Sheraton Chapel Hill Hotel

The grounds are lovely, and the hotel and rooms have what you need for a nice stay. The bathrooms were especially good, with the best shower I've seen at a standard hotel. The bistro and bar were a letdown. It's handy having them on site, but the kitchen staff and server-bartenders seemed unskilled and inattentive. I was the only person there and still waited 40 minutes for the wrong order. At the bar, getting a refill took 10 minutes, and getting silverware for my meal took another 10. They could use more capable or better trained staff in the bistro and kitchen, both morning and evening.

Jessica was the highlight of my stay. She welcomed me with such a bright, warm attitude each morning when I came down for breakfast. The property has been nicely renovated, and I loved the balconies, which you don't see often in newly designed hotels. Great stay!

At 5 a.m., after a flight from Seattle had been delayed by more than four hours and we'd spent over an hour on the tarmac, we reached the hotel with my exhausted 8-year-old daughter. We were told our reservation had been marked as a no-show and cancelled. No one offered help beyond saying we could call a 1-800 number or book again without reimbursement. We didn't know there was a policy cancelling reservations after a certain time, and we'd spent 12 hours at the airport dealing with repeated delays and the flight support team. I asked again for help, or for a manager, but was told one wouldn't be in for two, maybe four hours, and nothing could be done. I said I wanted to speak with someone local rather than call a random 800 number. The front desk then radioed security to come over, right in front of my daughter. My wife and I had already spent all day on calls with people who couldn't solve our flight problems. Being told to pay more to rebook, then having security called when all I wanted was help, was awful.

I got to Durham at 9:42 a.m. after leaving home at 1:48 a.m. for my first proper speaking engagement, scheduled for Monday, April the 20th at 10 a.m. My room wasn't ready because many guests hadn't checked out, so I waited and went to IHOP for grits, turkey bacon, and hash browns. It was all delicious. When I returned, Xandria said no rooms were available yet. I waited some more, then asked if I could make a video about the hotel. She said yes, and while I was setting up my tripod, rooms opened up and other speakers began arriving. I got room #150 on the first floor and loved it. It had a microwave, refrigerator, TV, and coffee maker, plus an iron and ironing board in the closet. I don't use coffee makers because I don't know when they were last cleaned. I had to change by 4 p.m. to meet the other speakers, rehearse, and tour the studio. Afterwards we all ate a hearty meal at Maggiano's, then returned to the Sheraton. It was an awesome night. The restroom was clean, too. There was plenty of lot parking, including accessible spaces, but I still can't get used to paying by QR code. I've stayed at lots of hotels and never had to pay to park. The parking app charged me twice, first $13.00, then $1.00. They also charged my card before checkout, even though I was told it wouldn't be charged until then. I was livid. I showed Morgan the charge on my phone, and she took down my information, including my plate #. She sorted it out, and was so pleasant and kind. Morgan deserves a raise! Xandria and Samantha were pleasant, too. Samantha had told me to speak with Morgan, who comes in at 7am, about my bill. At checkout on Tuesday, April the 21st, Lanique was very capable and helpful. Someone had said I'd have to pay for the microwave, so I checked with the employees and they told me I didn't. I also wasn't happy about the security deposit or the state and occupancy/tourism taxes. State tax was $10.28 and occupancy tax was $8.22. The room cost $137.00 per night, for a total of $311.00 for 2 nights. I asked for and received a receipt because I need to see the prices I'm paying. I had a good experience overall.