Clearwater Beach Sheraton Resort on Sand Key — Hotel in Clearwater

We had booked two rooms in the Sheraton Sands Key Resort, Clearwater. One for our two adult daughters and one for my wife and myself.||Following a delayed nine hour flight from London Gatwick we arrived tired and ready for a good welcome. Our room was on the system. The receptionist had trouble with the second room and went into the back office to check. When she came we were met with the words; “The second room has been cancelled by your tour operator by e-mail. Contact them”. It was after 8pm USA time, 1am UK time. ||The receptionist “helpfully” suggested that we all go to the first room as it had two beds. I knew we had two rooms booked and stayed my ground, preferring to make the reception area look untidy until the issue was sorted. Fortunately I had noted a WhatsApp number for the tour operator (Ocean) but didn’t hold out much hope for a quick reply. They were on the ball though and replied within minutes. Having exchanged information they contacted the hotel and was informed via WhatsApp a room had been found for that night only and the daytime team would investigate further. We went back to the receptionist who checked with her manager who stayed firmly out of sight behind their office door. Keys were obtained and we went to our rooms.||The next morning we awoke to an e-mail from Ocean explaining they were investigating what had gone wrong but that both rooms had been secured for the week. Not having much faith in the hotel I checked with the front desk who confirmed the e-mail. ||The next day, as everything had gone quiet and with the conversation with the hotel suggesting it was Ocean who had messed up, I went to reception and asked for a copy of the offending e-mail which cancelled the room. The receptionist went away and, after a while, came back to explain there was no e-mail, it had been the hotels fault all along!||To sum up, Ocean have apologised and stepped up even when they didn’t know if the issue was down to them. You will notice the absence of any apology from the hotel. I’ll leave it to you, the reader to decide whether an apology should be forthcoming.||Our room|When we finally got to our room we were met with two unexpected water features, one in the room due to the ancient and very noisy air conditioning unit leaking into the room. The other turned our balcony into a shallow paddling pool. By trying to use the wall thermostat we tried to turn the fan down to its “low” setting. That turned it off completely. Calling down to complain prompted two replies, firstly a supply of towels to mop up the water with (See photos). The other was a maintenance man who simply said it couldn’t be turned down to the low setting. When I said that wasn’t acceptable he tried to get his manager on the radio. When he couldn’t, he went off to find him. This manager did call me to explain all air con units made noise. He agreed however that we should be able to turn the fan down and both of them came back to the room. Having demonstrated the problem the maintenance man then disconnected the wall thermostat so we could use the controls on the actual unit. That reduced the noise from trying to sleep next to a runway to more of a dull roar. The solution to that was for the manager to come back with earplugs – a choice of types of earplugs! Clearly it’s not an unusual complaint. The unit in our daughter’s room was also noisy but they were content to sleep with the balcony door open and the unit off. By contrast, the following week we stayed in another hotel (3 star) and the units there purred like kittens.||Private beach?|To be clear, the beach was lovely. I have to question how it could be claimed to be private. Next door was a public car park. We walked to that car park and back again. Certainly the people who parked in that car park tended to stay around that area but that was probably because it was something of a walk. At no time did we observe any signs stating part of the beach was private.||Breakfast.|The buffet breakfast was the most underwhelming I’ve experienced in a long time. Instead, take a short stroll (Or drive) out of the hotel to Maggie Mays. No buffet, but a wide choice, good service and good prices.||4 star hotel?|I wouldn’t agree. Certainly the worst Sheraton we...

UPDATE 4/5/24: While I appreciate the response from hotel owner and management, their admission that they "rented out" the hotel's Pool & Beach facilities to non-guests during Spring Break only proves my point further that profiteering has replaced courtesy and the prioritizing of actual guests. Cash is king. Will not return... ‐--‐--‐--‐----------------------------------------- Brought our family here over Easter/Spring Break for our 19th Anniversary. While we enjoyed ourselves and like the CB area immensely, this hotel needs significantly more attention and judgment by management to bill itself a 4-star resort. Pros: Staff is outstanding. Nice, patient, helpful and friendly. All of them. Definitely the highlight of our stay. So many amazing people... Room was updated and acceptable, but not premium. Many details in room look rushed, overlooked, or not quality checked. Facilities are all very nice. Lobby, halls, elevators, restaurants, store, grounds, parking, pool, beach. Fitness Center is closed for refurbishment. Location is unparalleled. Beach cannot be beat. Sheraton has a premium property here and they know it. Sand Key is close enough to CB action, but far enough away for a peaceful vacation. Perfect for family. Free trolley runs from hotel to CB late into evening. Cons: Not all rooms are updated. Ask in advance. Parking is odd. We got a ticket our first night after checking in late and not being informed of the registration process. It is run by a 3rd party. Cost is $25/day. Ticket was $70. Resort fees are for the pool & beach. Worth it, but could be better. Pool is far too small, very crowded. Chairs fill up with towel "placeholders" by 8am. Beach chairs and umbrellas are $45 per day and run by a 3rd party. Activities are plenty, but bring your own gear. Tennis/pickleball courts were ripped out and replaced with a grass field. Sand volleyball/soccer are available (again, byob); chess board is old, shredded; corn hole is missing bags; jenga set is laughable; pool too crowded for any games; hot tub crowded & dirty; outdoor showers available; and fire pit is very nice. Noise is intolerable. While I understand it is a family resort, it is not the children causing the majority of the noise. It is the grown-ups and hotel staff. You can hear through the paper thin walls entire conversations and bathroom habits. Staff works hard, but truly is loud at early hours. We were unlucky enough to be near an ice machine too. If you tend to stay up late and sleep in like us, this place may be a challenge for you. Spring Break. We discovered that the hotel advertised and allowed for non-hotel guests to pay the $25 fee to park and access ALL hotel facilities, including the pool and beach. It caused excessive crowds, a lack of available chairs for actual hotel guests, long lines for food and activities, and reflected poor decision-making and profiteering by ownership at its worst.

We like CB. It is amazing for multi-generation families and was perfect for our family dynamics with quiet calm available, but also fun and excitement for the teens. I simply hope Marriott continues investing in this property the right way instead of putting profits first, or we will likely try elsewhere. This resort could truly be a premiere destination if improved upon with guests'...

Checked in. Requested a room with an ocean view upon booking. Told we had a partial view. Let me explain what a “partial view” is. A “partial view” means if you walk to the end of your balcony and look the opposite way the balcony is facing, you can see the ocean. The other 80% of you view is dumpsters. Requested a new room, they take us to an un renovated room with carpet from the 70’s on the first floor. No thanks. Speaking of renovations MAKE SURE you’re on a renovated floor (i think 6 and 7 are) (9th floor is no more come to find out) or make sure you’re okay with carpet and amenities from the 70’s. It’s a vibe. Speaking of renovations, you wake up to the beautiful sounds of hammers, drills, and workers throwing trash off of the balcony’s below you at 7:30 sharp. Even if you’re on a renovated floor the bathroom is honestly the smallest bathroom I’ve ever seen in a hotel. I’m not sure how other people manage especially with 4 people. NO getting ready while someone is in the shower. Okay so stuck with our “partial view” whatever. Thinking the pool and beach will make up for it. WRONG. pool is about the size of your neighbors pool, except it accommodates the entire hotel. Cool I’ll go the beach. Well it is absolutely 900 feet from the ocean (much farther than the other resorts around) (thanks Apple Maps). They have a golf cart that takes you there and back. Wonderful. I take the golf cart out tip the guy 20$. Have a wonderful day on the beach, go back. No golf cart to come get you. Two days in a row. He’s “taking a lunch” at 5 or he’s “busy” as you can see the golf cart 900 feet in front of you. And make sure you get in before 6, because that’s when the poolside bar closes (Oh the bar the frozen drinks are made virgin then they just dump a big shot of tequila or rum on top, it’s your job to mix the drink from there) Even if the pool stays open long past that. The snack bar and restaurants seem to open and close whenever they feel like it. To put the absolute icing on the cake. I bought a hat from the gift shop which i had to return the following day because it literally started to fall apart. I’ve been to the front desk many times, they offer you nothing. Not even a lunch or dinner at their restaurants (because it’s probably not open) If you have read the other bad reviews and think you’re willing to take the chance, I’m telling you honestly, do not. Go further south. There are better stays at the same rate. I promise i wish i had.

I would also like to add, they advertise a gym, tennis court, and pickle ball courts, you CANNOT ACCESS them due to reconstruction.

And after scouring reviews, I’ve noticed a bed bug theme. While i have not seen bugs I’m terrified because of the lack of overall care I’ve witnessed at this facility.

I totally feel like I’ve been hoodwinked out of a relaxing vacation.

After we have now checked out, i would also like to add that i was accompanying my father on a business trip, the company decided that next year they would go to the Marriot right across the street, as they had their meeting there the year prior and preferred it over the Sheraton.

Also the hotel itself never addressed any concerns. I filed a complaint with the corporate office who was more helpful than a manager at...