Sheraton Niagara Falls

The staff were absolutely great, welcoming and helpful, and the room and hotel were clean. Having a Starbucks in the lobby was handy, especially for mobile orders. The hotel is under construction, though, and we only noticed because of the loud work right above our room. The bathroom door was broken when we arrived and I got stuck inside until my husband let me out. Engineering fixed it and was very respectful. The bathroom has a barn style sliding door with no fan, so privacy is limited. Overall it wasn’t bad, but I really hate those sliding doors that hotels seem to think are an upgrade.

The front desk service was outstanding, friendly, and helpful. Our remodeled room looked newer and was very clean and nice. There’s a restaurant and arcade inside, plus a tunnel under the street that takes you to the casino across the road. I’m already looking forward to coming back next year for our annual event.

The staff were pleasant whenever we spoke with them, and they brought firmer pillows when I asked because the ones in the room were far too soft. The room was clean, but basic things needed attention: there was only one towel, we had to ask for more toilet paper, the bathroom fan didn’t work, and the sliding door was difficult to get back out of on several occasions. The shower got hot but had weak pressure. The TV worked, though its channels didn’t match the on-screen guide and there wasn’t much worth watching. Construction elsewhere made afternoon naps or a late start impossible. Breakfast at the attached Rainforest Cafe was better than across the street at the casino, but not great. The waffles were like sawdust, there were no pancakes or French toast, and the Starbucks muffins and pastries in the hotel were tiny. I gave the location one star because Niagara Falls US felt like a dump to me, with boarded up buildings and houses. Downtown had hundreds of purple ribbons remembering people who died from opioid use, which was deeply depressing. I’ll never go back.

The hotel itself is beautiful, with great amenities and an environment that should have made for a memorable week. Instead, security repeatedly followed and hovered over the young Black boys, assuming they were “neighborhood kids with no parents around.” White kids doing the same things in the same spaces were ignored. These boys were there to compete, represent their countries, and enjoy the hotel like any other paying guests, but they were watched and treated as if they didn’t belong. When I raised the issue, my voice was dismissed. The profiling was bad enough, and management showed no accountability or concern when I brought it up. For what we paid, basic safety, fairness, and respect should have been expected. Security should observe and report, not harass children who have every right to be there. No parent should have to worry that their kids are being followed because of their skin color. The guard was of African descent, too. I wanted to give this place five stars, but this treatment ruined the stay. Until the hotel addresses the problem and retrains staff to act professionally and without bias, I can’t recommend it, especially to families of color.