jesus4jets

This is a report on my experience at the Sheraton Kamapala - I haven't seen anything on this hotel posted here recently.

The hotel layout is a very typical for a oasis in a developing country capital (although Uganda, I learned, is not quite considered "developing" like its neighbor Kenya, but rather "heavily indebted")

It is on a compound surrounded by attractive open space. The facilities are all a significant distance from the street, but I'm not sure if it meets corporate/NGO requirements as "blast-resistant" if that applies to you.

I had been in Kenya on a research project in a small village for a month with no running water or electricity before coming to Kampala. Arriving at night, I check into a small hotel advertising internet for $25 a night. But with no apart from the lobby lights, the router doesn't work. I got a meal, and bit into the most rancid tilapia I have tasted. It was seriously nar-nar. No electricty for a day means no refrigeration

That night I felt the lights go on, but the power is back off by the time I wake up. I really need internet to prepare for a meeting the next day, so I resolve to go to the Sheraton and if the rate is too high just use points.

The lobby is incredible. Keep in mind the EWR four points would have been impressive to me at that time, but this property really managed to accomplish a tastful Ikea-meets-Out of Africa motif downstairs. There are six or so front desk clerks, all seem to be designated "Trainee".

I ask the rate. He responds with something in the USD $300+range.

I ask about using points for the room. He responds that I can use any currency to pay at checkout. I say not pounds, starpoints. Still no comprehension. He thinks I am the dummest mzungo he's seen yet today, but graciously walks me through the process. I give him credit card, he gives me room key, then on check out I pay the cashier.

"No, Sheraton points". Free room. Frequent flyer miles. Points that I have gotten from staying at other Sheratons..."

He excuses himself, and returns with a list.

USD, GBP, EUR, AUS$, NZD, Rand...all are accepted. I give up and decide to call the starwood hotline.

I asked about a SPG 50 - the rack is an insane $1500 US per night. Hotel is Cat 2, its a weekend but they have cash and points. I make the res, just for 2 nights, (but am already here on my fifth). In less than five minutes of int'l phone time, I have a confirmation number.

Same gentleman at check in. No problem, issues the keys.

Next morning I go down to the front desk to ask about extending my stay. No problem, they say. I make sure its for the same rate. they look and are totally perplexified. They call an office somewhere - its hard to tell if the person on the other end was also confused.

"Your rate is $1500 plus 25 pounds". Super! For those just a little more stupid that those paying the $1500 rack, you can pay an extra $50 in another currency for good measure.

I figure the computers will get it right at check-out. Then ask about free breakfast, trying to allude to my gold status - which they have no comprehension of - and then say I am a VIP. More deliberation. No, no free breafast based on my rate. They show me on the printout of everyone's name and where it would indicate free breakfast if free breakfast was included in my rate. But because I was paying 5x the normal rate plus an extra 25 lbs they say I can go get it, even though i'm not entitled.

This was more humorous than frustrating, I should be clear - it was not unpleasant. The room was great - the bed was a low-grade pillowtop which must cost a fortune in east affrica. The rest of the furnishings were totally new looking - no scratches or knicks - with the it looking exactly as if it came out of a Hilton in 1984. Bathroom too. New carpet in rooms and hallways. Hallways are styled with the faux-mahogony wood paneling from floor to ceiling, like the late Ms. Astor may have had in he bedroom.

Pool is super, with adjoining bar area. Room service was excellent and about $15 US for an appetizer and entree all inclusive - very filling and better value than either pub grub downstairs or full service restaurant.

Emirates and BA flight attendants were staying at times. Filled with the NGOs and Missionary crowd who share in our dedication to healing the continent one Land Rover at at time. (seriously, while nairobi has its own self-made sinister vibe, parts of kampala seemed to profess the hope of relief agencies ending poverty through stunning architecture in their headquarters buildings).


One big big plus about the sheraton is the connection to the internets. Free in every room. For those in east africa you know that any outside connection is satellite-based and can be extremely slow. At even the better internet cafes, its hard to break 1 kB/s, and latency is extremeley high (i.e. skype with a 10 second delay)

But the sheraton has leased a portion of fixed intersat bandwidth and it was the highest I've experienced in east africa, ever. I could download a 500MB file at 30kB/s during the early morning hours, and only in the evening when people filled the public areas would it get congested (below 4kBs). Granted the high latency means it seem like one of Europe or NA's crappiest internet connections when just surfing, but its useable.

Note if you are reading this in 2009 or beyond, the problem of slow internets and high phone fees to east africa may already be solved because of the pending opening of an undersea cable to Yemen. At least in Kenya, the speed could become normalized overnight in major centers, with Uganda, Tanz and Rwanda poised to immediately benefit as well if they can work out the $$ with Kapn' Kenya.

And then they could use the Sat' bandwidth for HBO at this fine sheraton - where do the movies for "Movie Magic" come from? Its like soft-porn with all plot and no tna.

ericj

Jesus4jets, I have to admit I have absolutely no idea what you are experiencing in Africa since I have never been there, but I found your post really good and this is what this forum should be about, apart from bickering about upgrades to junior suites in New York or other fortunates parts of the world.

Hey, I did not even know there was a Sheraton in Uganda

Keep up the good work and all the best,

E

stimpy

Thanks for the post as I may be going to Kampala soon. If I do, I will be sure to have Starwood contact the hotel to make sure they know what Platinum means.

As for Internet access I go to Nairobi regularly and I get fairly decent Internet both from the Intercontinental hotel and the WiFi ISP Butterfly. At least 128Kbps. The same company is building outdoor WiFi across Kampala and they have access to the undersea fiber from Mombassa.

Club_IC

Great post jesus4jets - thank you.

I will be working in Kampala in December this year and again during 2008 and 2009. It is useful to know what to expect from the Sheraton

As I am uncertain if I will have achieved Platinum status by the time I get to Uganda, I would be disappointed if my experience as Gold were the same as yours.

I cannot find any other chain hotels, other than Serena in Kampala. Does anyone know of any other recommended properties? Furthermore, does anyone know how far the Sheraton is from the Serena?

Thanks for your feedback.

jesus4jets

The Sheraton is great! It is about a 15-20 minute walk from the Serena. The Serena is supposedly a nice place but honestly I thought the Sheraton was fine. The Serena is better located for a Mzungo-oriented shopping center (with an overpriced Uchimi supermarket) and the Sheraton is slightly better for access to the town center and embassy district.

I don't know of any other international chains- there are some Kenyan chains in Entebbee.

stimpy

I'm here at the Sheraton now and I'm very impressed. If the Serena is better it must be one heck of a hotel. The only problem here is the Club Room is being renovated. They said it should be finished in time for the big Commonwealth meeting next month.

I got an Platinum upgrade to a huge suite with a kitchen and a 20 foot long bar. It must be used normally for entertaining. All looks new here. The bathroom has nice new fixtures and James Gent of London amenities. The lobby is impressive, restaurants great and the Rhino Club is not to be missed.

^

Club_IC

Thanks jesus4jets and stimpy - this is very useful feedback.

As far as I know, the Serena used to be the IC, so I am tempted to stay there at least one or two nights, as it always got great reviews as an IC.

I am still hoping I will achieve Platinum before I get to Uganda in December (my last Gold stay should be in South Africa), so I hope the Club rooms will have come on stream by then. Although, a Club Suite would be even better

I should be in Kampala for three or four days the week of 17 December, so let me know if either of you (or indeed any other FTer) is likely to be there around that time.

stimpy

It seems that the Sheraton has been going through renovation. That's why my room looked so new. There are also some common area renovations going on. They expect to be finished in time for the big CHOGM meeting in November. I think the Sheraton is going to be the Press hotel and the Serena is for the dignitaries, but that was just talk I heard. I don't know for sure. I wouldn't expect the Queen to stay there though!

If you are going in December, you will benefit from all the spit and polish Kampala is getting for CHOGM!

Club_IC

Excellent!

I would agree with you - I would expect dignitaries to stay at Serena

How long are you staying in Kampala on this occasion, and when are you back again?

Thalassa

The Emin Pasha has gotten good reviews and would seem to be a nice boutique alternative. Will be there in late January and will post a review once back in Europe.

Cheers,
T.

Club_IC

I have spent the last five days at Sheraton Kampala. Overall it has been a very positive experience.

The staff are pleasant and generally eager to please. I have been addressed by name by quite a few staff members since taking breakfast on the first morning of my stay.

On arrival I was assigned what was described as an upgraded room on the 7th floor. Please note that based on this room and another upgraded room used by a colleague, most bedrooms in the renovated Sheraton do not have a bath, but instead a large walk in shower with rainshower head.

After speaking with the duty manager (a nice lady named Rose) on the telephone after arriving in my room, she explained that no suite was available when I arrived (I enjoyed a 11:00 check in having taken the hotel transfer from the airport). I asked if the hotel could provide a Platinum suite upgrade if possible from the next day for the rest of my stay. Rose said that she would leave a message for the following day's duty manager.

As upgrades are normally based on availability on check in, I was pleasantly surprised to received a call around 2100 that evening asking if I was ready to move.

Unlike too many suites that are essentially two interlinking bedrooms with different furniture in each room, I have spent the last five days in a small but perfectly formed one bedroom suite on the 11th floor, with a full bathroom (bath but no walk in shower), guest toilet and sitting room. This made it much easier from a work and relaxation perspective, and made using room service a much more comfortable experience.

There are some points that were a little disappointing. The Club Lounge (despite being promoted on the hotel website) was still not open - staff were generally quite sheepish when I asked when it was opening. The general answer was "soon"

Breakast was fine as long as you did not want eggs. Probably based on the feed used with chicken's in Uganda, the egg yolk had no colour and generally the eggs were tasteless. However, they were very willing to prepared eggs any way you wanted.

The concierge was disappointing and pretty unresponsive. I was offered a car plus driver for uds150 per day, and he was unwilling to contact Hertz to get a quote for a car hire. His immediate reaction was that none of the guests staying at the hotel would hire a car, as they would all prefer a driver. I was surprised, as althought the traffic can be manic in Kampala, and some fo the road services outside the city were not paved, the traffic was not as mad as Cairo or Bangalore

A Ugandan government colleague was able to get the same car and driver for 100,000 Shillings (around 50 euro). Imagine my surprise when the receipt indicted the company providing the service was based at the Sheraton).

The Sheraton is close to the Serena, the conference centre and city centre, and I would most likely stay there again the next time I am in Kampala. Admittedly, I might have broken up my stay by going to the Serena for a day or two as it has a great reputation, if I had not been so promptly moved to the suite

bamboola

All the posts have been from Plats. Any idea how a demoted Plat (i.e. a Gold member) would be treated at this hotel. Any suggestions on which rooms to request/avoid? Thanks in advance.

365RoadWarrior

I'll be there for two weeks beginning in about eight days. Thanks to the Plats who have made management aware of the SPG program. And thanks to all who have posted information. Any additional advice/warnings?

Life_Platinum

I just completed a four night stay at the Sheraton in Kampala and was very pleased. After reading the review here by jesus4jets of $1500 and an additional Euro surcharge for a room for a single night, I made sure I made my reservation online prior to leaving and carried my reservation with me. The Platinum concierge desk made a reservation for the hotel to pick me up at the Entebbe airport, and after quickly passing customs, I spotted the Sheraton person waiting for me. For those who forget to take advantage of this service, the Sheraton has a desk at the airport to assist with transportation needs. The 1 hour trip from the Entebbe airport to the hotel in Kampala was priced at slightly under $20, and on the road we saw many vehicles that almost exclusively were made in Japan traveling rapidly along the well paved road. Later I was told that the Japanese sell their used cars to the Ugandans, and a saw a number of lots with 500-1000 Japanese used cars, vans, and busses said to have 80-120 KM on their odometers.

Upon arriving at the hotel, our van was stopped at the hotel entrance and the guards used mirrors to view the underside of the van, opened the door and viewed the inside and asked if we were carrying firearms. Our answer was that we were not, and over the next 4 days upon entering any hotel or the airport, the vehicles were searched and the occupants questioned if they had firearms. Upon arriving at the hotel entrance, we needed to clear an airport-type metal scanner, and although the scanner went off as my camera was attached to my belt, I was waived through without a thought. Later during the week, I lady named Jennifer manned the scanner and she made sure that we put all metal objects into a basket similar to that used at the airport, and said smilingly to all complaining guests that she wanted us to be safe.

I was assigned to room 1124 on the SPG floor, a relatively small room that appeared similar to all other rooms on the floor chart. The desk clerk asked what ammenity I wanted, and then commented that he recognized that I was a Platinum. He also pointed out that the SPG lounge on the 10th floor was open for breakfast, and that a Happy Hour occured from 6 to 8 PM. I tried the breakfast on the first morning, and found it adequate, but on the second morning when a tour guide was to pick me up at 7 AM, I waited for the lounge to open, then went to the lobby to inquire. The desk clerk insisted that it was open, but when he called, he found that no one was home. I agreed to wait for 5 more minutes and then if the staff did not appear, I would have breakfast in the 1st floor breakfast room. Here I was able to have a few rolls, juice, fruit, and coffee in 15 minutes and was able to greet my guide in front of the hotel at 7 AM. For Platinums, one can choose to have the complimentary breakfast in the breakfast room instead of the 10th floor lounge, and I favored an area open to the outside at the far end of the breakfast room.

I ate dinner a couple of times in the hotel, usually outside where I could enjoy two singers while relaxing. Usually most outdoor tables were filled and other guests and locals enjoyed the entertainment over dinner as well. After checking out and calculating the exchange rate, I was surprised at the inexpensiveness of dinner which usually included soup, a main course and a beer, all for no more than $20 including tip! One problem with the service during dinner and lunch is that it is relatively slow. The hotel which is about 30 years old has been well maintained over the years, and has been considered the best hotel in town. It sits on the top of one of the seven hills in Kampala, and is surrounded by an extended garden and a fence. At the few entrances to the hotel, some of the guards carry guns and those looking to enter the hotel grounds are challanged by the guards. Recently the Serena hotel has been remodled and many claim it now has surpassed the Sheraton--reviews list it as having the best food in town.

For those of you who never have been to Uganda, the country strattles the Equator and has perfect weather of about 65 degrees at night, and up to 80 during the day. The fields are lush and fertile with the main crops sugar cane, tea, and coffee. Bananas are also a main crop and I saw many big trucks unloading large 4 foot long bunches of green bananas at every street corner. The country is now one of the safest in Africa now, as the majority of the population have been born since General Amin has been overthrown. Annual increases in growth have been consistently near 7% for the past number of years, and the majority of the population are 24 years of age or younger. The country also has the third highest birth rate in the world, with the Ugandan government estimating that the prevalence of Aids is about 6%. Many western health care personnel I spoke to indicated that they thought the prevalence of Aids may even be double of what the Ugandan government has estimated.

In the past there have been major problems maintaining a stable electical grid, but the government has realized that investment in the country will not occur unless electical power is constantly available. Hence there were no power outages while I was there. Unfortunately the internet support is not what it is in Europe and the US, as it took me about 5 minutes in the SPG lounge to access and open each email. Because of this slow response, I had plenty of time to chat with the lounge staff who told me on one occasion there were 10 Platinums in the hotel, and on a second night, 19 Platinums were checked in.

There are many tourist attractions in the country and although I had only two of my four days to play, I enjoyed my spare time immensely. The most fasinating experience was spending a morning at the Chimp Island, an orphanage that now houses 44 chimps. The island requires a 45 minute speedboat trip from Entebbe across the equator, and prior to leaving home in NYC, it was the one experience I had decided was important. The company that was providing my guide could not arrange for other tourists to accompany me to the chimp island, thereby sharing the cost of the speedboat, so they offered me a price of $650. I rejected their offer, and told them I would discuss it over lunch with the guide they provided me, and he graciously offered to see what he could do. Being in the business for 8 years, he contacted the person who arranges the speedboat, and knowing the trip was price sensitive for me, came up with a price of $410. Although I viewed this as expensive, it turned out to be well worth the investment, as I will always remember the 11 AM feeding when over 30 chimps came out of the woods to supplement the food they came upon while roaming the island. The former alpha male had recently been demoted by the group and was in no mood to rechallange the new alpha male and his guards for leadership of the group. (If any one needs advice on Chimp Island, feel free to PM me). The two speedboat crew members waited for me while I touring the camp, and the time when they needed to take me back to Entebbe came too soon.

Overall I was impressed with the country and the Sheraton, and hope to return for an extended vacation with my wife. Although there are many fine hotels, and I ate at 3-4 of their best, I would be happy to rebook at the Sheraton because of the ties I have to the SPG program, and the treatment I had received. I felt very safe, and the service I received was superb. It was a relatively easy trip for me, flying from JFK to BRU on AA, and then taking the AA code share with Brussels Air to EBB, and all four flight arrived early. ^

jrothenb

Great review