Four Points by Sheraton Seattle Airport South — Hotel in Des Moines

When I checked in I was told by the front desk I couldn't have the Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite and above guaranteed late checkout as the hotel wasn't a Marriott. The gentleman working the front desk also went on to say an order from management prevented late checkouts. Fortunately a very kind woman working at the front desk the next morning told me it was no problem to stay past checkout when I mentioned the strange check in. We had a good laugh about it in front of the Marriott Bonvoy sign, and that should have been the end of the story. As a repeat guest of this hotel I wasn't going to let this hiccup ruin this stay.||Fast forward to checkout. I headed down to check out hours before what would have been the standard elite checkout time. At the front desk I discovered erroneous parking charges on the bill. The same kind woman that offered a later checkout was helping me, but it required her manager to fix the errors with the bill. With the outstanding customer service delivered by this woman at the front desk, even this new delay plus the check in (and a heavy foot traffic room) couldn't add up to a terrible stay.||The manager arrived and said fixing the parking would take some time, so I started chatting about the weird incident where the guy working the front desk at check in said the hotel wasn't a Marriott property. The manager tried to justify it by stating Sheraton was SPG in the past (despite SPG joining Marriott Bonvoy in August 2018 and my stay being in November 2024). He then went on to act like I should have never received a later checkout this stay. This despite actually checking out within an hour of normal checkout (and not receiving the guaranteed late checkout which has up to a 4pm checkout).||The manager then decided to lecture me like this was my first day of elite status. He stated I would find many Marriott hotels in my travels deny the elite late checkout. He also said that his hotel only offered it to Platinum, Titanium, or Ambassador elites based on availability (despite Marriott Bonvoy terms and conditions guaranteeing it for Platinum and above outside of convention/resort hotels). He went on to state that the hotel was sold out, and if they gave away late checkout to Platinum and above they'd have no rooms. However, the app showed plenty of availability for the day I was leaving. In all that the manager said, he never once apologized for the obvious mistake on their end that was wasting my time... the parking.||I walked out of the hotel once the parking was eventually fixed. As I did, I thought about how loyalty is a two way street that benefits both the hotel and the guest. This is the only hotel I have experienced to date to not adhere to the Marriott Bonvoy terms and conditions and deny the guaranteed late checkout when checking in. Even in the past with lower Marriott status where it is based on availability I don't recall any denials. As a returning guest of this particular property itself I felt management truly did not value repeat business of the brand and the hotel itself. As a result, I have taken my business elsewhere. It is a shame because the building itself is likely the nicest hotel facility in Des Moines, and there are some fantastic employees...

Just to explain, I am a Gold Elite for Life with Marriott and a long time and current Diamond member with Hilton. I do know my hotels. |Stayed here on a 4 day business trip. It was close to the airport and since I was arriving late and leaving early, it was a great solution. It also allowed me to turn in my rental car a day early and take an easy shuttle to the airport at 6:30 am on Saturday. |First the hotel.. Really looks nice and well maintained. My room was clean and very comfortable. I always seem to get a great view of the parking lot.|The restaurant surprised me. The bartender / server was on her 1st day when I arrived. She was really really good. The food far exceeded my expectations. For some reason, most hotels have a difficult time with pancakes. This one did not. The burger and fries better then I've had in a very long time. Everything cooked well, served as expected and priced about what you'd expect. |So why the two stars?? On my last night, I made a reservation for the hotel / airport shuttle for 6:30. I came down to the lobby at 6:15 and their were a lot of people milling about. When the van arrived, the driver looked around and said there was no way he could take all these people. 3 of us did not make it. So I called for a Lyft ride, invited the other two to join me and proceeded to pick up all the garbage in the driveway while we waited. When I got to the airport, i called the hotel to speak with the manager. I was told he would not be in until 3:00. Upon arrival back in Florida, I called the hotel back and was able to speak with the manager. I explained the situation about the shuttle and his response is why only a 2. His response? The shuttle service is a courtesy and not guaranteed. My comment back was that if the hotel excepts my reservation for the shuttle, then there must be a seat for me. If the front desk is taking reservations, and a time slot is full they could suggest an alternative time that would be available. He simply apologized, said he was new at the property and that was it... nothing he could / would do. I shared that I would take it up with Marriott Corporate. |It get's better. So I sent my complaint to Marriott. The on-line response was to give it 5 days. After 5 day's, I called Marriott. They called the hotel and the manager was not in. I was asked for a phone number have the manager call me back, which I gave to Marriott Customer Service. They said I had to give it another 5 days. Still nothing from the hotel. Nothing from Marriott. |For me, it's really not the problems that get to me. I understand, stuff happens. It was only a ride to the airport and $40 Lyft took care of it. It's always the response to the challenge that makes or breaks it. This response / or lack of one, broke it for me. ||Is it a wonder why I'm a Diamond at Hilton? Come on Marriott, you've always been...

We were greated with a parking garage. which is fine. city life requires these things. The man-trap style doors we had to pass were “fine” again. Getting a luggage cart through there is a bit challenging. There was plain water provided. The front desk concierge was nice, greeted us, asked us if we wanted additional complimentary waters for the rest of the family. We were given 2 breakfast vouchers for our family of 4. Which was odd as we already specified we would be 4 people in the room. There were two separate restaurants an indian place by the elevators and a bar/grill on the opposite side. The lofted ceilings were pretty cool to see, but that was about as much fanfair that the Sheraton would bring. The hallways had no interior decorating besides the two lamps on the 5th floor elevator entrance. It looked like the backrooms on the other floors. the liminal space aesthetic which is kind of creepy. The room was fine. We needed laundry here and I asked about it at the concierge. He gave us two separate boxes for detergent and laundry softner. He did not elaborate on the process. I located the laundry and saw it would require about the same price for our laundry here, but as he did not mention quarters I would have to go back down for the dryer, as I somehow managed to get a free wash from one of the washers. I assume it’s broken(?) I would have to go back down to get 2.50 in quarters for the dryer as I had no such luck finding a second “free" machine. The indian place left their doors open so through the night as I did laundry I would just keep smelling the indian food as i went through the elevators to seperate floors and down stairs for the quarters. It wouldnt cease until the morning when it had been closed for the night. We also managed to get free vouchers for two more breaksfasts as the concierge was probably bending the rules to do so. There was a snack bar for items to buy such as asprin or drinks. The pool was closed for the season, which was one of the main reasons I picked this place. I assumed by the name that I would be getting a higher-starred hotel as a pick-me-up as the planned camping trip would have be hard and wanted a nice experience to book-end our trip, but ended up getting an inferior experience. This is a 4 star hotel acting like a 3 or even a 2 star hotel. it does the job of giving you a place to sleep but in hospitality I define this as negligible at best.

We were apparently spoiled by the Holiday Inn in Sequim, WA. They outperformed this hotel in every manner. Would not recommend this hotel unless you just need to get to...