Clearwater Beach Sheraton Resort on Sand Key

The property itself is excellent. I've stayed there before and always liked it: the location is beautiful, staff on site are professional, and the amenities and restaurants are enjoyable. My frustration is entirely with Marriott Bonvoy's reservation handling and Best Rate Guarantee. I submitted clear proof of lower third-party prices three times. Each time, Marriott Bonvoy's response was delayed, whether deliberately or not, and then I was told the 48-hour window had passed. Replies often came between 9:38 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. after I had written around 6:00 a.m. that day, leaving almost no practical time to follow up. It gave me the clear impression that the deadline was being used to deny price adjustments. They also rejected a comparison because they claimed the third-party site did not send reservations to the hotel. That's false in my case: I booked there, then confirmed directly with the hotel, which had the reservation on file. I still saved approximately $1,000 by booking through the comparison site, even after the supposedly 25% Marriott discount. That discount only applied to rates they selected, never the rates I brought them. Marriott direct was approximately $5,900 USD for 10 nights; the third-party site offered the same 10 nights for approximately $4,400 CAD (≈ $2,900 USD), a difference of approximately $3,000 USD for the exact same reservation. That's simply unjustifiable. Comparison sites clearly offer much better prices, and this confirmed that shopping around is worth it despite Marriott Bonvoy's promise of the best rates. My 0% rating is only for dealing with Marriott Bonvoy, the way they handled price match requests, and the lack of transparency. It felt like they were looking for loopholes to avoid following their own policy. Extremely frustrating and disappointing for a program that claims to reward loyalty and offer the best prices.

I wanted to give five stars, but couldn't. I'm a Platinum Bonvoy member and used points for my recent stay from 2.12-2.16. The hospitality team's service was excellent, but smoking in our hallway was a serious problem. Brendan at the front desk made check-in wonderful. Randy at Mainstays Tavern treated us like VIPs every time, and Lexi did the same at dinner. Jordan was out folding pool towels, and David was very kind when he may have been giving rides to the beach by golf cart. Thanks as well for the thoughtful birthday note and the “sun and fun” package in our room. Debra was incredibly kind when we stopped for breakfast. The digital portal communication was disappointing. I reported a smoking violation at least four times, and also raised the noise from guests using the hot tub after hours while I was trying to get my family to bed. I spoke with the night manager at the front desk, who apologized for the repeated disturbances, but I left feeling that my loyalty as a guest wasn't fully recognized. I appreciate the hospitality staff's high level of service and hope this helps improve consistency in how issues are handled. Respectfully, Bryan Smith Platinum Bonvoy Member

We paid well over $1,200 for two nights in a sixth-floor king room with an ocean view and balcony for Valentine's weekend. After checking in Friday around 4:30 p.m., we expected a relaxing oceanfront getaway, but left by 1:00 a.m. The connecting-room guests were shouting and carrying on well past 11:00 p.m., making it impossible to rest. We called the front desk twice and contacted security, but nothing meaningfully changed. Staff were polite, but the noise was never effectively addressed. The hotel's proposed fix was moving us to a two-queen room without an ocean view, a major downgrade from the premium room we'd booked and paid for, and not an appropriate solution. No refund or partial accommodation was offered, so we lost the full $1,200+ for a stay we couldn't finish. The recently remodeled rooms also felt sterile, without the warmth or comfort I'd expect from a high-end oceanfront property. For a peaceful, romantic, or relaxing stay at premium prices, I'd be cautious. In our experience, management didn't offer an adequate remedy for disruptive guests.

We've returned a few times because the location is excellent. You can walk from your room to the beach without leaving the property. There is a heated pool, sand volleyball, hammocks, a fantastic gym that makes you want to work out, and a shop with snacks, sunscreen, magazines, and other things. The free trolley to Clearwater comes twice an hour. Beach accessible wheelchairs are also available for guests, a thoughtful touch. The hotel has nice rooms and balconies, good shower pressure, and warm water. Parking costs extra, and app-based bike rentals have a charge too. A few things could be better. The luggage racks by the cars looked locked, and I didn't ask how to use them. There was no microwave in the room, which seems like an easy fix. I wasn't thrilled with breakfast either, since it lacked basics like pancakes or waffles. Still, Minerva Birriel gave phenomenal, professional, friendly service in the restaurant at breakfast on January 30th. Thanks also to the staff for keeping our cooler frozen so my wife's breast milk stayed good. I really appreciated that.