Final Post on the Sheraton Parsippany Hotel

Okay, so one final post about my stay at the Sheraton Parsippany Hotel.

As mentioned earlier, it was a hotel which I always had wanted to go to. At least one stay. 

Then by chance, that happened this weekend. Here are some thoughts:

While it looks great and unique from the outside, it felt a bit disappointing on the inside. The service desk guys were great. They seemed willing to bend over backwards to upgrade me (for free) with a better room (king bed) and routinely referred to me as a Gold Member, although it was the corporate account. So they were quite friendly.

The room was not awful, but it was also not great. Just a typical hotel room, with problems like a very noisy heater. Seriously, I first heard it while in the shower, which was fairly loud. When I went out to investigate, it dawned on me that this was the heat. And yes, it kicked on at times while I was either sleeping or trying to sleep, and let's just say that it did not help the cause. Other guys from work who stayed said that they had the same issue in their rooms. 

Hallways felt a little low to the ceiling. This is not something I usually notice, but for such a grand-looking place from the outside, the interior of the hotel felt like it ranged from average to bordering on gloomy, fark, and a bit depressing, frankly.

There were perks, such as an indoor swimming pool - now that is really cool! - and a 24-hour gym. But I never got to spend more than eight hours at a time at the hotel, and I had neither gym clothes for a workout nor trunks for a swim. However, the fact that they had those things was impressive.

In all, not a bad stay. That said, it still kind of amazes me that this hotel charges as much as it does. The first night was $200 and the second night was $300, both of which seemed a bit steep to me. Also, the guy at the counter said that they offered breakfast every morning, but that it was not complimentary. He said the price, which was $22, and again, this seemed quite steep, frankly. 

Since it was not me paying (again, I am supposed to be reimbursed for the first night, which I actually did pay for), then I cannot complain too loudly about the prices. That said, let me put it this way: knowing what I know of the place, it is extremely doubtful that I would ever consider another stay here, nor would I recommend it for anyone coming to town.

So a mixed bag overall. Some things I liked. Certainly the exterior is more interesting than most other hotels. However, it feels like they use that to help justify frankly inflated prices.

A couple of pictures of the hotel which I took early this morning, right after my overnight shift (probably around 6:20 in the morning or so). A ribbon of daylight is visible, although it still was not full light out (obviously).