I really mean it. I’m dead serious about obtaining Super-Encrusted Diamond Platinum Starwood Preferred Guest Unicorn status as soon as possible, so there was really no other choice when it came to choosing overnight accommodations near JFK. Well, technically, there is another Sheraton nearby but this one was the closest by just a little bit so it was the obvious choice for this trip since I had a very early flight out of JFK and I didn’t want to spend a lot of money to stay in the city. However, once I have that coveted SPG status, Starwood will have a picture of me hanging in thier office and will be bending over backwards to provide me with free luxury accommodations in their finest properties wherever in the world I may go – even here in New York City. That’s the way SPG status works, right? I can’t wait!
Staying in the city would’ve also saved me the stress of anticipating staying at a hotel near the airport. The last time that I stayed at in airport hotel near JFK was back in 2004, and that experience still gives me the heebie-jeebies. You would think that there would be some amazing hotels in the immediate area around JFK airport (one of the world’s premiere air hubs), but such was not the case. JFK isn’t located in the most picturesque of neighborhoods, and the hotel that I stayed at back in 2004 was very run down and a bit on the scary side if I’m being honest.
Thankfully, it appears that much has changed since then, and this Sheraton was situated in a fairly new cluster of hotels right on the airport perimeter. If you were sitting beside me as the Uber driver pulled up to the main entrance, you would’ve heard the stress releasing from my brain just like the pressure being released from a red-hot crockpot. From the outside, this place looked clean, fairly new, and very inviting.
Map showing the exact location of the Sheraton JfK. It’s also showing a much lower price than I paid for my 1-night stay, so I’m feeling like I got jipped…Welcome to the Sheraton JFK!Seeing that they made the effort to decorate the place with a festive Thanksgiving theme, I knew right away that I made a good choice. How is it even possible not to have a good experience in a hotel that’s decorated like this for Thanksgiving?Even the main lobby was all decked out in Thanksgiving decorations. Where is the manager? I’d love to shake his or her hand for being so festive.Even the attached restaurant was serving a full Thanksgiving day meal with turkey and all the trimmings. I was half tempted to check it out, but having Thanksgiving dinner alone at a hotel restaurant sounded rather depressing.Where all the Thanksgiving decorations in the hallways? I was slightly disappointed, only because of the effort that they put into it downstairs.Room 409. I only post these room number pics in the weird hope that maybe someday somebody will message me with an enthusiastic message saying “holy crap dude, I stayed in that exact same room!” But it hasn’t happened yet…OK, this is looking pretty good so far.For an airport hotel, this was more than acceptable. And no, there were no good views of the airport from that window unfortunately. But if you love parking lots, you’re gonna dig it!This is a heck of a lot better than my last experience at a JFK hotel.Of course I felt a little bit guilty about staying here instead of finding a place in the city, but for the price I paid and the squishiness of that bed, it was totally worth it.Besides, not having to hitch a ride to the airport in the morning before an early flight was the best part. Decent room, right next to the airport. Perfect!The TV was a bit on the anemic side, but it didn’t matter since I didn’t even turn it on anyway.It’s the smallest TV I’ve seen a hotel room in a very long time! I’m thinking that maybe they sacrificed some of the in-room entertainment budget for holiday decorations instead. And you know what? I’m perfectly OK with that.If my head had thumbs, it would be holding up two big ones in approval of these pillows.Here’s a wide-angle showing everything. It’s not so bad, right?Despite giving me a craving for S’more‘s, I was quite liking the color scheme in here.Come with me into the bathroom…It’s looking quite good in here as well!Hotel shower pics are my nemesis. It’s impossible to get a decent shot of one of these things, and besides – I’m not even sure if my readers are more interested in seeing the top or the bottom? Screw it. Here’s a pic of the bottom, and that’s all I’ve got.A little behind the scenes action here, showing me (SANspotter) hard at work trying to nab the perfect bathroom pic.Not the most creative of floorplans, but who am I to complain?
For what it was (a brief one night stay near the airport), I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Just the fact that it wasn’t located in a run down section of the neighborhood surrounded by chain-link fences and barbed wire made it an enjoyable experience. The hotel staff was super friendly, and my room was absolutely perfect for such a short one night stay. I would definitely stay here again – especially if it means adding to my SPG points stockpile.
I’d be giving it two thumbs up if my other hand was free.Oh – this Shuttle bus with convenient access to JFK was my primary reason for staying here instead of a place in the city, so let’s not forget a pic of that.
Is there anything that I didn’t like about this property?
Truthfully, there isn’t much to complain about. You might hear some grumblings from me if I was arriving in my own car and needed a place to park – there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of parking available, but I would assume that most people who stay here would arrive via the shuttle bus or a taxi. I can’t even complain about noise from the airport itself, considering that it’s right on the airport perimeter. JFK operates 24/7, but I heard nary a peep from departing aircraft during the night. Personally, I wouldn’t complain even if I did. You know me – I’d be standing at the window doing a Top Gun style fist pump for each departing aircraft!
This is what I imagine I’d look like standing in my hotel room window (in my underwear) fist-pumping departing Southwest 737’s.
