Sheraton Universal Hotel — Hotel in Los Angeles

My husband and I booked two-nights at the Sheraton Universal to celebrate my birthday and our anniversary. It was a semi-last-minute booking, but found the price to be fair (cheaper than the nearby Hilton) and a great location to Universal Studios, as we would be visiting the park.||Check-in was a breeze and the staff were very welcoming upon arrival. We had a lovely king room on the 14th floor that had a semi-view of the park. The room was very clean and comfortable, and the floor quiet. ||As a surprise, my husband had planned a special delivery to be in our room upon arrival. The hotel provided a bottle of wine along with a small fruit spread. Beyond this, a hand-written card from the staff was included. This small gesture of the most perfect anniversary card and hand-written message far exceeded any expectations! The wine was wonderful and the perfect ending to our travel day.||The next morning was our first day at Universal Studios. We elected to walk, rather than take the complimentary shuttle. This is available and we also used this later in the day. (The shuttle is great, but please note the shuttle also picks-up & drops-off guests at the nearby Hilton. Just FYI). The walk had a short uphill section but was easy and quick! Easily less than 10 minutes from the front hotel entrance to the park gates.||Later in the day, when we returned to the hotel, we spoke with the concierge, Fernando. We requested to purchase another bottle of wine as we enjoyed what was provided the night prior. The concierge at that time was Fernando. Fernando Covarrubias also happened to be the gentleman who, along with Daisaku Vondran, prepared our special delivery at check-in. Immediately, Fernando recognized my husband's name and referred to him by such when we met in person. Shaking both of our hands and introducing himself and thanking us for staying at the hotel. THIS is customer service at its finest. The personal greeting was so special and for him to acknowledge our anniversary (and my birthday) in-person, was so nice. He and "Dai" went above and beyond. That evening, another bottle of the requested wine was sent to our room (while we were at the park) so we were able to return to yet another special surprise from the hotel. And again, with a personalized, hand-written note congratulating our anniversary.||That night, we ordered room service. The food was great, and the service was, yet again, top tier. The food was delivered in under 30 minutes, and the gentleman was incredibly friendly and professional.||Upon checking-out, the staff once again exceeded our expectations by once again acknowledging our anniversary (and birthday) and thanked us for staying with them.||I highly recommend this hotel to anyone looking to visit the area, specifically to go to Universal. The proximity to LAX, the parks, and other needs was exactly what we were looking for. The rooms are clean. The staff is friendly, professional, and beyond courteous. The lobby and bar area were beautifully decorated. Also note, there is a small marketplace and Starbucks located within the lobby! Very convenient and fast options if you're in a hurry!||If you're looking for a hotel for your next adventure to Universal Studios Hollywood, please consider staying at the...

We have been incredibly dissatisfied with our stay at the Sheraton Universal. When we booked our concierge room, we expected a premium experience, and our experience to date has been anything but.

While we were offered no help with bags upon arrival, at check-in we were met with enthusiasm and a seeming commitment to our ongoing satisfaction, however within minutes of entering our room and encountering issues, we realized that what we were offered at check-in was merely platitudes - issues were not addressed and we were quickly ghosted. Never to receive any brand of follow-up.

The lighting in our room is eerie. Worse, it immediately began triggering migraine activity for my husband. When we requested a lamp to help with the untenable situation, we were initially led to believe this was a possibility. Then ghosted. We actually had to pay a third party to have our own lighting brought into the space.

The room layout is unpractical and uncomfortable. Couches sit perpendicular to the television, which means you cannot utilize them for any practical purpose (besides perhaps putting on shoes)?

We have had an unpleasant (sometimes outright unbearable) odor in our room since arrival. This has been attributed by staff as due to age, cleaning processes, etc. However, it has never been satisfactorily addressed.

With all of our larger issues, we have also had simple requests (more towels, a blanket, adequate filling of empty soap containers in our shower), but even these were a nightmare to get addressed. There seems to be no proper flow of communication amongst staff at this hotel, and we feel like we have to chase people around just to get essentials.

The elevator situation is also a nightmare (which we don’t remember being made aware of when we booked this hotel).

The concierge level room we booked (because we’d thoroughly enjoyed the experience at other hotels) has not provided anything special to our stay. Our room is plagued with issues (stains everywhere, broken closet, broken toilet seat, grime in shower, and already mentioned lighting, odor, and layout challenges). And this is to say nothing of the mediocre food and beverage options (most food cold to the point of being inedible - no soda options at all).

Even an attempt to communicate concerns directly to the property manager went ignored.

In summary, while the lobby area is quite beautiful, we have had some truly delightful interactions with a few of the staff, and our two room service breakfasts were enjoyable (even though they were ordered because concierge lounge offerings were not appealing), overall this hotel has been substandard.

Pro-Tip: We’d recommend you...

I am writing to formally express my profound dissatisfaction with the service and conditions experienced during my recent stay at the Sheraton Universal Hotel. Given the brand’s positioning and purported standards, the experience was both disappointing and unacceptable on multiple levels.

Breach of Check-In Commitment An early check-in was confirmed for 8:00 AM. The hotel was therefore fully aware of our presence from the beginning of the day. Upon our return to the premises at 3:45 PM, after a full day at Universal Studios, we were informed by a front desk associate that the room was not yet ready due to carpet cleaning. We were told we would receive a call as soon as it became available. No such call was ever made.

At 4:30 PM, after receiving no communication, we returned to the front desk, where we were handed a room key without so much as an acknowledgment. When I inquired why no one had contacted us as promised, the staff member replied, “that’s not the front desk’s responsibility.” This level of disregard for the guest experience is unacceptable for any hospitality establishment, let alone one affiliated with the Sheraton name.

Unacceptable Room Conditions (Despite Claimed “Upgrade”) We were told that we had been “upgraded to a suite” as a gesture of goodwill. However, this so-called upgrade did not in any way mitigate the following issues observed upon entering the room: • A cracked window pane, • Stained and dirty walls, • An empty water bottle left under the sofa, • Candy wrappers inside the drawer, • Unidentified reddish stains on the sofa.

These findings suggest a complete failure to inspect or properly service the room prior to guest arrival.

Inadequate and Dismissive Management Response When these concerns were brought to the attention of the manager, rather than apologizing or taking meaningful responsibility, he chose to express surprise that I “did not appreciate the upgrade.” He then stated that this was “the first time he had received a complaint of this nature” — a claim that strains credibility given the scale of the hotel and the severity of the issues described.

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Conclusion There is a clear discrepancy between the quality promised by the Sheraton brand and the actual guest experience provided. The lack of basic preparedness, poor communication, unacceptable room conditions, and the dismissive response from management raise serious concerns about the operational standards of this property.

In its current state, I cannot recommend this hotel to future guests. I strongly urge the corporate office to review this matter and ensure corrective action is taken to prevent similar incidents...