Sheraton Fairplex Suites & Conference Center — Hotel in Pomona

There must be a massive mold issue in the ventilation system. My guest and I both had such an incredibly hard time being in the room because our throats, noses and lymphatic system were in absolute overdrive... We didn't have the AC on at all because the air blowing definitely made it worse but physically being in the room made us both physically sick.

This is a full out health hazard...

Lots of other areas where the room clearly hadn't been kept up though - hair dryer must be a $30 dryer that is 10+ years old, the outlet actually had black all over it where it had clearly been shorted before.... Dust all over the outlet behind the couch...

They didn't even have a single extra roll of toilet paper in the room?

Honestly the worst hotel experience I've ever had in my life, I wish I could give zero stars.....

And then to be required to pay $17/night for parking on top of all of that? 🤦‍♀️ (it isn't like there is remotely a shortage of parking...... LA/Santa Monica I get, but out here in the middle of nowhere with tons of empty spots? Makes no sense) Could not recommend any less......

EDIT - I've had an exchange with the Sheraton, they claim to be addressing the mold issue, I'll just copy my email to them here for proof for anyone else who gets any health reactions due to mold if they don't act on this....

"We both had a hard time breathing starting the first night of the stay, and quickly developed lumps on each our throats. Both our noses and throats started acting up within the first 24 hours.

We slept OK the first night but then hardly slept at all the other 2 nights because of how we felt.

We knew what it was right away so we kept the AC off the whole time because we knew that would make it worse.

We always felt so much better anytime we were not physically in the Sheraton, but would immediately feel worse when we got back...

For me afterwards it has mostly been isolated to my throat, still very scratchy/extremely irritated with some coughing but otherwise on the mend, but she is feeling more flu like symptoms.... body ache, nose is running constantly, may have had a fever, feeling super run down....

Since we both started reacting instantly the first night, we know it wasn't something she picked up on the plane and then gave to me (I drove, we came from separate states for this event) and now that we are out, we are both feeling better even though she is still really run down.....

Her flight out of San Diego last night got cancelled so we actually got another hotel room in San Diego literally just to recover from how much we have been suffering because of this. We got multiple holistic remedies from whole foods, detox green drinks, sunshine, and cancelled work calls so we could recover. She was in bed for 12 hours because she felt so awful.

She was in bed for 12 hours because she felt so awful. For context, this is a single mom in her 40s who has run multi million dollar companies.... We don't sleep 12 hours....... We push ourselves really hard regularly but how much we pushed this past week was really low on the scale of how much we normally push ourselves, so there was no reason for us to be feeling like that except for there being mold in your hotel.

I've never experienced anything like this in my life, I'm not trying to create some crazy lawsuit or anything like that, I'm just genuinely horrified at the state of your hotel and how much of a clear health risk it poses.

A refund for my stay would be nice and honestly the least you can do on my end considering we had to spend half of what we paid Sheraton just to RECOVER from staying at your hotel, but what you really need to do is get a real expert in to look at your AC vents because I'm positive there is some serious mold for us to have that extreme of a reaction so fast.

If you don't and someone who has a compromised immune system stays in that room or any others that are as bad (I have a feeling it is not isolated just to that room...) then you're going to have a serious lawsuit on...

A few good things to say about this hotel and a few bad things.||||First of all, watch out for the wifi fees. Every U.S. hotel where I've stayed in the past 20 years has had free wifi. I think this hotel is stuck in the 20th century. The hotel's wifi registration page says Bonvoy members get free wifi, but it won't grant you access until you choose one of the paid options from the drop-down menu. I called the front desk. They confirmed my Bonvoy status and assured me that it was just a software issue and the charges would not appear on my bill. When the charges did appear on my bill, archaically labeled "Telephone" charges, I insisted they remove it, which they did, but without apology. I tried to explain to the manager that wifi is a basic hotel service -- like electricity and plumbing -- and that needs to be included in the cost of the room. He said, "It's a standard charge at all our properties." Not sure if "all our properties" means all Sheratons, but if so I certainly will think twice before staying at a Sheraton again.||||Then there's the parking fee. The lady at the front desk when we were checking in said there would be a $16/day charge to self-park my car on-site. That seemed surprising, but I figured I didn't have a choice. Maybe what she meant to say was that valet parking would cost $16/day and self-parking on-site was free. But when no charge appeared on my bill for parking, I didn't ask questions. ||||The two computer terminals at the business center were in different states of confusion when I went to print my boarding passes, but someone from the front desk was quickly able to get one of them set straight.||||There was only one architectural design flaw that concerned me -- there are no stairs. Oh, there's a fire exit, but it's essentially a fire escape -- one-way outbound and not into the lobby. So if the 3 elevators at this ~300-room hotel get backed up -- which happened to us when an entire summer camp of teenagers staying the hotel showed up all at once -- there's no "I'll take the stairs" option.||||On the plus side, the rooms were quite clean and spacious, had complimentary bottled waters and mini-fridges, and had ample electrical plugs for device charging. The food in the restaurant was quite delicious and worth the slightly longer-than-expected wait.||||Not sure if we'll stay here again. Might consider it if the hotel -- and its "other properties" -- decides to get with the century and stop...

BEWARE I am an employee of Cal Poly Pomona. The University booked a room for a guest speaker for the evening of February 25, 2024. On 2/24, I was up all night throwing up and had to go to the emergency department for dehydration due to NOROVIRUS. Since I had to cancel the class that the guest speaker would present in, we had to reschedule his visit. I CALLED THE SHERATON FAIRPLEX FROM THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT to inform the front desk and to request a refund or credit. I am aware of their cancelation policy, but all reputable businesses have exceptions for true emergencies (IHG, Hilton, etc.). They basically said "too bad." Did they WANT me to go to the hotel anyway even though norovirus is extremely contagious? I wouldn't do that because I care about the health and well being of other people. They clearly care more about profit than the health of customers and other employees. It's extremely disappointing.

Not only would they not provide a refund or credit, THEY CHARGED AN ADDITIONAL "NO SHOW FEE" THAT WAS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE ROOM RATE OF ~$214!!!!!!! I called multiple times, as did the person who made the reservation. They eventually agreed to refund the no show fee but will not give a refund or credit for the amount charged for the room. This is a HUGE mistake on their part. Cal Poly Pomona often pays for guests to the University to stay at the Sheraton Fairplex and recommends the hotel. They decided that $214 is more important than a positive relationship with the University and essentially STOLE money from the Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, which is meant to support the learning of our students (who are overwhelmingly first-generation and students of color)! This is shameful! I sincerely hope Marriott with right this injustice and attempt to repair the harm they have done to their relationship with the University. If not, I will make sure to spread the word.

Update: Marriott did eventually refund the no show fee to Cal Poly Pomona after I posted my review and also called the Sheraton Fairplex...