Sheraton Suites Market Center Dallas Underwhelms Me In A Short Stay

The Dallas market is well represented by Starwood properties, so virtually no matter where you go, you’ll find a property you can earn Starpoints at.  I had a short trip there last week that required an overnight stay and Sheraton Suites Market Center Dallas was the closest property to my meeting.

I arrived late in the evening.  The lobby area was empty and I was quickly checked into a room.  I rode the elevator to the 4th floor and headed down the hallway.  There were some stains here and there on the carpet in the hallway.  Once I arrived in my room, the first thing I noticed was noise coming from outside the window.  I went to the window (actually a small balcony) and could see the highway running very close by the hotel as the obvious source of the background noise.  While I can fall asleep anywhere, I’m something of a light sleeper.  I called downstairs to the front desk and asked if they had a quieter room choice.  They replied they did and I was on my way back down to the front desk for a new set of keys.

My new room was a floor lower (3rd floor), but since it faces away from the highway there was no road noise.  The Sheraton Suites label generally yields rooms similar in size and layout to an Embassy Suites, where you have a separate living room and bedroom.  The property had recently undergone a guest room renovation.  While that was obvious, it was also obvious this was an older property that probably needed quite a bit of attention before the renovation.

The living room area had the standard fare, a couch and desk.  As well, there was a wet bar area and there were two complimentary bottles of water for Platinum guests.  The desk and work chair were fine to work at for an hour and there were plugs located nearby for charging.  The couch has a sofa bed in it which may help you maximize points if you’re a family of 3 4 or more trying to find a room to fit all of you.  Some room configurations have 2 double beds plus the sofa bed.

The bedroom and living room are separated by a frosted glass door.  If you’re planning to travel with someone, I would imagine the light from the living room would brighten the bedroom fairly quickly if one of you is a light sleeper.  The bed and pillows were comfortable though I’m not sure if they were replaced as part of the recent renovation.  Plugs were available bedside to plug in electronics.  While the furnishings were nice, the bedroom renovation may not have gone entirely as planned, with wallpaper already peeling above the bed.

The bathroom was connected to both the bedroom and living room.  The bathrooms looked refreshed with new wallpaper and likely a new sink.  The shower was probably re-tiled and was  re-grouted, so everything looked clean.  Like the bedroom, there were a few elements that made the renovation feel less than perfect.  There were a series of small holes in the wall in several locations.  They didn’t seem to be vandalism from a guest based on some of the locations, but I can’t say for sure.  They also didn’t replace simple things like the light switch covers and the faucet in the tub.  Both showed signs of wear and the faucet controls were a bit wonky when it came to controlling the temperature of the shower.

My room key would not open either the fitness center or club lounge.  Platinum members do get access to the club lounge for breakfast and evening snacks.  The lobby has the standard Link configuration with computers and desks for use by any guest.

The Sheraton Suites Market Center Dallas is a Category 3 hotel in the Starwood Preferred Guest program, which means free nights will cost you 7,000 points a night.

Bottom Line It For Me, Ed

The Sheraton Suites Market Center Dallas is a serviceable property if the location works for you.  However, Starwood Preferred Guest has many properties in the area and if you’re looking for award nights there are plenty category 3 and 4 properties in the area that are likely a better choice.  Given it’s proximity to the airport, DFW-area SPG properties may be a better choice for the same amount of points.