I booked a room at the Sheraton Framingham for October 20. When I arrived at 11:30 pm, tired after a long drive, I was told that they were overbooked and did not have a room for me and my daughters. The last thing I wanted to do at that point was to put my luggage back in the car and go somewhere else. My daughter was scheduled to row in the Head of the Charles Regatta the next day. The hotel sent us on a complicated 5 mile drive on back roads to Northeastern University's conference center in Ashland, MA. The one plus (and the reason I didn't rate it as terrible) is that the Sheraton covered the cost of the room at the conference center. I would rather have paid for my own room and gotten to bed at a more reasonable hour.

First off, this hotel is complicated to get into and out of. There aren't any real restaurants around the immediate area and it was 20-30 minutes of back roads to get to the rink/arena. Inside the hotel was mediocre at best. The elevators weren't working on the main floor and the ones that were working took FOREVER. No coffee in the lobby on the weekends. The sprinkler in the bathroom appeared to be removed and had what appeared to be tissue stuck in the hole. It was about $15 more to stay directly across the New England sports center at the Res. Inn and you get continental breakfast. Below expectations. Bed was nice, room seemed to be clean. Decent last resort.

I should have known the minute I checked into this place, that it needs an overhaul. The desk clerk asked me for a credit card to charge my accidentals. Yep...I knew I had to watch out after that. And yes, the elevators. Two of four were out of order both days and the hotel was full of conference people so I had to plan an extra ten minutes for coming and going.
The room was spacious but obviously the renovations have not gotten to furniture. The veneer on the desk was all cracked and buckled, there was a cigarette burn in the easy chair. Ugh. And there was a big glob of something caked onto the bathroom door...heaven knows how long. At this point, Motel 6 would have been a better choice.
But the pool was great...divided into lanes for lap swimmers and free of kids at dinnertime. Plenty of hot water in the locker room showers and no funky smells. i did not use the exercise equipment but there was enough for an army.
I may come here again, for the pool, but only after they renovate. I will also call first to see if the elevators have finally been fixed.

I had the pleasure of a business trip to the Framingham area, so I picked the Sheraton figuring that the property would be pleasant. Never assume. This property is old, tired and in need of many repairs. Elevators are old and slow and in fact 1-2 were out of service, making busy morning exits to the parking lot a laborious process. Stairwells were dingy as well. Room was worn and fixtures in need of repair, including broken bath room faucet. Thankfully the bed was comfortable and clean. Positive was that the Sheraton did have a decent sized swimming pool that was big enough to swim laps. Interesting clientele, since on two nights I could smell marijuana smoke coming into my room.

Property needs a lot of repair and modernizing, including elevators. For the price, I cannot recommend.