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I really don’t need much in a hotel to be “happy”. Sure I love upgrades, but as long as the basics are met I am fine. My basic list of requirements are: a clean room & bathroom, the right temperature in the room and a comfortable bed.
There are few times, as long time readers will attest to, that I get upset. This is one of those times. All my basic needs in this hotel, (both stays during this trip btw), fell flat on 2 out of 3!
Let’s start with arrival part one. Take a look at the bathroom for room number one. Would you rent a room to a guest with a bathroom in this condition?
I asked my wife to re-pack all our stuff and we moved to another room. In this one, the TEMP is at 80º and humid. I was NOT offered a 3rd room but they did send a “tech” up and I was told the A/C had been off all day and I could “just wait” until it cooled down. I ask you, would you sit in a HOT ROOM you paid for, for hours and wait for it to cool down? So we went to the lobby and had a $5 beer as it took over 2 hrs for the room to cool down to 74º so we could use it!
Now as I mentioned this week, this trip we were in PHL, then in New York to visit other family, and then back in PHL before we flew home. The return trip put us back at the “Four Points PHL” and we ended up across the hall from the HOT room. Guess what, in this room the A/C was just busted! It was 74º when we entered the room late (after my last room I assumed the air had just been off again and would cool down after awhile) and by the time we woke up it was a “cool” 77º. My wife was not happy sweating while getting ready for the flight home!
This hotel needs some maintenance help. From the back of our bathroom door to the ducts, this location needs work and time and paint, cleaning and general touch-ups!
Then on the shuttle ride to the airport, just above my mom-in-law’s head, the video screen clattered around hanging by just the power cord ready to drop on a guest’s head as you can see.
So was this stay a total bust? No. There were some very good things about this hotel and the stay. Both the food in the restaurant was good and the staff service was very, very good. The room’s themselves were nice size and lots of power ports for phones and laptops and a nice size newer TV.
Another nice feature was the choice to forgo having the room serviced for either a $5 credit in house or 250 SPG points per night credit (just not for the day/night you are checking out). You can guess what my choice was :-)! But be aware there is also a $7 per day parking charge so add that to your cost before you book!
Readers we all NEED to use social networking like TWITTER when we find ourselves facing a situation like I did. I reached out to @SPG via twitter during the stay. SPG indicated they contacted the hotel, but while I was there the staff made no attempt to make up for the situation or say ANYTHING to me.
So did I end it there? No! I shot off several more tweets after departure and did end up with a personal call from both the hotel manager and GM of the property. I was offered a refund of a little over 1/2 of my points for the stay. To me that does say they were truly sorry for what happened to me and my wife. Also, I was told the staff had a meeting to address my concerns and that this will NOT happen again to any guest staying at the PHL Sheraton 4 Points location. I have noticed they seem to be actively addressing complaints at tripadvisor.com!
Bottom line – would I go back? Yes, as I do think they will work to fix things. I would love to hear from readers who visit the location how their stay went btw!
Our Delta Air Lines, car rental companies, hotels – they all care about what we say about them. If you have a good trip, say so. If you do not, let them know so they can try to fix it or make it right! And then if all else fails, there is always Chris Elliott to turn to! – Rene
spg*– Starwood Preferred Guest®
25,000 points card from American Express
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Wow, you are a more forgiving soul than I am. After two bad rooms on the first stay, I would’ve rebooked elsewhere for the second stay.
Glad they extended some courtesy in retrospect, though.
This was the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed at in my entire life. I actually had a horrible experience and would never return or suggest anyone else to stay there. I am sad to see the hotel still facing the same issues three years later. I traveled to the suburbs to Philly for two years for work and was hotel hoping for the SPG free night promo. I arrived at this hotel late literally just to sleep. I got into bed and under the sheets was this plastic wrap bags with red and white gooey stuff. Still ti this day I have no idea what it was. I literally jumped out of bed and called the front desk immediately. They moved my room fortunately. This clearly meant that house keeping had not changed the sheets which was the worst part about it. The manager offered to refund the cost, but since the company was paying anyways I pushed for bonus points. While I love comp points this was anything but worth it. Now anytime I stay at a hotel I uncover the sheets prior to getting in. The same sales manager works at the aloft hotel right across the street and matches the four points rate for me for subsequent stays. At the time the aloft was new and a great airport hotel. Meets all your criteria set above. Alright, sorry for the rant but I had to chime in. If you were to ask me my worst hotel experience, this would be it.
What is it about Four Points hotels in PA? Just finished a stay at 4P PIT airport and it was the WORST SPG stay ever.
@HansGolden – Send a Direct Message to SPG about it and let them know and follow up if need be. I think they (SPG that is) appreciate it! – Rene
@New Girl – I have run many company’s and my own for years. I did look at changing hotels but thought it was a fluke round one. I did like some things very much about the place.
@Deals – txs for the feedback. I think this hotel needs to spend some cash and make this hotel nice again. If not, I think they risk being dropped by SPG. I hope your and feedback make a difference and they do improve.
I’m thinking the Four Points chain is the weak spot of the SPG group. Stayed at one elsewhere (CT) a couple weeks ago and it was dismal. Pipes were burst in the restaurant, furniture was worn. Funky smell in the room. I wish SPG had something that equaled the Hampton Inn chain as far as consistency and value.
I actually stayed at a very pleasant 4P at CLT airport.