I stayed at the Sheraton this weekend for business. I have varying opinions regarding my stay.

Let's start with the positives:
1. The receiving hall was beautiful - it looked modern and tidy. A sky light from several stories above brightens up the entire space and gives you an impressive feel.
2. The place smelled good. It was an assortment of fresh linen and just plain clean.
3. The food was very great. We were offered three meals and dinner was by far the best. The Waterside Restaurant is located beside a running trail and the river. Even in the winter, it was a nice location.
4. The rooms were clean and fully stocked.
5. The Columbia Mall was directly across the street.

Ok, so now the negatives:
1. The place is set up like Harry Potter's Hogwarts. Upon arriving, we realized that fancy foyer and adjoining hotel rooms were not for us. We had to hike - seriously - through a back hallway, through Joe Shmoe's retirement party and receiving area of another private party (with our bags in hand) to a set of stairs and into a very strange and out of place lodge-style addition. Signs were confusing to understand and the fitness center is so far away from the rest of the building you got your workout just meandering to it!
2. As I said before the room was tidy however, the toilet ran at random throughout the night. The tank continuously filled and flushed all night long. (I did report this issue in the morning.)
3. The bed was the most uncomfortable thing I ever had to "sleep" on. At one point in the night I was sure that the hotel forgot to give me a mattress and that I was sleeping on a box spring or a sheet of plywood! The entire next day I had severe neck, shoulder, back, and chest pain.

Stay here May of 2011, the rooms are acceptable but need some updating. The service are okay and front desk are helpful. The shopping mall are walking distance away. There is a trail behind the hotel so you can jog or bike. The biggest let down are the dirty lake and noisy boat behind the hotel, it's constantly on until late in the day. Found couple of shield bugs too but not so big deal with me. Found one power outlet peeling off the wall, could be dangerous if there are small children around.

We hosted our wedding ceremony, and the bulk of our wedding guest at the Sheraton Columbia Town Center Hotel. We choose this location because it was close to our wedding reception and I felt the service had been reliable the many times my family stayed their when I was growing up. Unfortunately, we had more than a few bumps in the road during the planning process; thank God Sharon, a manager at the hotel, stepped in. If it weren't for her, we would have cancelled our business at the hotel. She interceded and managed our room block, our rehearsal dinner, and our ceremony. She went above and beyond to make sure all the details were covered and our guests were taken care of. Extremely professional, responsive, and result-driven, it's obvious she's been doing this for decades. She wasn't the only one, the servers at the restaurant, the room service personnel and the banquet team were also phenomenal. Thank you Sharon and all! Our wedding day was perfect, due in part to you.

Stayed here recently on business travel, probably my last visit. I typically like to stay around BWI airport when traveling here for business, but thought for once it would be nice not to have to make a morning commute to my destination (I will go back to making the commute the next time I'm back).

I was fortunate enough to receive a corner view in the main tower overlooking the lake, but the room had stains/cracks and bugs (!!!, both live and dead thanks to the dual outdoor AC unit). My coworker, was not so fortunate, as he got a room in the lodges (I mean really, these are so far away it's easier to drive to them), which were in a far worse condition.

I've never stayed at such a poor quality Sheraton.