Sheraton Boston Hotel in Boston, MA

I'll start with the positives. If you're lucky enough to get a high floor facing the Charles River, it's a really nice view. Also the hotel is connected to a mall with some dining options, which is good since the hotel's restaurant is currently closed. Sadly, there are more negatives than positives. RUDE STAFF. The woman that checked me in was not at all welcoming. But the woman checking in the line next to me was downright rude to two customers in a row. Welcome to Boston! And this was for a conference that I know for a fact was providing the hotel with over $200,000 in revenue in just 3 days. Not smart. The body wash was completely empty in the shower. How hard is it for the staff to look at the side of the bottle when they change over the room? And there was no bar soap in the bathroom. And there were hairs is the clean bath towels, which is pretty disgusting. And the door to the adjoining room made it sound like the guests next door were IN MY ROOM. This had to be the top 3 most poorly insulated hotel rooms I've ever stayed in, and I've stayed in a LOT of hotels. Thank goodness for the phone app that plays surf sounds for an hour or I would never have been able to fall asleep. I'm sure there are better options in a city the size of Boston.

This was a less than ideal experience and was entirely preventable by Sheraton / Marriott. A two-night reservation for a suite, during the marathon, was made months in advance, followed up twice on the phone with both Marriott Bonvoy and the Sheraton front desk to confirm the room and an early check in. Extra planning and follow-ups were done knowing it was a busy weekend (Boston Marathon) and because one of us was running in the marathon. We specifically reserved and paid for a suite to have enough space to prep and relax before the marathon. We checked-in via the mobile app the morning of our check-in. Upon arrival we were told early check-in was not available. Fine, it's not guaranteed and it's a busy weekend. However, we were then told our reserved suite was not available at all, but they could provide a regular room. What? Despite making the reservation months in advance and confirming twice on the phone, including with the hotel front desk, we were told they over-booked the suites. Didn't matter that we checked-in earlier in the morning via the mobile app. They said nothing could be done. Without any other option we took whatever room was available and their compensation of 50% off the original rate of the suite. Mind you, a regular room is already 30-40% less than a suite. The room was fine, we missed the extra space to relax and rest for the marathon, but overall it was fine. The front desk did what they could, it was not their fault, but the fault of their operations team. However, the less-than-ideal experience didn't end there. Upon checkout and reviewing the bill, I noticed they did not apply the 50% discount to our stay, but only for one of the two nights. Not what we were told when we checked in. It required speaking with several front desk personnel to get this resolved. Overall, not a pleasurable experience, certainly a let-down to not have the space we planned to have to prepare for the marathon. The front desk personnel were pleasant and put in a difficult spot of not having any answers (or good solutions) as to why this happened. The property operations team that oversees booking needs to get their act together; seems like a core capability a hotel should have a good handle on. Following up with Bonvoy customer service to share the poor experience, I received a form-email reply thanking me for the feedback, they take this very seriously, and would do whatever they could to prevent this from happening in the future. It was only after following up multiple times more that Bonvoy provided a small amount of Bonvoy points.

We usually stay at the Sheraton in Back Bay for its convenience but also because Desirée. Her welcoming smile and good cheer is always appreciated and she does her level best to be the most accommodating and helpful person. The rooms are comfortable, the shower is good, the lobby upgrade is finished, but it all comes down to seeing Desirée on our visits.

There is a large conference happening that they clearly failed to staff for. We arrived today for check in, only 2 people were checking guests in making it a 20min wait. My rewards number wasn't linked to my reservation, which is usually not that big of an issue to add later. The challenge is, we tried to get on wifi, but without the rewards account linked, there is a charge. I tried 3X to call the front desk, no answer. Super frustrating start to a week. If you know you are booked to capacity, please just staff for it or offer a reduced rate for what is a reduced service level.

I have stayed here in the past, and found this time to be more enjoyable. All Guest Rooms have been updated, which was a great benefit of staying at this Property. Pool, and fitness center clean, and always a great benefit. Lobby restaurant still under construction but didn’t affect my stay as I ate in Prudential. Hotel is right near, Boylston, and Newbury st. Overall great trip. Highly Recommend staying here if you are alone, with friends, or family.