Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel & Suites: One of Indianapolis' Business-Class Hotels

The Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel & Suites is a twin-tower, 12-story hotel with meeting and banquet facilities. The hotel is located about ten miles northeast of downtown Indianapolis near Interstate 465, the city's beltway, and about 25 miles from the Indianapolis International Airport. It is easily accessible from Interstates 65, 69, 70 and 74. It is in the prestigious Keystone Crossing area of the city, a premier office and retail market. The Sheraton is connected by a skywalk to the Fashion Mall at Keystone, a high-end luxury mall.

The 560-room hotel offers both rooms and suites. Rooms come with a sofa and large desk but not a separate seating area. Suites have a separate living room with ample work and dining space. In addition, guests may choose either a room or suite in the Club Level, which provides upgraded amenities including free access to the adjacent fitness facility, complimentary breakfast and afternoon hors d'oeuvres, free bottled water and a private lounge. The Club Lounge has a business area that provides a copier/fax/printer and free basic office supplies. All rooms include a coffee maker, refrigerator and sofa bed. Unlike most up-to-date business-class hotels, the Sheraton does not offer high-speed Internet access for free, but charges a fee for the service.

The Sheraton Indianapolis also offers a wide variety of banquet and meeting spaces. There are 33 separate areas, totaling over 12,000 square feet, that can be configured in an endless number of possibilities. The largest single space is the Plaza Ballroom, at 7,845 square feet. The hotel provides an onsite Executive Meeting Specialist who guides event coordinators throughout the planning and execution of the event, from booking to final billing. Technicians are on hand to assist with set-up of audio/visual equipment. A professional catering staff prepares and serves food for any occasion, including breakfast, snack breaks, casual dinners and formal banquets. Everything from wedding receptions, bar and bat mitzvahs and anniversary celebrations to company Christmas parties and corporate meetings can be held at the Sheraton Indianapolis. Even small- to medium-sized trade shows can be accommodated.

Although the Sheraton is a standard hotel, guests have not rated it very highly. On one popular travel website, 70 percent of guests rated the hotel as average or below. Common complaints were that the hotel is overpriced for the amenities it offers, that there are not enough restaurants or entertainment venues close by and that high-speed Internet access is not available for free. Business travelers, in particular, were unhappy about the lack of Internet access. Guests also complained about the general condition of the hotel, with many saying it needs a "makeover.''

On the other hand, travelers seem to find that the hotel is easily accessible from all directions and that the area is clean and safe. The adjacent Fashion Mall at Keystone, which is anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom, is very popular among guests of the Sheraton. Other compliments mentioned the professional and friendly service of the staff and the quality of the in-room amenities.