Sheraton Universal Hotel Universal City, CA

Excellent hotel, with exceptional staff. Angel, the host at check in was a pleasure to work with, and David at Valet was very helpful and knowledgeable. As a hotel guest, on the day of checkout you can leave your vehicle with Valet and pick it up at the end of the day after visiting Universal Studios. I highly recommend this hotel for Universal or if you’re visiting the LA area.

This stay restored my confidence in the Sheraton—and in the Marriott brand as a whole. From the moment we arrived, we were treated not as guests, but as family. We were graciously upgraded to a junior suite, much to my fiancée’s delight. When I asked about a late checkout, Monika simply smiled and said, “Mr. Keng, we’ve already set you for a 4 p.m. checkout—I noticed you’re a Platinum member when we upgraded your room.” That quiet attention to detail speaks volumes. Matt and Jose in the club lounge deserve special praise. They made us feel at home, even helping us pack food so we could enjoy it in our room after overhearing that we’d be helping our boys study over Zoom. That kind of thoughtfulness can’t be trained—it comes from good people who care. We had just come from Waikiki, where we stayed at the Westin Moana Surfrider during the trip when I proposed and at magic Island park my where my fiancé said yes. That trip cost significantly more, yet the service there didn’t come close to what we experienced at this Sheraton. Ironically, I had considered switching to Sheraton Waikiki before that trip—perhaps I should have. There, after spending far more (renting two rooms for a week at the Moana Surfrider and bought enough vc points to be permanently titanium), Here I we felt real value, real warmth, and real appreciation for loyalty. For the first time in a while, Platinum status actually meant something. This stay reminded me why I’ve remained loyal to Marriott. I will absolutely return—next time with my boys when school is out, and quite possibly to plan our wedding. I value good people and good service, and Monika, Matt, and Jose embody both. The only blemish on an otherwise wonderful experience was the long wait my fiancée endured for the room after a red-eye flight. Had the front desk directed her to the club lounge while I went to work at Paramount, the experience would have been nearly perfect. Btw the attendants at the garage are also most helpful. Seems like a tradition if you ask me. Kudos to the management for such well trained staff. Still, this trip did something important: it renewed my trust in the brand. And that is no small thing.

The only expectation you should have with this hotel is that it’s close to Universal. The staff is generally friendly, but unfortunately, that’s where the positives end. From the moment we arrived, it felt like a never-ending series of problems. Overall condition of the hotel: The hotel itself is very rundown. Furniture throughout the property is visibly worn, dated, and tired — not at all what you’d expect from a Marriott-branded hotel. Cleaning standards are also lacking. Our room did not feel properly cleaned, and the night tables were sticky when we arrived. Reservation issues before arrival: Before we even checked in, the hotel downgraded our reservation without notifying us. We only caught it because we noticed the change and asked about it — they never would have said anything. While they credited us the price difference, we were told the room type we booked was “blocked off.” However, we could clearly see guests staying in those rooms throughout our stay. Room problems & constant moving: The beds in our first room were extremely stiff — genuinely felt like sleeping on a table. We agreed to switch rooms, but when we arrived with our new keys, the room was still being cleaned. Despite having the keys for 45 minutes, we were left waiting outside the room for another 10 minutes. The second room had loud construction noise. We were told it would stop by midday, but when we returned from Universal at 11:30pm, the noise was still ongoing. Maintenance came to our room at midnight and suggested yet another move — which wasn’t realistic with kids tired in bed. We ended up stuffing towels under the bathroom door just to get some sleep. Maintenance spent the entire next day in our room fixing the issue. We were offered 10,000 points, which didn’t come close to compensating for the disruption and wasted time. Lounge & allergy concerns: The lounge looks nice, but there are zero allergy-friendly options. No gluten-free choices — even when specifically asked. Key card issues (constant): Our room keys repeatedly stopped working. Over five days, we had to replace them multiple times per day. On day four, engineering finally checked the door and confirmed the issue was a faulty machine at the front desk making the cards. Garage access issues: Room keys are also used for the parking garage — and surprise — they often don’t work there either, making it difficult to even leave the property. Pool & hot tub: The pool heater is unreliable and the hot tub was cold about half the time. Chlorine levels were extremely high — red eyes every time we got out. Pool staff showed no concern when this was raised. Housekeeping violation: We declined housekeeping both in the app and at the front desk. Despite this, staff entered our room while we were away. When I raised the issue with the manager (Emanuel), there was little acknowledgment beyond saying the note “must not have transferred” when we changed rooms. We were offered 20,000 points to move on. Extra charges & broken amenities: Parking is advertised as $50/day in the app, but it’s actually $55/day. The blow dryer in our room didn’t work and had to be replaced after requesting one. Overall, it felt like we were staying at a hotel that was actively being fixed — and we were the ones paying to experience all the problems. The solution every time was to move us again, but since the hotel was nearly sold out, we were stuck dealing with maintenance disruptions instead. This was not a vacation — it felt like we were there to troubleshoot the hotel. I would not recommend this property unless proximity to Universal is literally your only priority.

All of our valet were extremely personable. Offering shuttle service for the theme park was accommodating! We appreciated the offer, however we didn’t use it. As we checked out David V. was extremely kind making sure our stay was great. We had an engaging conversation and I really appreciated the interaction! Thank you again David!