Sheraton Suites Akron Cuyahoga Falls — Hotel in Cuyahoga Falls

I have been a guest of this hotel several times in the past. My most recent stay was the absolute worst experience I have ever had.

I received a notification via my Marriott app that I had the ability to check in on the app. I checked in and it offered a mobile key, I selected that option to avoid waiting at the front desk. My husband and I were staying for a wedding and needed to get to the rehearsal dinner. I waited at the front desk to check in, there were two employees behind the desk. One was helping a guest and the other never acknowledged my presence. I was informed the mobile key did not work because they had to verify my credit card. That was irritating because to me, that defeats the purpose of the mobile key option. We did not receive our wedding gift bag that was designated for wedding guests, despite sharing at the time of check in we were with the wedding block. My husband and I got to our room, the door did not close behind us without having to pull it closed, not normally what I’ve experienced with key card hotel rooms. The toilet did not work, the shower did not drain and the mini refrigerator did not cool. The small freezer portion of the mini refrigerator was so thick with ice, it was obvious it needed to be defrosted. The microwave looked to be from the 1980s and we never did figure out how to use it. Upon returning from the rehearsal dinner, we stopped at the desk to ask for our wedding guest bag. After the rehearsal dinner several bridal party members went to the bar for a drink, an employee was very rude and told us that we were standing in a high traffic area while waiting at the bar for a drink. This could have been better handled by serving us and we would have gladly sat at a table. The next morning, on my way to join the bridal party to get ready for the big day, I stopped at the desk to share the issues with the toilet, shower and refrigerator. While I am speaking to a staff member and sharing my concerns, the same employee who ignored my existence evening before while I was checking in, interrupted me and asked if I had called about any of these issues. My reply was that I was reporting them now. Maintenance man was kind and did fix the issues in the room.

The bride had a suite where hair, makeup, photographers and videographers would report for the day. The front desk refused to share any information with the vendors about location, despite a call from the room stating who would be coming and when, also giving permission to send them down to the room. Each time a vendor arrived, a bridal party member was interrupted from the events to retrieve them from the lobby. The suite that the bridal party was getting ready in was filthy. There were Taco Bell sauce packets in the light fixtures above the eating table, wall paper was peeling all throughout the suite. After the wedding, family and bridal party members returned to the hotel. The bride and groom had left for the evening and went home but continued to keep the suite reserved for a handful of bridal party members. Knowing we would return to that suite, many bridal party members left personal belongings. The front desk staff refused to let anyone into that room if their name was not associated to the reservation, despite knowing we had been in that room all day long. The bride and groom accidentally took the key cards home. The staff member said he did not care and we would have to wait until they woke up the next morning to come and grant access to the room. My husband and I paid over $500 for two nights, and had a miserable experience overall.

I will never stay at this hotel again, and it is so unfortunate because the...

I'm sure this place would be amazing if we didn't stay here on a Sunday, and if we didn't have the receptionist that we did. At arrival, we discovered our room didn't have a balcony (as advertised). When we asked about the balcony, the receptionist scoffed and said "that's like a $500 upgrade".. We also discovered there were no on-site restaurants open, and no food options available. Even though our receipt said we had "club level access" and could order room service. Now, I don't expect them to call 10 people in to work to staff the restaurant, but knowing ahead of time would have changed my plans for myself and my family. After finding out there were no food options, I asked about accessing the club level room that had refreshments. The receptionist said, "I guess I can open that room for you but I don't have anyone in there to staff it today." I politely said not to worry about it, but after thinking about all the amenities we were promised and dealing with our hungry kids, I decided to go have another conversation with the front desk. I explained that what we were promised and what we were getting were two very different things. We expected the pool and hot tub to be open (as advertised) but there was no hot tub. We expected food options other than vending machines, but there were none. On top of it all, the attitude we received from her was extremely off-putting, as if it were OUR fault for coming on a Sunday. She didn’t seem to want to inconvenience herself from filing her nails to help resolve our issues. Finally, I asked if she could upgrade our room to one with a whirlpool (not even a balcony) so that my kids could at least swim. I also asked for recommendations of local restaurants, to which she said loudly, “I already gave your husband the brochure.”

To put in perspective what we were going through: we were on a trip to Cuyahoga Valley National Park to spread my mother-in-law’s ashes. We had been traveling from Wisconsin since Wednesday, taking time at different locations from her life, to pay our respects. This was our last stop before our 8 hour drive home. This was our last night in the city she grew up in. This was the last little bit of ashes we had of hers to spread in the place she loved the most. We were looking forward to standing on the balcony and taking in the beautiful, rushing river… the sunset.. the memories.. We were going to let the kids swim while we planned our final prayer for her the next day. We were going to eat dinner on the terrace that overlooks the Cuyahoga River and tell stories about grandma. Unfortunately, that was overshadowed by the rude receptionist and the lack...

My wife and I visited Cuyahoga Falls from NW Indiana late December, 2023. I always wanted to kayak the river and the falls that are behind the hotel so my wife and I booked a room and I fired up an afternoon run. As thrilling as the falls were to boat, the hotel and town were equally amazing.

We really enjoyed our stay. The rooms were nice and spacious…. Maybe a bit outdated but the service, amenities, pool/ fitness center, and bar lounge were all top notch... but the location of the Sheraton is the main top selling point. Many rooms, the bar/ restaurant, elevator, fitness room, etc. look directly over the rapids and falls. It's like a hotel at a miniature Niagara Falls... There is always an awesome view!

Also, there are many trails and boardwalks along the gorge and river that were all within a stones throw away from our room. I especially liked walking over the High Bridge Glens and looking down into the gorge which is just downstream of the hotel. From this view, it is hard to believe that you are in a metro area and not in the mountains.... We also hiked the next day at the nearby Lower Gorge Metro park area... Beautiful sights and geology.

We really enjoyed this Hotel location and the city of Cuyahoga Falls. There is soooo much to do right in town. We visited many bars and restaurants and river overlooks while never moving the car. I kayak whitewater all over the country and can't believe that this location in nestled in a town in Ohio. Pictures could convince anyone that this is the Appalachians or the Rockies, but no... it's the Midwest. Talk about a diamond in the rough.

We enjoyed our first night so much that we decided not travel to the Youghiogheny river in PA and stayed a second night.

On a side note: I traveled through this area in the late 1990's a few times to kayak the lower Gorge of the Cuyahoga. The water smelled so bad that I couldn't put myself into the river. I heard the river had been cleaned up since. I was very impressed with the water quality improvement over last 25 years. Now this will become one of my favorite paddling destinations and favorite...