Review: Sheraton Tunis

Nice review. Flowers were a nice touch. Did you order them for Ford or a gift from the hotel?

**Thanks @beachfan....

I'm sure those flowers were a part of your welcome amenity too Ben. They're not stocking Junior Suites with fresh cut bouquets at a Sheraton. 😉

Hi Ben
The UK Government has issued travel warnings to avoid travel to Tunisia (including Tunis) for all but essential travel. Did you feel safe there? I would love to visit but am I bit worried.

The curtains in the van serve a couple purposes. One is security so people can't see in. They are less likely to shoot at the van or try to kidnap you as they don't know who or how many people are in the van. The other reason is to keep the sun and heat out at times.

In Tunis it's best to try to get car service with at least two escorts. A driver and co-driver.

What is that white donut thing on your plate. i remember seeing it on your London - Tunis flight too.

Nice....wondering how you felt in Tunisia from a security POV

Lucky,

It is not the medina, wich is located in the center of Tunis.

I think you have been in Sidi Bou Said, no?

Near the sea and Cartagena...

@ Bob -- Whoops, you're absolutely right. My mistake. Fixed -- thanks.

@ Omoo @ Ben -- I had no security concerns at all, and felt safe at all times. I'm also from the US, where goodness only knows how many people are shot everyday, so...

@ beachfan -- Was just part of the welcome amenity. I was traveling alone.

"I know this sounds totally random, but as someone who always takes their laptop to breakfast to work from there, I love sitting at a hotel breakfast the first morning I’m in a new country and observing and overhearing the other guests. This was an especially interesting crowd."

Lucky, you can't write something like that without following up on why it was so interesting!!! Please fill us in with the juicy details!

Good review. Thank you.
When an attendant escorts you to your room, do you tip them if so how much?
With all the travel you I am wondering how well you adjust to time zones?

I'm going to second Morris's post. We really need to know at least a few details about what was being said!

This hotel seems SUPER nice, specially being in a country in northern Africa. It also baffles me you travel to these beautiful places and spend $$$ only to stay a few hours in ur destination....obviously your motive is to review the airline but still...

While it may be an "old hotel" -- you said this a couple of times -- it actually looks really, really nice, especially for a mid-tier chain hotel. By Sheraton standards, it's exceptionally nice. Sure beats the tired old corporate office park Sheraton hotels in the U.S. I was really impressed by (1) the outdoor pool and (2) the room balcony. Look at how clean the balcony is -- that's unusual, in my experience. In my experience, it's almost as if housekeepers aren't paid to clean balconies at many chain hotels.

What was the weather like? was it warm enough to swim outside? How was the hotel's location if you wanted to see the city or sightsee?

I've often wondered how much untouched food is reused the next day on a hotel buffet?

In some countries having a tinted car window is illegal/regulated. My dad used to trade cars from Japan and they came with automated curtains - no window tints. I suppose Tunisia have a similar law in effect.

@ Lucky -

I think you should consider writing an article about hotel pricing comparing decor, atmosphere, location (in general), and other benefits (or lack there of).

I travel the world for business and for personal trips. Often I am in Africa, Europe, and back to the US, often, and I am based in Asia and sometimes have travel around here, too.

The problem with many places in Africa is that the price of many western branded hotels is pretty expensive for what you are getting and for the lowish level of decor, atmosphere, service, and overall quality, compared to many other properties for the same price or not much more, to make it a good deal.

Firstly, you mentioned that your room was about $130. That's pretty expensive for the lower level of the key points mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Travelers also need to think about it in comparison to location and local alternatives. For example, in some places one of the few western hotels may be far out of town because of the amenities provided (often for an additional fee) and then getting to the city center all the time is a hassle, particularly in Africa where anything and everything including the taxi fare is a haggle!

Sometimes I prefer to stay in hotels that are local and that are not part of a group because it is much cheaper, perhaps half or a quarter of the price for relatively the similar quality and services that I use, but has the location advantage too.

Furthermore, you have to consider the cost of the additional services.

These hotels tend to have overpriced meals specials for perhaps hundreds of dollars while local meals cost just a couple of dollars, literally.

$12 for example for an airport shuttle sounds cheap, but is actually pretty expensive because I would think some of the hotels in town include their shuttle for free - I've experienced this. Often in Africa, you could take a cab for much less of the shuttle and have the convenience of being by yourself.

Dealing with service issues is also a problem in Africa. Many times the top hotel management are just unwilling to give concessions such as a discount or taking items off of one's bill. You also have the issue that "it is Africa" and so there is much that is beyond the hotel's control, such as electricity and Internet outages, which can be very inconvenient. If you complain to the hotel group, they almost always push it down to the hotel level.

Besides this topic, there may be a number of other topics we could write on together or I could send you a draft of my thoughts for an article.