Sheraton Suites Key West

I was super impressed by my stay at the Sheraton Suites in Key West, Florida this past weekend. First of all, the hotel is being completely remodeled, and they’ve done a really nice job. As soon as you walk in, it feels more like a W hotel than a Sheraton. You’re greeted by refreshing greens and blues, a waterfall wall and orchids placed throughout the lobby. The furniture is dark with clean lines, and the lobby is open and sunny.

The pool area was fine – the pool was a decent size, but there were lots of kids in it. It’s summer, and since the entire property is an all-suite hotel, the rooms are very popular with families.

Now, the best part: the rooms. I couldn’t believe how nice they were! I stayed in a room that had a King bed in one part and an L-shaped couch that pulled out into a Queen bed in the living room. Count them – there were TWO flat screen tv’s, a fridge, a microwave, Starbucks coffee in the room, a laundry basket in the bathroom, what appeared to be granite counter tops in the bathroom and a very large and comfortable common area.

I got a great deal and only paid $139/night, but you can snag rooms here year-round for $169 usually. Some of the rooms have two Queen beds in them, and with the pull-out couch in the living room, you could easily fit six people in there.

There’s a bar by the pool, where mixed drinks are $6-$8. Food by the pool (chicken tenders, salads and such) are a bit pricey, but that’s to be expected. There’s often live entertainment by the pool, too.

Mallory Square in Key West

One of the best parts about this hotel is that it’s right across the street from Smather’s Beach. There’s a free shuttle, too, that leaves every hour for downtown. It drops you off not far from Mallory Square.

I’d definitely stay here again. I’m having a hard time coming up with things to complain about. The only thing is perhaps the pool – I wish there were more than one and that there weren’t so many kids. But, what can you do.

**Please know that for some reason, the pictures on the Sheraton Suites Key West website have not yet been updated to reflect the new renovations. The hotel is now a very modern-looking, fresh hotel with none of those “Key Westy” colors. ***

Photo Credits: Sheraton Suites Key West Website and SwiatekJ

Twitter is becoming a more popular vehicle for hotels to reach clientele and job prospects.

Twitter is fast becoming a medium for companies to reach their clients. (We’re on Twitter too!  Follow us @UpTake!)  Just yesterday my own websites went down and instead of going to my server company’s web page, I went directly to their Twitter page.  In seconds I saw they had a power outage and service would be restored within the hour.  What took the company 5 seconds to Tweet saved us both time and satisfied my need-to-know immediately.

Here are some of the top hotels on Twitter.  Feel free to add to the list in comments.

The Hyatt has twitter streams for two purposes.  One @hyattconcierge, to reach clientele and prospective clients, as well as promote their brand.  The other, @hyattcareers, is meant for a search of job prospects and to post employment opportunities within the company.  It will be interesting to see if separating the two genres will prove to be lucrative for The Hyatt.

The Marriott International (@MarriottIntl)posts interesting updates and does a good job of keeping their followers.  With 13,000+ following their feed, it’s obvious The Marriott is taking Twitter seriously.  The Marriott Vacation Club (@MarriottVacClub) is an active feed, with plenty of deals for would-be travelers.  Watch this space closely for coupon codes.

I love how the Ritz Carleton actually has PR rep Allison Stitch as their front woman on Twitter (@RitzCarletonPR).  Not only does that instill a sense of humanity to the stream, you know you’re actually talking to someone who’s job it is to make you happy.  Great job Ritz Carleton!

Starwood Hotels are also doing a great job of engaging fellow Tweeters at their stream (@StarwoodBuzz)  They ask questions, post interesting stories and links and reply back – a key to keeping your followers!

Omni Hotels (@OmniHotels) have a Twitter Team, complete with pictures.  They help clients and post deals when they have them.  Seems to me they are really taking the time to answer questions and go above and beyond to help others.

Joie de Vivre Hotels of California (@JDVHotels) take the time to post interesting things near their locations, answer customer questions and solve problems.  Hotel guest Michael Fishman put the JDVHotel Twitter stream to test with shredded towels (!) and received new towels and a reply on Twitter.

Morgans Hotel Group (@morganshotels) also seem to love Tweeting about nearby nigthlife and the like.  It’s proven to be a good move for them obviously, so say their high number of followers (3100+ to be exact).  One tip for Morgans?  Follow back.  We don’t bite and your ratios are whacky.

Fairmont Hotels (@fairmonthotels) have a fun stream with contests and trivia questions.  If nothing else, this Twitter stream is enjoyable and light.  Twitter host Mike Taylor does a great job or keeping his 4500+ followers on board.

Millennium Hotels (@MillenniumPR) does a great job of posting job fairs, contests and replying to clients and prospective travelers.  There’s a bonus to being one of their followers too: they post things just for us.  I can see this account growing in popularity if Millennium keeps up the momentum.

There are many more hotels on Twitter.  Here is a comprehensive list for you to find your favorites or to touch base with any of the hotels you plan on visiting.

Photo Credit: Karen Bodkin (screenshot of Twitter)

Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers

I stayed at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers about 5 years ago for a bachelorette party.  I had booked the room on Priceline and remember being extremely impressed with the quality and location of the hotel, considering the price I had paid.

I returned to the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers in July 2009 for a much different reason and walked away with a much different impression.

My most recent experience with the Chicago Sheraton started several months ago when I booked a room to attend a blogging conference that was being hosted at the hotel.  I was thrilled to hear about a “reduced” conference rate and happily made my reservation  and paid my deposit by phone with no problems.

And then I started getting emails confirming my deposit.  Several of them.  I checked my bank account online and found that, yes, my credit card had been charged numerous times – with credits back to my account made in between the various charges.

I wasn’t overcharged.  I was, however, a little concerned that the Sheraton seemed to be confused about how to properly bill a credit card.  You hope for a little more competence and confidence when you’re about to hand over several hundred dollars to a major corporation.

However, seeing as how I wasn’t actually overcharged, I put the issue out of my mind and went about making the rest of my preparations for the conference.

I arrived at the hotel by cab and was met inside the beautiful lobby by no line at a fully staffed registration desk.  The hotel seemed to be properly prepared for a busy weekend in their fully (over)booked property.  Check in went quickly, once I clarified that the other name they had on my reservation was incorrect.

And then had a minor panic attack about whether or not I had just inadvertently left another conference attendee with no room for the night.

(I hadn’t.  I still have no idea WHY they had this other person’s name on my reservation, but she checked into a room of her own later in the day with no problems.)

I made my way from the lobby to my room by way of the express elevators.  With 32 floors in the towers, I was grateful to find I would only need to navigate half of them every time I went to and from my room.  I also got a little kick out of the head rush from the extremely fast elevator ride.

Double Occupancy room at the Sheraton Chicago

I was staying in a standard guest room with two double beds.  I was a little disappointed to discover how small the room and bathroom felt upon entering it and hauling all of my luggage inside.  I was slated to share this room with three other women, and I was having a difficult time imagining sharing the space with even one other person.  I would have probably preferred to ditch the desk in exchange for a little more floor (and breathing) room.

And, yes, I realize that the room was designed for double occupancy.  But I have crammed four women in a two double bed hotel room several times before with much more comfort than the Sheraton rooms provided.  The room and bathroom felt smaller than most hotel rooms I’ve stayed in.

Despite the size, the rooms were beautifully appointed, clean, and fresh.  (No threadbare carpets or worn out bed linens here!)

Because I was there for a blogging conference, one of the first things I unpacked was my laptop.  Part of our conference rate included free wifi in our rooms and I was eager to plug back into the matrix for a moment.  Except that the wifi sucked.

I finally gave up and PAID to plug in to the internet via an ethernet cord.

Shortly after unpacking and getting my online fix, I made my way back downstairs to the hotel bar.  The drinks were expensive, which I expected, but the service was excellent.  This was a theme that would continue throughout my stay.  Every employee I encountered offered me a smile and an eagerness to help in any way they could.

The lounge area offered ample space for small groups of people to talk, and although the area was full for most of the weekend, it was never too loud to enjoy your conversation.  The seating was extremely comfortable and the area was obviously designed with the idea that this would be a place where people would spend time relaxing during their visit.

Later that night I enjoyed a meal at Shula’s Steak House on the main level of the hotel.  Again, the prices were what you’d expect from an upscale restaurant inside a Chicago hotel, but the service was of the caliber that you almost forgot the damage you were doing to your bank balance.  Sadly, the steak itself was mediocre – but the Oysters Rockefeller were to die for.

Stuffed from my meal and drunk on good conversation, I finally made my way back upstairs to my room for bed late into the night.

And then the bed tried to swallow me whole.

Holy softness.   I appreciate that some people prefer a softer bed than I do.  Really.  But the beds at the Sheraton were ridiculously soft.  Too soft.  I heard other people complain about them all weekend long.  The beds were soft enough to become a topic of conversation at an internet conference. I spent every night trying to ignore the fact that I felt like I was sleeping on an incline and desperately trying not to roll downhill into the great abyss created by my body weight.

I managed to get a few solid hours of sleep before the first morning of my conference.

The Sheraton is set up perfectly for an extensive conference like the one I attended.  There are several rooms of various sizes that are easy to get to via elevator and escalator.  I never felt like I was lost in a maze of hallways or that any place I needed to get to was too far from where I was at the time.  The conference made use of everything from a small meeting room meant for 100 or less people to a large ballroom that held over 1500 people.

What the Sheraton was not designed for was an Internet conference or any conference where the participants are going to want to access the internet during their stay.  Or their cell phones.

I have an iPhone and spent the majority of my weekend searching for a signal of any kind.  The wireless internet was spotty at best and even the cell phone coverage seemed to disintegrate the instant you walked into the hotel.

WiFi Fail, to say the least.

That was my biggest complaint about my stay at the Sheraton.  As someone traveling for a blogging conference, it was a serious issue for me and I would seriously consider any tech groups rethink using the Sheraton for business.

However, the hotel itself was beautiful and well laid out.  The location is perfect for enjoying Michigan Avenue, Navy Pier and Lake Michigan.  The staff was friendly and accommodating.  I would highly recommend this hotel as a home base if you plan to visit Chicago in the winter, when the financial and shopping district are bedazzled in tiny, white Christmas lights.

But don’t expect to get online while you’re there.

(And considering bringing a board if you have a bad back.)

Photos Credit: MissHeathyrm

This is the first part of a series showcasing the best gyms in hotels across the United States.  We’ll start with the most populated city: New York, and work our way through popular U.S. destinations.  Travelers venturing to New York know they are in for some walking but what if your trip is all stuffy business meetings and thinking outside the box?  (Raise your hand if you’re in corporate America and hate that phrase.)

To keep your fitness routine going while you’re away, consider one of these hotels that really put some thought into their gyms.

The New York Palace:

The New York Palace offers top of the line equipment and 7000 sq.ft. of spacious fitness center and spa.

If you find yourself without running shoes and workout clothes, (because you’re like me and forgot to pack that sort of thing) don’t sweat it (heh).  The New York Palace offers complimentary sneakers and workout clothes!  Each of the many cardio machines has it’s own personal screen.  Also free?  Bottled water and fruit.

Trump International Hotel and Tower:

Personal trainers at your service at the Trump International Hotel and Tower, NYC.

If you are a Plus One Active user, you will certainly find access to that as well as the internet in this hotel’s fitness center.  On top of having free personal trainers at your service, the center also can provide, upon request, a comprehensive fitness evaluation and nutritional counseling beyond ‘stay out of the carb-filled mini bar in your room, Missy/Mister.”

The Affinia Dumont:

The Affinia Dumont in New York City has a Fitness Concierge!

Complimentary Experience Kits come in yoga, running, and strength-training flavors and they are yours if you stay at this fabulous hotel.  In addition to the Experience Kits, the Affinia Dumont boasts a beautiful fitness center that is sure to get your mojo moving.  The Fitness Concierge (swanky!) “can offer fitness-related information about the neighborhood. And he can act as your personal trainer in our fitness center, or provide a complimentary fitness evaluation by request. (Yours, not his.)”

The Hyatt and the Grand Hyatt:

The Hyatt can deliver workout clothes to you room within an hour. (Charges apply.)

Trusted source TODAY loved this chain of hotels for their 24 hour fitness centers, as well as the service (gym clothes delivered to your room within an hour.)  “Some locations even offer customers a Garmin Forunner, a wrist-top GPS monitor, which you can borrow from the concierge and use during your run.“   TODAY went on to rate the fitness facilities a 5 out of 5.  {source}

The W:

The W

With three locations in New York City, The W covers a lot of ground both in geography and with their stunning “Sweat” centers.  Like the New York Palace, each cardio machine is outfitted with it’s very own screen.  No peeking!
While there are many more hotels in New York that boast beautiful workout centers, you and I both know the trick is motivating yourself to get into one.  With so much to do in New York City, you’d be hard-pressed to find me on a treadmill when I could be taking pictures of the sights of The Big Apple.  Still, these hotels seem to get it right.

Photo credits: The New York Palace, Trump International Hotel and Tower, The Affinia Dumont, The Hyatt and the Grand Hyatt, and The W.