciated, who want to go the extra mile and want to make your stay memorable. ||||Therefore there is major motivation and training needed for the staff. ||||But it seems there is no care at higher levels. If the GM is not having the right service attitude, how can he or she expect staff to be better? ||||All in all, an acceptable place when compared to 3 star hotels but nothing to be proud of. Unpleasant...

The Sheraton Xiamen is a nice hotel with some shortcomings.||||First impression at checkin no efforts to make you feel you are a Platinum member.||||Only upon asking I got confirmed that they actually know that I am a Platinum meber and that they have given already "an upgrade". ||||In a good hotel things go differently:||Upon handing out your passport, "hello Mr.xx, welcome to our hotel. As you are a Platinum member, we are happy to offer you a suite room".||Then the GSM comes, introduces himself and gives you his name card.||||Not like this here.||||On my room I realized I did not get an upgrade at all. Small room with two beds instead a large double bed. Heavily used furniture. ||||Also there was no welcome gift like some small sweets or a plate with fruits, presents former SPG hotels are providing to their best customers as a sign of appreciation.||||I went down to complain about the no-upgrade.||||This time I asked to get as suite room. Only now they actually checked its availability. You need to ask by yourself? Should it be this way?||||They agreed to upgrade to a junior suite room (2213) on the next day. ||||This room was in a lot better condition. Was unhappy with the air conditioning, switched it off because not needed, but still had a strong cold air flow just above the bed right into my face all the night.||||The breakfast is not memorable at all. Not many choices and for long stayers it gets boring after some days.||Nothing special there.||||The hotel seems to not be able to provide some different types of bread even.||The cornflakes of low quality and zero taste. The bacon is not crispy and has a strange and bad taste, total disappointment. Juices are as cheap as possible, like sugar water with some colour. ||Come on! This is not Sheraton!||Such low quality is absolutely unacceptable for a Sheraton hotel and I never encountered this in any Sheraton in China.||||The executive lounge with it's "Happy Hour" is even worse. ||||Same bad juices and no service unless you force them to do something. Not even a "hello" or "do you like a coffee?" or similar. Tables could be cleaned and freed up for new guests instead of leaving back all and block them. Generally poor service attitude here too.||||In a good hotel they learn your name the first time you enter the lounge. Then they call you by your name and lead you to a free table and offer you a drink. They show care. ||||Zero care, zero hospitality here.||||All in all, this hotel is by far substandard in service and hospitality compared to other former SPG hotels in China. ||Polite English speaking staff is a good starting point but just not enough for a Sheraton. You need people who make guests feel appreciated, who want to go the extra mile and want to make your stay memorable. ||||Therefore there is major motivation and training needed for the staff. ||||But it seems there is no care at higher levels. If the GM is not having the right service attitude, how can he or she expect staff to be better? ||||All in all, an acceptable place when compared to 3 star hotels but nothing to be proud of. Unpleasant...

Arrived on an early flight to Xiamen, despite morning rush a taxi ride took only around 15 min and 3USD. The all golden exterior of the property is eye catching. Went to 26th floor’s Executive Lounge to check in. Miss May, the Lounge manager welcomed me with a warm smile. She quickly completed formalities over a friendly chitchat with me. The Platinum Elite recognition was unbelievable. I needed 2 beds for that particular night, so I declined suite upgrade offer. Instead I was given a key to a huge twin bed room adjacent to presidential suite - the only such a big twin in the hotel. After a quick refresh I headed to the lounge for a breakfast. Later on I checked out health club. The swimming pool looked inviting and water temperature was OK but I went for sauna and hot pool instead. The club has a large rest area with plenty of day beds and I managed to have a refreshing nap there. I had meetings scheduled for the rest of the day so I couldn’t check out cocktails during happy hour in the lounge (5pm-7pm). The next day I went for breakfast in a restaurant on 2nd floor. The spread was decent and service welcoming and prompt. It was a pleasure to meet Miss May again while checking out in the Lounge. It’s hard to forget her professionalism and hospitality. I won’t hesitate to stay again in Sheraton...