Novi, Michigan / Sheraton Detroit Novi

March 2014, Weekend, 1-night, Points stay - 7,000 points, King club floor guestroom #705

Status perks and check-in

Before our stay at the Sheraton, I received a personalized pre-arrival letter from Jessica. The Starwood website says that Gold members receive an, "enhanced room at check-in, when available," so when I replied to the email, I made a request for a club floor guestroom. I was told that it is usually $25 for a club floor guestroom for non-platinum guests, and that this fee would be waived for us.

We arrived around 2:15 p.m., and were able to check in early. The agent provided friendly and professional service, although she did not ask which welcome gift I wanted (bonus Starpoints, complimentary in-room Internet access, or a complimentary beverage). She provided the key packet with the Internet code. It appears that Internet access is included with a club floor guestroom, because I also received the 250 bonus points after my stay.

Guestroom 705
This guestroom is located on the top floor about half way between the elevator and the north end of the hallway. It is on the west side, and the view faces away from the road. Unfortunately, we did not get to see the sunset that evening, because the sky was 100% cloudy.

The guestroom had been remodeled with good quality furnishings. The closet by the entrance contained a plush bathrobe, hangers, a folding luggage rack, an iron, ironing board, and a hairdryer. The hairdryer had a diffuser attachment. A full length mirror was mounted on the wall by the entrance.



The carpet and wallpaper in the geustroom were good quality. The king size bed was comfortable, and the bedding and pillows were superb. Two nightstands with a clock, telephone, and lamps were located on either side of the bed.

The guestroom contained a flatscreen TV on an armoire, desk and leather chair, soft chair and footstool, an end table, and a floor lamp. The guestroom photos on the hotel website show two soft chairs in the guestroom, and this room only contained one soft chair.

The chair at the desk was one of the most comfortable hotel room desk chairs I have ever sat in. A second telephone was located on the desk. The desk lamp had two outlets in the base; however, they were positioned so that the were not usable with larger plugs. Another outlet was available on the wall beside the desk.

The Internet connection speed in the guestroom was good. I had connected to the Internet in the lobby before going to the guestroom, and I did not need an access code in the lobby. The first time that I used my laptop in the guestroom, I did not need to enter the access code when I agreed to the terms and conditions; however, I needed to enter it later that day, and then again each time that I used the Internet after  this.


The pre-arrival email I had received mentioned the hotel renovations, and the addition of safes in the guestrooms; however, this guestroom did not have a safe. The email said, "The renovations include finely appointed guest rooms including new showers and in-room safes..." Safe is not listed as a guestroom amenity on the hotel website, so I do not know if the email was incorrect, or whether these had not been added yet.

The coffee setup on the desk included Starbucks coffee (2 packets of decaf, and 1 regular), liquid creamer, and 2 bottles of water. A steel ice bucket and glass glasses were located on the end table. A bottle of spring water with the ice bucket was not included. The cost for the spring water was $3.

The small bathroom was functional, although there was not much room to move around. It was tastefully decorated with good quality wallpaper, flooring, tile around the bathtub, and a massaging shower head. A shower curtain was hung on a curved rod.

Bath amenities were located on the vanity and on the edge of the tub. The water pressure and temperature were good.





Although the guestroom comfort was great, the lighting outside of the bathroom was not very good. I thought the light at the entrance needed to be at least twice as bright as it was. This is where the full length mirror was located, and also where there was room for the luggage rack. It was difficult to see items in my suitcase.

Club Lounge
The club lounge was closed for renovations during our visit. I imagine this is part of the reason we were able to receive a club floor upgrade without paying the $25 fee. Some amenities were setup in the hallway outside of the elevator. A cooler contained sodas, water, and milk. Granola bars, small packages of chips, apples, and oranges were on a table next  to the cooler. Two or three tables with a couple of chairs had been placed against the wall. Evening hors d’oeuvres were not served, although breakfast foods were available in the morning. Breakfast foods included pancakes, deli meats, salmon, crab claws, cheeses, breads, cereal, oranges, bananas, orange juice, coffee, and tea.

I thought the hotel had made good use of the resources available since the lounge was closed; however, I think that when a hotel provides restaurant coupons in lieu of club access, it is more impressive. Such as, what I received at the Palmer House Hilton or the Atlanta Gateway Marriott.

Food & Beverages
We had two menu items in the lounge. The flavor, food quality, and pricing were all good. We had sushi and a Reuben sandwich, which were around $10 each. Neither of these items were listed in the regular menu; they were both listed in a promotional menu. Our server provided friendly service, although the service did not meet all of our needs. Our empty water glasses were not refilled during the meal, and we did not receive two sets of silverware with napkins. Silverware was not actually needed for either of the food items we ordered (we had received chopsticks); however, we both definitely needed napkins. Our server was absent from the bar most of the time, so we were not able to request a second set of silverware or a water refill. I do not know if he was also serving guests in the dining room, or what the problem was.

somewhat fuzzy picture of the
lobby seating area next to the lounge

Business center
Several computers and a printer were setup in an area next to the lounge. Each computer had a credit card reader attached to it; however, I did not need to swipe my card to access the Internet or to print a 2-page document.


Misc. and overall
We thought this hotel was very comfortable. We did not use the pool area because it was quite full with families. A pizza delivery person arrived when we were in the lounge, and delivered several pizzas to the pool area. The pool area is located on the bottom floor. It is partially visible from the lobby level when looking through the windows around the edge.

On the Border is located next to the hotel, and there was a Chili's at the other end of the parking lot. Best Buy and Dicks Sporting Goods are located in this area, also. I observed McDonalds and a gas station across the street from the hotel.

On the Border had just started a new brunch menu at the time of our stay, and we ate there in the afternoon before we checked in. We had the Breakfast Relleno, the Breakfast Burrito, and $3 Bloody Marys. The flavor of all items was excellent, and this meal was an excellent value.