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Hotel Name: Sheraton Guangzhou HotelLocation: Guangzhou, Guangdong China.
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The Room: Early reviews had the Sheraton Guangzhou Hotel’s “Sweet Sleeper” beds sounding not-so-sweet. Either we got a special room , the mattress had been replaced or the reports were overblown as we slept just fine even with our cushy western standards. Work-space is a winner with a large desk and connectivity options. There’s a charge for internet usage but if you’re there to Tweet, Facebook or YouTube the “great firewall of China” may keep you from getting any value from it. (Most e-mail programs and plenty of web-content is still available.) – The floor to ceiling windows would be nice in many cities, but the dark, unhappy smog-cloud that hovered kept us from opening the shade at all. But that just made us appreciate this room even more.
Low end luxury happens with a deluxe tub, rainforest shower and thick terrycloth bathrobes, but the standard Sheraton amenities (soap, shampoo, etc) kept the experience at the 2 to 3 star level. The washroom is a good one though. Plenty of counter space for daily prep and plenty of room to move around. This space and the mid-level luxury help to achieve truth in the title “Premiere Room”.
Service: Let’s say service was “well intentioned”. Despite being 2 hours north of Hong Kong, home to some of the most hospitable hotels that we’ve experienced, customer service is a new concept here. Everyone is trained and can accomplish the end goal but you can’t always expect big bright smiles and an ultra-experienced staff. But even with a few slow drink orders (the bartender had to look up how to make a “white russian”) and some confusion after a maintenance call (our in-room thermometer wasn’t working) everything got done and attempts were made to make it right if needed. Perhaps by the time you get there it will be seamless.
Overall: There’s a large glut of hotels opening in Guangzhou, so I’d be likely to try a few others but I did like this Sheraton a lot. The cozy lobby lounge area was a comfortable way to wind down at the end of our days there and the room was above average. If customer service improves over time, there’s hope for a “4 hop” rating, but for now you might have to spend a few extra minutes in a boiling room or waiting for your fancy cocktail from a waiter/waitress who looks a little lost.
Rating: 3 Hops (out of 5)
How we got it: Using a combination of just a few thousand Starwood Preferred Guest points and under $100(USD) nightly we were able to reserve this upgraded room. Join at SPG.com
Modhop Founder Jake Redman brings years of global exploration and travel tips to the podcast and our videos at Modhop. Jake also produces audio branding for several music channels on SiriusXM.
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