My husband had a function on the evening of 28/11/2012 and decided at lunchtime of that day that he was going to be exhausted driving home so booked accommodation for Sheraton on the Park through a website for $299.00 plus parking ($50).
As i was recouperating from recent surgery I decided to go in and stay at the hotel while he went to the function.
Check in was fast and efficient with friendly, professional staff.
The room was clean although the small window and view out onto a laneway and buildings back windows was uninviting, we knew we had booked at the last minute, but the shutters were great to keep the room dark when sleeping in the next morning.
Maintenance was needed in the bathroom. The toilet constantly ran and it was a real battle to juggle the button to stop the annoying noisy system.
Each time I washed my hands at the sink I would have a wet patch across the middle of my clothing. After sometime I realised that the sink bowl was leaking right in the middle and was leaking out onto the bench - I am no trades person but I believe a bit of silicone would have done the trick.
After arriving, we went up to the pool area and I enjoyed the view while my husband had a swim and spa in the great facilities and we went back to the room to change.
Prior to getting ready for his function, we decided to have a drink at the Hotel Bar. As we walked up to the bar, we were greeted by a member of staff enquiring as to how she could assist. We noticed glasses of wine poured and many staff standing ready for the imminent arrival of guests who could be heard in a conference room next door.
We explained that we were wanting to sit down and have a drink, we were advised that it was only 4.45pm and the opening time was 5pm but we could go downstairs to the main lobby where we could have a drink.
So we took the lift down to the lobby and walked up to the inviting area to the right where people were enjoying drinks and snacks in what looked very comfortable and inviting seating. We were asked what we were after and we explained that we would like to sit down and order some drinks, we were only then advised that they were closing at 5pm and that we could go upstairs and have a drink as they were opening at 5pm We did explain that we had just been referred downstairs and we were given an apology but it was reiterated that upstairs would be open in 10 minutes.
So my husband shuffled me back in the lift and we were back where we had just come from. I was not up to walking outside the hotel and up the street, although, let me say in hindsight I would probably have had less walking!
We sat down and waited for the bar to open and watched all the staff standing with drinks in hand ready to serve as soon as the doors opened from the conference room.
Within 5 minutes this happened and there was a steady flow of guests networking and enjoying drinks, we waited another five minutes and then left our seats and proceeded up the two or three stairs to the bar, heading for a seat near the windows, to take in the advertised park view.
We were stopped and asked if we were part of the conference guests that were mingled to the left and we advised that we were not but were staying in the hotel and were heading over to the seats for a drink and window view.
We were advised that we could not sit in that area as it was reserved for the conference guests. We therefore sat down to the right of the mingling guests and ordered two drinks. My husband ordered a particular brand of beer on tap. When the drinks came my husband watched as his beer was poured into a glass from the bottle and was asked if there was anything else we would like. He reiterated his order and the explanation was only then given - that the tap beer was broken. We found this interesting as while we were waiting for our drinks we were watching over at the bar as the drinks were being poured from the tap.
We mentioned that we were disappointed that we were unable to sit and enjoy the great park view as our room did not have views and we were given an apology. The interesting thing was that none of the guests from the conference were sitting at the seat windows. They were all standing in area well away from the windows.
At 5.30pm we decided to make a move back to our room for my husband to get ready for the function. We exchanged greetings to three guests who walked past us and as we were moving on I heard one of the three ask if they could sit over by the windows and they were immediately taken over to that area and their orders taken.
We stay in many hotels in Australia and some overseas. Some hotels offer better service than others, but I can honestly say up until this stay that we have never had poor service by staff. However I was very disappointed with how we were treated that afternoon at the Sheraton on the Park . Check out the next morning was again, very prompt by friendly professional staff.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
December 5, 2012
Dear TravelerNSW,
Thank you for taking the time to post your very thorough review of your stay at the Sheraton on the Park and from the very outset, please accept my sincere apologies for the disappointment and inconvenience you had experienced. The comfort of our guests and room maintenance is of the outmost importance to us and I sincerely apologise for the bathroom issues you experienced. Rest assured that I have advised our Chief Engineer to address the issue via our Quality Management program. I also recognize the importance of customer service and am in agreement with you that the issues resulted in a disappointing experience and trust you will give us another chance to redeem ourselves and show you that this is not indicative of the normally high level of service we offer. It is very important to the hotel that we restore your faith in Sheraton on the Park as I recognize the importance of customer service being an integral part of the experience and our company’s most vital asset is our guests.
TravelerNSW, we have taken your feedback very seriously and appreciate your loyalty and hope we can welcome you back to the warmth and hospitality of the Sheraton on the Park in the not too distant future. Please feel free to contact me so I can personally take care of your needs when you return.
Warm regards,
Brad Mercer
Hotel Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.