Hotel Review: Sheraton Gunter Hotel San Antonio
Sheraton is a long-standing Marriott brand. Currently categorized as one of the premium brands, it started its journey in 1937 and became a Marriott property when the Starwood-Marriott merge occurred in 2016. Despite over 80 years of history, Sheraton has failed to develop its brand consistency and theme. Many Sheratons are either hit or miss, and most of the ones I stayed at were outdated and tacky properties that failed to adapt to new standards. Fortunately, Marriott announced a major overhaul of the Sheraton brand, and images of new Sheraton hotels look promising. The Sheraton Gunter Hotel in San Antonio was located in downtown San Antonio, Texas, and desperately needed a makeover. The only upside of the property was its affordability with substandard amenities and outdated rooms.
The Sheraton Gunter Hotel is a historic property, located in downtown San Antonio.
What Card(s) Should You Use to Book?
I earn tons of Marriott Bonvoy points by using my American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card. It is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $3,000 within your first 3 months of card membership. It earns 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar when you book directly with Marriott, 3X points on dining and flights booked directly with airlines, and 2X on all other purchases. Paired with Marriott’s promotions and AMEX offers, it opens doors to endless points-earning opportunities.
The Bonvoy Brilliant comes with great benefits that can substantially offset its annual fee. Photo credit: www.americanexpress.com
The Bonvoy Brilliant Card does come with a hefty $450 annual fee but offers tons of perks to significantly offset its costs. The card features the following benefits:
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status, the mid-tier status offered in Marriott’s member ecosystem
$300 Marriott Bonvoy statement credit that can be applied towards your room rate
$100 property credit when booked directly with Marriott and staying a minimum of two nights at Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis properties
One free night certificate, redeemable for properties worth up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night
Access to Priority Pass lounges
15 Elite Night Credits that can prove helpful for chasing Bonvoy status
Even if you don’t stay at Marriott properties often, this card is still a must-have in my opinion. It’s a true example of a keeper card that offers benefits that outweigh the annual fee.
If you’d like to apply for the American Express Bonvoy Brilliant Card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! http://refer.amex.us/EDWARSwdXp?xl=cp01
I have another Marriott Bonvoy credit card: the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business Card. It is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $3,000 within your first 3 months of card membership. It earns 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar when you book directly with Marriott, 4X points on dining, U.S. shipping purchases, U.S. wireless telephone services, and at U.S. gas stations. All other purchases earn 2X points.
The Marriott Bonvoy Business Card is the only Marriott business card on the market. Photo credit: www.americanexpress.com
The Bonvoy Business Card’s annual fee is $125 and offers decent benefits to justify the cost:
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status, the low-tier status offered in Marriott’s member ecosystem
One free night certificate, redeemable for properties worth up to 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night
15 Elite Night Credits that will help you achieve a higher Bonvoy status
As you can see the card’s benefits are less substantial than the ones from the Bonvoy Brilliant Card, but it is a great long-term keeper card due to its annual free night certificate perk. Furthermore, it is absolutely necessary if you want to chase a higher Marriott Bonvoy status because it is the only Marriott business card that is on the market and will grant you an additional 15 Elite Night Credits. Lastly, even though it is a business credit card, it is very likely that you could get it approved. Check out my article on how to apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor.
If you’d like to apply for the American Express Bonvoy Business Card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! http://refer.amex.us/EDWARSi04o?xl=cp01
Lobby & Check-In Review
The lobby featured illuminated, high columns and covered chandeliers that made me think I was in a wedding hall.
The blue lighting was distracting, and made the property detached from its historic roots.
I personally thought the illuminating columns were tacky and thought they were better without the blue lighting. Aside from the weird lighting, the lobby had a decent amount of chairs and tables for the guests to lounge around.
The lobby had various seating options. These classy chairs added a mature look to the lobby.
After exploring the lobby, I checked in at the desk. My check-in experience was seamless, and each check-in desk featured hanging plexiglasses to combat COVID-19.
The check-in desk had plexiglasses hanging and social-distancing stickers on the floor.
Heading to the elevator, the wall was decorated with pictures of the hotel, celebrating its history.
Bedroom Review
The room's hallway and entrance door were noticeably antiquated, which was worrisome. Sad to say, the theme extended to the room. The room was mostly carpeted, and I saw some discoloration on the floor. The room was dark overall, which made it seem grimier than normal. The bed was basic, and its navy headboard didn’t really go well with the overall theme of the room.
The nightstands didn’t have enough charging ports for my devices.
The two circular nightstands were also nothing to write home about. They actually lacked charging ports and outlets, and I had to charge my phones and watch on the counter across from the bed. On one of the nightstands, the hotel provided me with the Sheraton Sleep Kit, which included earplugs and a sound machine.
The Sleep Kit was a considerate touch from the hotel, but the $75 price tag seemed high.
I didn’t use the kit, but it seemed that it would emanate ambient noise. It was interesting how the hotel noted that the sound machine was available for purchase for $75. The other side of the room had a desk, mini-fridge, TV, and dresser, and they were all significantly tattered.
The desk and the dresser were severely tattered.
The inside of the microwave was dirty, and the mini-fridge was broken and failed to cool the items inside. There was a Mr.Coffee coffee machine on the desk, which I didn’t use during my stay because I questioned the cleanliness of the machine.
Given how unclean the microwave was, I didn’t feel comfortable using the coffee machine.
Bathroom Review
The bathroom had a single sink vanity with enough countertop space for a single person.
The glass shelves provided more counterspace to place my personal toiletries.
The bathtub-style shower featured a normal showerhead, and the water pressure was quite low. Moreover, the water was lukewarm, and I couldn't make it hot. The bigger issue was that the inner shower lining was too long that I kept stepping on it.
The bathroom seriously needed remodeling.
The toiletries were by Le Grand Bain, and they made my skin very dry. It was interesting to see that a tube of shaving cream was included in the pack.
The hotel offered various toiletries, including shave cream
Gym & Pool Review
The gym was on the second floor and focused on cardio and core exercises. The equipment on the floor was treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes.
Cardio machines were not socially distanced, but luckily no one was using the gym when I was working out.
There was a standard dumbbell rack with two adjustable benches for those who wanted to engage in simple weight exercises.
Having mirrored walls made the gym appear bigger.
The fitness center also had foam rolls, yoga mats, gym balls, and yoga mats for core exercises. Even though the gym was on the smaller side, it had three different TVs for guests. I assumed it was because of how the room was shaped, but I thought they were unnecessary.
The gym offered a great selection of body weight and HIT workout tools.
The outside pool was right around the corner from the gym. Since the weather was cold outside, I didn’t use the pool but figured I could still review it.
While the pool was lighted, the pool area was very dark and was not adequately lighted. I even felt uneasy to stay there by myself.
The pool looked dreary, and it was so dark that I felt unsafe being there by myself.
The pool was crying out for common amenities such as chaise lounges and shades. I hope it is a different story during hot Texas summer days.
Breakfast Review
With my Titanium Elite status, I could use the club lounge for breakfast. The hotel was doing a grab-and-go-style breakfast and served prepackaged muffins, granola bars, and cereals.
The grab-and-go breakfast was better than nothing, but there were no healthy options.
The lounge featured some seating options overlooking downtown San Antonio and a media/entertainment area where guests can play pool and watch TV.
If the hotel was serving full breakfast, the lounge would’ve been a nice spot to decompress and relax.
One upside of the lounge was that it offered bottles of orange juice and water.
I was happy to discover that the lounge had orange juice.
Disappointed, I opted out of having “breakfast” at the lounge and went to the restaurant on the ground floor of the hotel.
The restaurant offered numerous options for quick breakfast.
The restaurant was called M.O.H (Market On Houston) and served simple breakfast items and beverages.
Food items were priced fairly, compared to other hotel restaurants.
Unluckily, even with my Titanium Elite status, the breakfast was not complimentary, which was disheartening. I ordered the Turkey Bacon, Swiss + Egg White Sandwich, and a cup of latte.
The food was comparable to what you’d get from Starbucks, but it took a long time to come out.
While the items were reasonably priced, they took forever to come out. The indoor tables were socially distanced, and only half of them were being utilized during my visit.
The indoor area had a few tables scattered on the floor, but unfortunately, I didn’t see the tables being cleaned after each use.
M.O.H had outdoor seating options if you prefer to sit outside.
The outdoor dining area is covered so you are protected when it’s rainy outside.
Summary
The Sheraton Gunter Hotel was an affordable lodging option in downtown San Antonio. Along with many Sheraton properties, the Gunter Hotel is noticeably showing some ages in many areas of the hotel. Various pieces of furniture were tattered from the hallways to the room, and many in-room amenities were either severely lacking or not functional. The gym didn’t have enough lifting equipment, and the complimentary grab-and-go style breakfast was substandard. If you are looking for a budget-friendly hotel in downtown San Antonio, the Sheraton Gunter Hotel may be your pick, but remember you are getting what you are paying for.
