Sheraton Universal

Superb

Pleasant

Superb

Overall experience - MEH

Liked: The location was great. Easy 5 to 7 min walk to Universal Studios, and this comes from someone who is out of shape - it was a bit uphill. There is a shuttle that can take you to and from as well; we caught it on the way back. The view from our room was of the freeway, and the million dollar homes nestled in the Hollywood Hills, which was actually pretty. We left the curtains open the whole time, fell asleep to the city lights scattered across the hills and valley, and woke up to the hills covered in a fine morning mist, which was lovely. Our room was on the 11th floor, and you couldn't hear the freeway below. We were early for check in, and were provided a room right away. We did not have to wait until 4, and we were not charged extra for early check-in. They do require a physical card at check-in to place a $150 hold for incidentals; most hotels do this anymore.
Disliked: For the price point, the room was small; however, the layout was good. What diminished the experience was that the carpet was dingy, and the room smelled of cigarettes. I sprayed some scented body oil I brought ( it was all I had), but I could not get rid of the smell. If walking barefoot on the carpet, it felt dingy. Even the carpets in the hallway were dirty; you could see the stains - time to clean the carpets! We went to the Greek theater for a concert (great venue, recommend), and we were pleasantly surprised to come back and see the bar was still open. It was last call, which was understandable considering it was late, but we got the sense our server and bartender were very put out that they had to wait on one more person. Took longer than it should have for the drinks to come out; it was not busy. We were close enough we could watch as the bartender and server complained to each other about having to their job. I used to be a server and a bartender, I get wanting to go home after a long shift, but your customer should not be made to feel like they are a nuisance to be dealt with. Breakfast was decent; the waiter was very friendly. You had options of ordering from the menu or buffet. We did the buffet. The selection was good, and they would make you a fresh waffle or eggs Benedict upon request, but the breakfast was overly priced at $70 with a 20% service fee. I wasn't sure if that was the tip added, so we still tipped on top of that. As stated previously, I used to be a server and know tips are the main source of revenue. Not knowing if the 20% fee was for the tip or not, I didn't tip as well as I usually do, so either our server got a great tip or a not so good tip. Yes, I could have asked, but honestly, I didn't want to hunt anyone down to ask. Parking $47 a day, but in LA, what hotel doesn't charge for parking. Honestly, the hotel has their own parking garage, and it felt like they could have just provided parking free to hotel guests.

Exceptional

Superb

Exceptional

Good

Ok

Liked: Love location
Disliked: Paid higher price for room with view… gave us crappy location looking at a roof