Sheraton Dulles Airport Hotel: Unadvertised Renovations
If you’re staying at the Sheraton Dulles Airport soon, be aware that they’re undergoing some extensive renovations that are not disclosed on the website. If you’re just looking for a nice room to sleep for the night you’ll have a good experience, if you’re looking for any of the usual Sheraton extras like a fitness center, business center, restaurant, bar, ice machine, or even a lobby, you’re going to be pretty disappointed.
Especially since the renovations and missing amenities are not disclosed anywhere on the website or during the booking process! The home page still features pictures of the business center and restaurant. This is what I find unforgivable, since the experience they can offer is nothing like what they’re advertising.
But whenever they’re done (and apparently it’s been close to a year, perhaps more) the renovations are going to be a huge improvement. I recently stayed in one of the renovated rooms and it looks great! The previous design was darker colors and plaid accents.
The new decor is light and bright. I absolutely loved the new bedspreads!
The desk now includes a slide out table on wheels which was great for an impromptu picnic and also good if you want to work and watch TV.
They’ve also added a mini-fridge and microwave.
The bathroom has been simplified and updated, looks like the previous shower-only design has been changed to a shower/tub combo. Great showerhead and water pressure.
The walls are still nice and thick, so noise is muted even through the connecting door. You could hear housekeeping staff yelling to each other in the morning though.
So that’s the good part about the renovations. The bad part is until the renovations are completed, and they’ve got a ways to go, the hotel really has nothing to offer other than the room and a hotel shuttle.
If you really want to use the gym, you can walk next door to the Hyatt Place who will let you use theirs. It does require a room key so you’ll need to stop by the Hyatt Place front desk to ask.
There aren’t many restaurants in walking distance, so your easiest options will be the small cooler with drinks and a basket of chips for purchase in the “lobby”, ordering delivery, or walking next door to the Hyatt Place to their cafe.
The hotel staff are really nice but there’s not much they can do to improve the situation, which probably explains why the Sheraton has taken a big hit in their reviews recently.
If you need more than a room for the night, I recommend calling them in advance to check on the status of the rennovations or booking another hotel in the area. Be aware the Hyatt Place seems to have a bigger draw with families, so if you don’t want to share the pool, lobby, and fitness center with frolicking children, you might enjoy the more spartan experience at the Sheraton.
One thing that hasn’t changed is their competitively priced Park & Fly packages which, depending on the length of your trip, are often the same price or less as parking in the economy lot at Dulles.
Yep-disclosure would have been nice!! 🙁
Uhm, that decor is off-brand for Sheraton, but very on-brand for Courtyard by Marriott, down to the light fixture and walls.
Is this leaving Sheraton soon?