As a Starwood Preferred Guest, I was easily upgraded during my holiday stay at the Sheraton Suites Wilmington. But it was a waste of an upgrade. The Club Lounge was closed from Thursday through Monday, and so I asked for a refund which was given for the first night, but not for the second.
We actually liked the location and laid back atmosphere at this hotel, and we enjoyed exploring local sites, we stayed an extra night-- which is not often when I'm on my way to NYC.
The restaurant was on minimum crew -- meaning that the soup was cold, the steak was uncooked, and they were out of at least 3 kinds of liquor which made ordering a House Specialty Drink impossible, so we gave up trying. But the bartender seemed to get the picture really quickly and made a point of mixing up a couple of drinks and bringing them over "on the house." That was nice of her. All the bar staff seemed really nice.
Another note about the restaurant: It's directly adjacent to the bar, with no barriers to the three or four blaring TVs. The restaurant setting is completely destroyed as well by the POOL TABLE... yes that's right.... POOL TABLE... which is the separation of the bar and restaurant. A football game on each TV, raucous YOUNG TEENAGERS (in the bar???) playing pool, and a $50 dinner-- not a perfect combination.
On the good side, the drinks were not too pricey and heavy on the booze. My favorite drink was a big blue concoction with Curacao (see the menu) that was invented for one of the manager's wedding receptions... TONS of alcohol and a great mix! See the pic, and order a couple. Then see if you can stand up and walk a straight line to the elevators.
My crabcake (a Maryland delicacy) was only okay, and was served with what seemed like bottled tartar sauce, instead of a fresh hollandaise or more exciting side. I've had much better in D.C. My friend's overpriced steak was undercooked and his veggies were an overcooked frozen medley.
The managers were very friendly at this hotel.
The gentleman who appeared to be the restaurant manager seemed disappointed in the service and quality we were getting and tried to make a point of being more attentive and began checking in on the guests a bit more than necessary. But it seemed their service was a bit off the mark in general as dirty plates were stacked on trays nearby instead of being taken to the back. And the next morning we were turned away from breakfast because we were 10 minutes late for the buffet-- it was a HOLIDAY! Most hotels offer weekend hours for holidays. They were underbooked, but the staff insisted on setting up for a lunch crowd that would never arrived since it was a ghost town. How much effort would it have taken to let us catch a quick bite?
Okay, so aside from these issues, the hotel was still enjoyable. And the price was great for the room we received.
The rooms are huge and well appointed. There was a separate sitting room with desk, chair, couch, coffee table, side tables, reading lamps, sitting chair, large TV (not a flat panel), plus a kitchenette with microwave and fridge but no "appointed" minibar. The roomservice menu was pretty good though. The adjoining bedroom was larger than my bedroom at home with a comfy bed, plenty of pillows, another TV with dresser, separate dressing area with closets galore and an equally large fully stocked bathroom.
As we were on the "Club" level, I did peek into the Club so as to give an opinion, and it looked quite nicely kept with sitting couches, tables and chairs, TVs and would have been a nice place to hang out and order a drink if it was actually open. As the rooms were so large though, it seemed that after a long day I'd just assume hangout in my own living room, unless I was meeting friends at the club.
The lobby space is quite large and nice, with free bottled water available for the taking from the fridge. The desk was always staffed, and the underground secured parking was well lit, allowed in-out access and was reasonably priced. I drive a very long Mercedes, and it was a bit tight gettting out of the corners at the entrance, and from the marks on the walls I was not the only one who may have had trouble getting in/out. If you drive a big car or SUV, you might reconsider, because you might get in... but getting out is quite tight when the spaces next to the exit are filled -- which will limit your ability to make a wide turn.
















