Sheraton Park? Anyone stayed there?

[Reepicheep]

...September anniversary... I just realized I could add a fifth night to our trip for free, so I'm going to cancel and rebook. And then I'll see about the club upgrades.

Here's the thing, I'm short on points by about 3K for the club upgrades. Worth the $175 to pay for the points now and assure ourselves a club room, or do you think I'm safe waiting a month until my next Amex deposit to do the upgrades for free?

We stayed at the Sheraton Park in early July, 2015, and I didn't book the room until early May. Since your trip isn't until September, I'm certain you could wait another month for your extra points to arrive, before you do your booking (unless there is a convention or other large event scheduled at the hotel during the time you are there).

To make the most efficient use of points, I think it is important to use the Starwood 1-800 number to make your booking. The last I heard, a regular room at the Sheraton Park is 10k points/night, with an additional 1k points to upgrade to club. If you phone the 1-800 number, you can book a five day club stay for 44k points. It is my understanding that, if you make a five day non-club reservation using the website, it will cost you 40k points. Then, if you do an upgrade to club, it will cost you an additional 5k points (i.e., a total of 45k points instead of 44k points). At least, that's what happened to me last summer when I booked a five day stay using points.

You mention that you prefer to have dinner in the parks. If you drink alcohol and happen to be at the hotel between 5pm and 7pm, you can always drop in to the lounge for free drinks, before you head to the parks to eat. Free beer, wine, and simpler mixed drinks (I got hooked on "long island ice teas" the last time we stayed at the Sheraton Park).

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EDIT: I'm reading the 2016 edition of the Unofficial Disneyland Guide right now, and the book ranks the Sheraton Park hotel as being the best value in Anaheim.

 

[SuperRob]

We stayed at the Sheraton Park in early July, 2015, and I didn't book the room until early May. Since your trip isn't until September, I'm certain you could wait another month for your extra points to arrive, before you do your booking (unless there is a convention or other large event scheduled at the hotel during the time you are there).

To make the most efficient use of points, I think it is important to use the Starwood 1-800 number to make your booking. The last I heard, a regular room at the Sheraton Park is 10k points/night, with an additional 1k points to upgrade to club. If you phone the 1-800 number, you can book a five day club stay for 44k points. It is my understanding that, if you make a five day non-club reservation using the website, it will cost you 40k points. Then, if you do an upgrade to club, it will cost you an additional 5k points (i.e., a total of 45k points instead of 44k points). At least, that's what happened to me last summer when I booked a five day stay using points.

You mention that you prefer to have dinner in the parks. If you drink alcohol and happen to be at the hotel between 5pm and 7pm, you can always drop in to the lounge for free drinks, before you head to the parks to eat. Free beer, wine, and simpler mixed drinks (I got hooked on "long island ice teas" the last time we stayed at the Sheraton Park).

**************

EDIT: I'm reading the 2016 edition of the Unofficial Disneyland Guide right now, and the book ranks the Sheraton Park hotel as being the best value in Anaheim.

Thanks for the suggestions. I actually cancelled yesterday's four night booking (immediately getting the points back, which I honestly hadn't expected), and rebooked today and got the five nights for 8000 points each, so the free night was a nice addition. I'll wait until next month's point deposit from my SPG AMEX and see if I can get the club upgrade. I decided it wasn't worth the money to buy the points, and if that ends up being too late to get the upgrade, we'll survive. I'll call up and see if they can do the upgrade over the phone for 4000 points, and if not, I'll just cancel the booking online and have them do a whole new reservation right there. Pretty dumb to have to do that to save 1000 points, but it's not too much of a hassle.

Either way, if we do get the upgrade, I'll see if we can arrange things so that we can get some drinks, but with the distance to the parks, I have a feeling that'll never happen. We're so used to being immersed at WDW, we'll want to stay in the park bubble as much as we can. Just wouldn't be worth it to hoof it back to the room to get a buzz on.

My poor spoiled wife ... I showed her the video The DIS made of the hotel to try to get her excited. Our last stay in Anaheim was at the the GC Villas, so she was just disappointed that we didn't have the points to stay there. (We're adding on, but we doubt we can close in time to book, we're not even through ROFR yet.) So I told her that this would be our SECOND Disney trip in a year, and we're staying free for both of them. Can't be mad about that. She's still excited for the trip, though ... there's lots of new things we haven't seen yet, it's just a bummer that we'll get there a week after the 60th celebration ends.

 

[MICKEYFIL]

Thanks for the suggestion! I don't really have much status, but I think I'll see about waiting until next month and seeing if I can get the point upgrade. Not sure how much we'll use the amenities, probably just for breakfast. We like to have dinner in the parks. I'm trying to wrangle a "friend of a friend" into a reservation at Club 33, but I think there's little chance of that happening. I'll plan something else nice for our anniversary dinner.

I stayed there three times and loved it. Never used the amenities on park days, but the restaurant attached to it is a decent meal and great for those late evening arrivals. The breakfast on the club level is the only thing I know about the place. Mostly pastries, fresh fruit, breads, etc. I loved it for the free water and juice. Loaded up the kids back packs every day and let them wander around the park always hydrated.

 

[Angel Ariel]

ETA: Nvm..realized it was an old post

 

[Reepicheep]

I'll call up and see if they can do the upgrade over the phone for 4000 points, and if not, I'll just cancel the booking online and have them do a whole new reservation right there...

Either way, if we do get the upgrade, I'll see if we can arrange things so that we can get some drinks, but with the distance to the parks, I have a feeling that'll never happen. We're so used to being immersed at WDW, we'll want to stay in the park bubble as much as we can. Just wouldn't be worth it to hoof it back to the room to get a buzz on.

After you do the upgrade to Club level, please report back here to let us know how it goes. I'm new to the Starwood program, and am still trying to figure out the finer details of the point program. Of course, with the upcoming Marriott/Starwood merger, the point program is probably going to be getting a major overhaul, so I imagine the rules regarding point stays are all going to change.

In regards to the evening snacks/reception: I agree that it is not worthwhile for most people to make a special trip back to the hotel for drinks and food. In my case (family of four, with two teenagers), with the current low Canadian dollar we must do what we can to save a little money on our Disneyland trips. I bought Starwood points on sale for only $26.50/1000 points, so having the four of us eat for only $26.50/day is too good a deal to pass up. On each trip, we do spend some days at other hotels, so those are the days we eat at Disneyland restaurants as a special treat. I greatly miss the days in the not so distant past when the Canadian dollar was worth $1.09US, as opposed to the $0.70US it is worth now.

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EDIT:

SuperRob wrote: we're not even through ROFR yet

Slightly off topic, but I was wondering approximately how much it costs now to buy DVC points on the secondary market? We were very, very close to joining DVC when the Canadian dollar was at $1.09US, but ultimately decided not to. In hindsight, that would have been an excellent time for us to buy. I think we missed our opportunity, so will probably never become members of DVC.

 

[Reepicheep]

I loved it for the free water and juice. Loaded up the kids back packs every day and let them wander around the park always hydrated.

Yes, that is a great perk. Alas, it appears that as of late 2015 the individual bottles are no longer offered (see my earlier post dated Dec 5/2015 on page 3 of this thread for details). I haven't heard confirmation yet that individual bottles are no longer offered, so I guess there is still some hope. I'll really miss the juice bottles, if they are a thing of the past.

 

[MICKEYFIL]

Yes, that is a great perk. Alas, it appears that as of late 2015 the individual bottles are no longer offered (see my earlier post dated Dec 5/2015 on page 3 of this thread for details). I haven't heard confirmation yet that individual bottles are no longer offered, so I guess there is still some hope. I'll really miss the juice bottles, if they are a thing of the past.

I guess I took one too many. Sorry everyone. My bad.

 

[SuperRob]

After you do the upgrade to Club level, please report back here to let us know how it goes. I'm new to the Starwood program, and am still trying to figure out the finer details of the point program. Of course, with the upcoming Marriott/Starwood merger, the point program is probably going to be getting a major overhaul, so I imagine the rules regarding point stays are all going to change.

That's actually why I'm taking this trip and staying there. I'm not at all confident that Marriott won't gut the program, so I'm using the points while they still have value.

Slightly off topic, but I was wondering approximately how much it costs now to buy DVC points on the secondary market? We were very, very close to joining DVC when the Canadian dollar was at $1.09US, but ultimately decided not to. In hindsight, that would have been an excellent time for us to buy. I think we missed our opportunity, so will probably never become members of DVC.

On average, the price difference for the non-monorail resorts is about $50 a point! There's less of a difference for the monorail resorts (and Beach Club) because there's so much demand and so little supply.

 

[Reepicheep]

I came across a recent (May, 2016) detailed discussion on the FLYERTALK forum about changes to concierge service at the Sheraton Park, and thought I'd post the info here.

Many of the comments within this thread regarding concierge service in the summers of 2014 and 2015 are no longer true. Significant changes:


BREAKFAST
- they've eliminated juice bottles, premium bread, Greek yogurt, and lowered the size of water bottles from 16oz to 8oz

EVENING RECEPTION
- no longer offer free alcohol
- now have one counter full of food, not two
- the deli meat tray, veggie tray, and cheese and cracker tray have all been eliminated
- to quote from one review, the above three trays have been replaced "with a sliced rollup sandwich (with too much mayo and tastes like they made it a week ago) cucumbers, celery, and tortilla chips with no salsa. To be fair, they did have a ranch dip, hummus, and guacamole."

MISC.
- lounge washroom has become a storeroom


On the positive side, one poster said that "food was much higher quality too, bacon wrapped prawns, shrimp, quesadillas, meatballs, chicken skewers, fresh fruit." Someone also mentioned that the Hotel Menage (a block north of the Howard Johnson) has recently joined the Starwood program.

Prices at the Sheraton Park were high during the time we will be in Anaheim this August, so I ended up booking at the nearby Hyatt and Homewood Suites, as well as a concierge point stay at the Sheraton Garden Grove farther south. Unless concierge service at the Sheraton Park improves greatly over the next year, I don't think we'll be staying there again.

 

[MICKEYFIL]

I came across a recent (May, 2016) detailed discussion on the FLYERTALK forum about changes to concierge service at the Sheraton Park, and thought I'd post the info here.

Many of the comments within this thread regarding concierge service in the summers of 2014 and 2015 are no longer true. Significant changes:


BREAKFAST
- they've eliminated juice bottles, premium bread, Greek yogurt, and lowered the size of water bottles from 16oz to 8oz

EVENING RECEPTION
- no longer offer free alcohol
- now have one food counter, not two
- the deli meat tray, veggie tray, and cheese and cracker tray have all been eliminated
- to quote from one review, the above three trays have been replaced by: "They have now replaced it with a sliced rollup sandwich (with too much mayo and tastes like they made it a week ago) cucumbers, celery, and tortilla chips with no salsa. To be fair, they did have a ranch dip, hummus, and guacamole."

MISC.
- lounge washroom has become a storeroom


On the positive side, one poster said that "food was much higher quality too, bacon wrapped prawns, shrimp, quesadillas, meatballs, chicken skewers, fresh fruit." Someone also mentioned that the Hotel Menage (a block north of the Howard Johnson) has recently joined the Starwood program.

Prices at the Sheraton Park were high during the time we will be in Anaheim this August, so I ended up booking at the nearby Hyatt and Homewood Suites, as well as a concierge point stay at the Sheraton Garden Grove farther south. Unless concierge service at the Sheraton Park improves greatly over the next year, I don't think we'll be staying there again.

Thank you for this information. I have stayed with concierge service there on three occasions and I wonder how many people actually do take advantage of it. We were always in disney for the day so the free alcohol and food at 5:00pm really did nothing for me. I will admit I did utilize their breakfast service and it is a shame to hear about the cutbacks.

My last stay was at the Fairfield and for the price difference and the closeness to the park it was worth the change in scenery.

 

[Reepicheep]

Thank you for this information. I have stayed with concierge service there on three occasions and I wonder how many people actually do take advantage of it. We were always in disney for the day so the free alcohol and food at 5:00pm really did nothing for me. I will admit I did utilize their breakfast service and it is a shame to hear about the cutbacks.

There was apparently a significant problem at this hotel with people with club access letting their non-club level friends and relatives into the lounge. That was my one significant complaint about the "dinner hour". According to the FLYERTALK forum, the hotel has now introduced a voucher system, where at check-in you are given a paper which indicates the number of people staying in your room. When you go to the lounge, the employees may or may not ask to see your voucher. Apparently this has pretty well eliminated the abuse of the club level.

Our main reason, initially, for making maximum use of the club lounge was to save money when the Canadian dollar tanked. I've mentioned before in this thread that I bought a bunch of Starwood points for $26.25/1000 points. Having my family of 4 able to eat for only $26.25/day (including alcohol) was too good of a deal to pass up. With the recent changes to the food being offered in the lounge, relying solely on lounge food would no longer be a viable option for us. Plus, my teenage daughters now insist on having a hot breakfast every morning (eggs, bacon, pancakes, etc.) which the Sheraton Park doesn't offer.

I agree that, for most people, it doesn't make sense to leave Disneyland, go to the hotel for supper hour, then return to the parks. We tend to have a very long summer trip to Anaheim (three weeks, in recent years), so for many of those days we go to Disneyland at rope drop, stay in the parks until maybe 1pm or 2pm, then hang out at the hotel pool and club lounge for the rest of the day and evening. On the days where we spend the entire day at Disneyland, we typically stay at a cheaper hotel (such as the old Ramada Maingate, the Katella Super 8, or a Quality Inn) and buy meals in the parks.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... I have stayed with concierge service there on three occasions and I wonder how many people actually do take advantage of it. We were always in disney for the day so the free alcohol and food at 5:00pm really did nothing for me. I will admit I did utilize their breakfast service and it is a shame to hear about the cutbacks...

We only used the concierge lounge on one occasion and were completely turned off by all the unsupervised kids running around touching the food. Parents were drinking and chatting, totally oblivious to the general chaos around them. The lounge was crowded (possibly because of the abuse mentioned above) and not relaxing at all. We promptly left and went out to eat instead. After that, we turned down upgrades to the concierge level and asked for points. At least the points come in handy. We continue to stay at the Sheraton Park because of the very good service we receive from one specific employee. That person makes sure we feel apprciated and that our stay is a good one. Curious about trying the Menage now. Wonder how the vibe there will be different.

 

[Reepicheep]

I came across a recent (May, 2016) detailed discussion on the FLYERTALK forum about changes to concierge service at the Sheraton Park, and thought I'd post the info here.

EVENING RECEPTION
- no longer offer free alcohol
- the deli meat tray, veggie tray, and cheese and cracker tray have all been eliminated
- to quote from one review, the above three trays have been replaced "with a sliced rollup sandwich (with too much mayo and tastes like they made it a week ago) cucumbers, celery, and tortilla chips with no salsa. To be fair, they did have a ranch dip, hummus, and guacamole."

It appears, from recent comments on the FLYERTALK forum and recent reviews on TripAdvisor, that the club offerings at the Sheraton Park have improved over the past few months. My comments above are no longer accurate.

In particular:

- the deli meat tray, veggie tray, and cheese and cracker tray are back (rollup sandwiches are gone)
- three hot dishes have been added to breakfast (eggs and potatoes are mentioned in reviews, I'm not sure what the third dish might be)
- day time snacks are available again
- at check in, each adult receives a coupon for one free alcoholic drink (I assume one free drink per stay, and not one per night of the stay)

I'll be staying at the Sheraton Park, club level, for one night on January 1 2017, so after my stay I'll post an update in this thread.

 

[Darkbeer1]

FYI, the Hotel Menage has filed a request with Anaheim's Planning Commission (zoning) to allow a major remodel of the property (interior only).

 

[MICKEYFIL]

It appears, from recent comments on the FLYERTALK forum and recent reviews on TripAdvisor, that the club offerings at the Sheraton Park have improved over the past few months. My comments above are no longer accurate.

In particular:

- the deli meat tray, veggie tray, and cheese and cracker tray are back (rollup sandwiches are gone)
- three hot dishes have been added to breakfast (eggs and potatoes are mentioned in reviews, I'm not sure what the third dish might be)
- day time snacks are available again
- at check in, each adult receives a coupon for one free alcoholic drink (I assume one free drink per stay, and not one per night of the stay)

I'll be staying at the Sheraton Park, club level, for one night on January 1 2017, so after my stay I'll post an update in this thread.

Thanks for this information. I got an amazing deal for the Sheraton Park and will be going in February. I contacted the manager and they moved us to upper floors, but I am not sure if she intended on club level. Hopefully we will be up there. Thanks again.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

We stayed at the Sheraton Park this past weekend. The lounge situation is a bit dismal compared to what it used to be. The lounge pass states that there will be a $20 fee per person for additional guests over the number on your pass. The deli meat tray, veggie tray, and cheese and crackers were out in the evening, but they looked lackluster. The hot items were greasy mini-eggrolls and greasy mini-corndogs. Chips and salsa were offered, too. We had not received a voucher for free wine and didn't want to pay for a glass. We opted to head to Pizza Press instead. On the bright side, the lounge was much quieter and more civilized than it's been in the past. No large groups with wild kids running all over.

 

[Reepicheep]

We stayed at the Sheraton Park this past weekend. The lounge situation is a bit dismal compared to what it used to be. The lounge pass states that there will be a $20 fee per person for additional guests over the number on your pass. The deli meat tray, veggie tray, and cheese and crackers were out in the evening, but they looked lackluster. The hot items were greasy mini-eggrolls and greasy mini-corndogs. Chips and salsa were offered, too. We had not received a voucher for free wine and didn't want to pay for a glass. We opted to head to Pizza Press instead. On the bright side, the lounge was much quieter and more civilized than it's been in the past. No large groups with wild kids running all over.

I agree that the evening hot items tend to be fairly greasy, but I find that large quantities of free beer compensates for that to a large extent. Alas, the free beer is no more...

Did you take advantage of the free breakfast in the lounge? I'm curious to know what the hot dishes are. I assume (as others have reported earlier) there were no individual bottles of juice available at breakfast?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

We didn't see the lounge's breakfast offerings because we were heading to the CHOC Walk (the lounge wasn't open at 4:30am -- yawn! Thankfully, Starbuck in DtD was open!). We'll be back at the Sheraton Park again soon, so we'll try to check then.