Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown — Hotel in Albuquerque

After stay update: Check-In Our check-in was seamless. The front desk staff were helpful and kind. There was a bit of a line when I got there, but they made sure to acknowledge everyone who came in. They made sure to give every guest personalized attention while at the same time being efficient without making anyone feel dismissed, ignored or unimportant. I want to give a shout out to Brenda, Damon G and Brandon at the front desk. Thank you for making our check-in so pleasant. We had just had a 12+ hour drive and I was wired on caffeine but these 3 were so kind and although I know they might have been secretly laughing at my "crazy" energy level, they made me feel so welcome and I almost felt like they were giving me a "we understand" virtual hug. In all honesty, it helped me relax and remember that I was there to have a fun-filled family vacation.

Room-we had 2 standard rooms, 2 queen beds in each room, 5th floor (across the hall from each other) The rooms were amazing. They were very well kept and clean. Yes, this is a little older of a property; however, the housekeeping (and probably maintenance) staff make sure it does not look like it is an older property. I was able to interact with Fernanda and Jose of the housekeeping staff and they were so amazing. Thank you Fernanda for making sure we had a great room to come back to each night.

Amenities We only had the opportunity to eat at one restaurant- the Sunday breakfast buffet. There was a good selection of items, both hot and cold. The buffet is only open on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The pool was nice and they have very comfortable seating. We LOVED the area just outside of the pool. They have life size games (Jingo and Connect 4) to play with. They also have a full size ping pong table. We didn't utilize the bar or the snack area.

Location Centrally located in the middle of the city. Across the street from a mall with several eating establishments and shopping as well as down the street (walking distance) to ABQ Uptown-more restaurants and shopping.

I hate to use the word "con" because this property is well worth the money and I would highly recommend staying here, but there are a couple of {very minor} things to keep in mind when you stay here: 1) if you come back to the property after about 8 pm, be aware that the front parking lot fills up very fast. If you have a handicap placard, there is additional parking on the east side of the building with an entrance (accessible by your room key) to get in the building, 2) there is no hot tub/spa/jacuzzi.

And one last shout out to the overnight crew manning the front desk (unfortunately, we did not get his name). The other adult in our group had never stayed at a Sheraton before and his comment was "Bravo, Sheraton, I will definitely be staying here again". I second that comment. I have stayed at this property twice before this vacation (1 for a HS reunion and 2 for a private getaway) and I have never been disappointed.

I saw several flight crews and pilots coming and going on a shuttle and saw "flight check in" at the front desk. I am curious, is that shuttle and flight check-in for anyone or just for flight crews?

Thanx for listening and thank you Sheraton Uptown for an amazing experience. Thank you for all you do.

See you on the...

I reserved this hotel for November 11, 2011 using a promotion on the Sheraton website. The promotion offered a "Coke Gift Basket" for a small extra cost. The basket would include some small Coke stuffed bears, an Amazon Card, and 2 Cokes.

When I checked in, there was no mention of the basket. No problem! I thought it would be waiting in my room. However, it was not in my room when I got there.

Later, in my room, I learned that I did not have access to the free internet service, nor could I find information about Club Lounge hours (as I was staying on the 8th floor Club Level). So I needed to call Guest Services. There was no answer.

So I called Guest Services again later in the afternoon. I got immediate help for the Internet service and Club hours, but was put on hold for quite some time for answers regarding the gift basket. When the Guest Services representative came back on the line, she told me the gift basket hadn't been received at the hotel yet, but they would bring it up later that day (evening).

The next morning was my day to check out. I still had no gift basket. My alarm went off at 6 am - though I had not set it.

I checked out late morning (around 11 am) and asked for a manager. I was very surprised. Typically hotel managers are extremely patient and want to hear about guest experiences. This manager was not. Over the course of our conversation, I heard: "I'm pretty sure we told you that the Amazon gift card would come in the mail" (not true); "We noticed you didn't have kids, so we didn't think you'd want the gift basket" (not true); "We called you last night, but you didn't answer your phone" (may have been true); "The gift baskets didn't come in until this morning" (may have been true).

I'm not sure exactly what went on with the hotel front desk. All I know is that I was at the hotel less than 18 hours, and had to follow up several times to get information/services that should be automatic, especially for someone who stays at the hotel frequently, is a Starwood Gold Club member, and is occupying a Club level room. The Manager's mishandling of my morning concern was the topper. I didn't even bother to tell him about issues beyond the gift basket, as he had no interest in hearing about my experience, let alone attempting to address them.

I may continue to stay at this hotel. Adele in the Club Lounge operates more like a Manager (or gracious host) than the management does. The free evening and morning breakfast snacks often meet my meal needs. I make ample use of the fitness center (nice!) and indoor pool area. The location is not bad. And I get terrific discounts.

But service beyond the Club Lounge is not at all consistent with other good hotels...

First and foremost, we were new to Albuquerque and did not know much about the area. The website claims to have a complimentary shuttle. However, upon arrival, Kevin at the front desk informed us that Anthony was the driver for the day and it depended on "whether he felt like going" as to whether or not we could utilize the free shuttle service. We were told the shuttle went within a two mile radius, but it depended on Anthony and if he felt like it or not. That alone was unprofessional. Then, the next day, Bobby told us that Chris was the driver and if we wanted to go to old town then he would probably take us. With the lack of consistency in what we were being told, we finally decided to rent a car. Later that same night, Erin was the shuttle driver. I must give her kudos because she was very nice, we enjoyed her conversation, and she recommended a good local bar for us and took us there and picked us up. We were never quite clear on what the shuttle would/could do the entire time we stayed there. As far as the room, I had to ask for a hairdryer which was supposed to already be in the room. When housekeeping brought it, the lady stood at my door as if she were expecting a tip. Considering this was something that should have already been in the room, I did not tip her and it made the situation very uncomfortable. The shower in the room is nothing more than a trickle of water and the pressure and temperature changes constantly. The one thing that I really was infuriated about is that when I questioned Bobby at the front desk about getting a Starwood preferred guest card, he did not know where the forms were. He did ask someone, who also did not know. They made no attempt to offer any real help in this area. They honestly seemed to not care. I asked if I could apply on line and he said that I probably could and left it at that. I also asked about a credit of some sort I read about if I did not want my linens changed. He told me to hang the sign on the door if I did not want housekeeping in my room. I explained that I did want them to come in and straighten up, but that I did not need my linens changed every day. His suggestion was that I talk to housekeeping about that.

My over all experience was far, far less than I expected or received at other Sheraton or Starwood brands (and there have been quite a few!) I would not stay at this hotel again. The front desk is minimally trained and have the attitude of only getting by with the minimal necessary. I was very disappointed in the level of service from...