When booking my first proper trip to Mexico City, I looked for a hotel that met three criteria: was centrally located, came with free breakfast, and was preferably part of a loyalty program I was a member of.
Review: Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel & Towers (Mexico City, Mexico)
One hotel fit the bill to a tee, the Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel & Towers.
Location, Location, Location:
The Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel & Towers was centrally located between Polanco, La Condesa, Bosque del Chapultepec, Zona Rosa, and the Historic Center of Mexico City (all tourist hot-spots).
What’s more, the hotel is literally located in the roundabout that contains one of Mexico City’s most recognizable landmarks, the Angel of Independence (El Angel de le Independencia).
About that Free Breakfast:
One of the great things about staying at Sheraton properties within the SPG Portfolio, is the free access granted to the Sheraton Club Lounges if you hold the Starwood Preferred Guest Business Card.
Sheraton Club Lounges serve a full breakfast, coffee, snacks – and often lunch, dinners, and hors d’ oeuvres throughout the day – for all guests of the room. Because of that feature, this benefit can easily be worth $50 a day at minimum.
This great benefit is exclusive to the Starwood Preferred Guest Business Card, you can learn more here.
Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel & Towers’s Sheraton Club Lounge
Hence, I was able to get free breakfast and other foodstuffs at the Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel & Towers’s Sheraton Club Lounge. For the full review on the Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel & Towers’s Sheraton Club Lounge, click here.
The Check-in and Lobby:
The hotel was easy enough to find, and seemed quite lively when I arrived as if several conventions were taking place at the hotel.
Upon check-in, the front desk was very busy. As I arrived an hour and a half early, the room was not yet ready. I left my luggage at the front desk and headed off to explore the Museo Nacional de AntropologÃa.
When I returned the front desk was slammed. My room was ready, but my status was not recognized and I was not offered an upgrade. I inquired about the Sheraton Club Lounge, and was told rather snidely, “sir, that’s reserved for Platinum members only, but we do have other restaurant options…”
I politely invited her to review my credit card on file (the Starwood Preferred Guest Business Card). She inquired with her superior, then returned and said, “That is a very valuable card, let me reissue your key to grant you access”. No apology was given.
SPG Gold Floors at the Danubio Tower:
My SPG Gold status granted me access to the SPG Floors (18-22) – or so I thought. Strangely, floors 10-17 had been converted to SPG Floors. So, apparently Gold and Platinum members were downgraded somehow?
Confirmed: Floor 10 was now for Gold and Platinum members
Well, no upgrade and no high room with a view. At least they did have an awesome Nescafe Milano machine that served free coffee all day – including the “good stuff” like vanilla lattes.
The SPG Gold Room
The Bedroom:
The bed and bedding were exceptionally comfortable. The room (and hotel), although they appeared to have been recently refreshed, still retained a vintage feel from the dark wood and leather accents.
The Coffee Station:
There was a coffee machine in the room, but the coffee in the Nescafe Milano machine was much, much better. You’ll want to stick to that, or better yet, the coffee in the Sheraton Club Lounge.
The Bathroom:
The biggest problem I ran into with this hotel was the shower. The first morning, I had to let the shower run on “hot” for about twenty minutes before it turned from ice-cold to warm. This occurred at 6 am.
I didn’t change rooms because I was unsure if this was a room problem, a tower problem, or a hotel problem. I assumed, falsely – that there must be some kind of timed boiler that kicks out hot water at 6 am.
The second morning, I tried again – to no avail. This time I was forced to take and ice-cold shower in order to make my 8 am tour. I didn’t return to the hotel until very late, so I again decided to keep my room for the final night and try my luck. Well, there was no luck whatsoever because I got yet another ice-cold shower.
The “ice-cold” shower, AKA the bane of my existence at 5:30 am
The Closet:
The Amenities:
The Pool with a view of the famous landmark
The Amici Club
Mariachi Bar
Green Choice:
This hotel gives you the opportunity to score $5.00 or 250 SPG Points a night by going green. I value Starpoints at 3x ppd, so I took the points valued at $7.50.
The Bottom Line:Â Review: Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel & Towers (Mexico City, Mexico)
Well, all-in-all this hotel was very hard for me to rate.
On one hand, the location of the hotel and food and service at the Sheraton Club Lounge were excellent – perfect for my first trip to Mexico City. On the other hand, the front desk staff was cold, the room – although it came with very comfortable bedding, had an ice-cold shower (others seemed to have this issue as well – see reviews of Hotels.com, etc.). To top it off, the front desk somehow over billed me and tried to blame it on a currency conversion. Yeah, “no”. I made them fix it.
Even still, I really wanted to recommend this hotel, but the ice-cold shower was simply a deal breaker for me. The front desk service was not great either. Would I return? Perhaps, but only if they fixed the cold water problem.
Rating: 3 / 5
Cheers!
