Sheraton Bloomington Hotel — Hotel in Bloomington

Before this last stay I would have recommended this hotel whole-heatedly. But every single component of our last stay makes me feel upset and disinterested in staying here again. To preface, we came during a convention that was occurring at the hotel across the street. We go to this convention every year and prefer staying at the Sheraton (even before it was the Sheraton), because it's quieter, cleaner, and just a nicer hotel. I know that hotels are a business and want to make as much money as possible and I give them allowances for this. On its face it's a nice hotel with pretty pictures. But I feel like I was being raked over the coals on our rate this year.

The problems:

1. It started with the reservations. When looking online for the rates they were too high so I called to see if we could have the convention rate. The lady was unfamiliar with the convention and so took my phone number and said someone would call me back. She suggested that I book my reservation at the time in case the rooms were taken and I took her suggestion. While booking I said that my mother would be staying with us and she said it was an addition $75 a night for a third adult. Third adult makes you pay extra?! Incredible, but they are in it for the money so I agreed.

2. Two weeks go by and no one calls me back. I'm a member of the Sheraton rewards and during these two weeks I receive several emails about promotions going on. Early reservation discount. Pay your birth year promotion. Minnesota resident promotion. I called after not receiving a call back about the convention rate and they said none of those promotions were valid for our stay. Again, I understand they want money. All the money. It's a convention right before the 4th of July so I say, ok.

3. I'm not supposed to say how much we paid in this review but at this point, we're paying more than one hundred a night more than my brother who is staying in the club level like us at the convention rate.

4. My 3-year-old needs a separate smaller bed to sleep in but since it's a popular convention, no roll-aways are available. So I ask them for a crib in our room. But when I called to ask for a crib the guy asked for the name of the hotel and said that I didn't give the right name. Acting suspicious that I was calling. Then he said he could not guarantee a crib for the stay. How can you not know if you will have enough cribs? You have X number of cribs. And Y number of people request one. If Y exceeds X then don't tell people you might have one. I would need to bring my daughter's bed if one was not provided and this takes up quite a bit of room in the car and needs to be known before travelling to a hotel.

5. I really prefer this hotel so despite the outrageous rate we decided to still stay. We come at 3:30 to check in, check in starts at 3. Our room was not yet ready. We had to sit in the lobby until past 4 waiting for our room. I have a three-year-old. This is not ideal. Paying so much you expect a certain level of service at every point of your stay.

6. So we are in the hotel and finally have our room, we go to the room and I expect the room to be gorgeous. Paying so much money you think you would have a beyond mid range room. But the room is incredibly narrow and has barely enough room to walk in. More like a low rate hotel. The beds and pictures look great, but the lack of space creates the feeling of a cheaper hotel.

7. After the rigmarole of the late check in, the guy checking us in didn't put club room access on our cards.

8. The showers had zero pressure and the water was unable to keep its temperature. Lots of people in the hotel, but you expect a business to know how much water it needs. The shower was like being pissed on. So disappointing.

9. We get home and get an email receipt from the hotel for over two hundred dollars more than agreed upon.

I loved this hotel when it was owned by the previous owners but now I'm not so sure. We go to the convention every year. We like to stay in a hotel. We would rather the Sheraton but to be charged so much and to have it not deliver it's just too...

My wife and I have stayed here a few times. Both times have proved to be so beautiful. Kudos to the entire Team at the Sheraton in Bloomington.

In terms of specific things we are grateful for:

1. Check In was stunningly on target (we are kinda picky no doubt). We've never had all of our requests be delivered so smoothly and accurately from the Reservation process/person to the front desk.

2. Mindfulness and Genuineness of Matt at Check In was so pleasing and comforting. I am sure the Team is trained to greet guests (ask if they have any special plans while in Minneapolis...or "what brings you to Minneapolis?"), but it was the genuine interest that Matt shared in learning about our stay that made us feel so grateful. He truly wanted to know what our general plans were because we know he wanted to see if there was anything he (and/or the Sheraton Team) could do to help make our weekend special. A nice hotel is certainly great. And PEOPLE who work there who are beautiful with their mindfulness and genuineness make the hotel come alive!

3. The hotel itself is spotless, artful, and comfortable. Outside and in, it is inspiringly clean and simply to navigate. Kudos to the entire TEAM who works to make this happen (behind the scenes).

4. Our room was spotless, quiet, comfortable, and rejuvenating. So perfect. Again, kudos to EVERYONE who made this possible from Day 1 (architects, designers, builders, maid service, room service).

5. The Club Level and Club Lounge are exceptional. Worth it. We hesitate to offer this "tip" because we want to keep it a secret;-) But to honor how much it means to us and how much it helped make our stay at the Sheraton in Bloomington so special, it is only fair we pass on this insight. Great, hot hors d'oeuvres were served early evening. With cold snacks and non-alcoholic beverages (pop, water, coffee...they have an awesome machine that makes espressos, lattes...basically your private coffee shop!). The team members who floated in and out of the Club Room were exceptional. They kept the Club Room feeling very exclusive and special (cleaning up, restocking). We enjoyed getting to talk with them!

6. We didn't partake in Lela (the restaurant), the bar in the Lobby, or use the fitness center. So we can't comment on these. But it doesn't mean they didn't all appear to be right in line with the rest of the awesomeness of the hotel;-) Maybe next time we will engage!

7. The price point of this hotel is exceptional when considering what you get in relation to what you pay for. We've stayed in 5 star hotels around the planet. And sure, we've stayed in "better" hotels. And they were also much more expensive. So again, this hotel offers an EXCEPTIONAL VALUE.

8. There's more. But for now, "WOW!". We are so grateful for this hotel. Inside and out. The entire team is to be commended....

Room cards didn't work right after check-in and I called from 5th floor elevator phone for assistance (I had a bunch of luggage with me, don't want to carry everything back down) and was told I had to come back down because their co-worker took break and only he was there. Okay, frustrating but understandable.

Room feels like 2-star - old wallpaper, no microwave, old stucco ceiling planks deteriorating and slightly lifted, wallpaper peeling off all around the fan ventilation, bathroom tub rubber caulking is beginning to brown. Also, the shower head is a sorry excuse of a shower head. The mount for the head is suppose to slide along a shaft to adjust for height and locks in position with a knob. The pressure of the shower head equates to a plant watering sprout, and I can twist the lock knob until my hand hurts and the mount would still slide down the shaft (yeah, it means it's old to the point of failure)

Ordered GrubHub delivery 8/26/23 Saturday night at 9:30 P.M (If you're reading this Sheraton, I hope you look at the work schedule and find the employee) Instructed for driver to leave food at front desk. Usually once delivered, the front desk staff will call your room to notify you, I never got a call. I walked down to the front desk and noticed the agent standing off to the side looking towards the front door and chatting with a female (co-worker? not sure), and did not notice me at all. I see a bag of food presumably my order just sitting at the desk, when the agent noticed me I asked him if this was a GrubHub order? His response was, "I have no idea this was just left here." If you were working your assigned location and performing your duties, maybe you would have had an idea. And don't give me the, "it's not our responsibility to ask the driver who this belongs to" or "the customer should know to come down to pick up their order" I've stayed at a 2-star Holiday Inn Express where I ordered to-go for 4 nights straight and every time front desk would call my room to let me know my delivery is here. Simple customer service experience right? Not to mention this front desk agent always has an Airpod stuck in one ear and it's not the first night I've noticed it. I've noticed multiple nights that this agent always is on his phone looking down with an Airpod in one ear and never greets anyone that comes through the front door. You're the front desk that's supposed to greet every patron that comes in and for you to always have an Airpod on, looking down, and not at the people coming through, what kind of representation are you giving your customers?

4-star hotel? To that I ask, which part? I don't care how glamourous your Sheraton Club or lobby or any of that visual upscaling you do when the quintessential parts of a hotel like service or quality of room is...