01. Introduction: United Airlines Premium Transcon Business Class vs. JetBlue Mint (hahahaha!)
02. United Airlines 737-900/ER first class San Diego to Los Angeles
03. United Club, Terminal 7 LAX
04. United Airlines 757-200 Premium Business Class (P.S.) Los Angeles to Newark
05. Sheraton hotel, JFK Airport
06. JetBlue A321 Mint (business class) New York (JFK) to San Diego
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.






















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.


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!
