Skyscraper Views at Basement Prices: A Review of Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel

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New York City is the land of the grand as well as the tiny, expensive, and kinda meh. While I don't live there as I did once upon a time, I get to visit both for work and for fun with some regularity. I’ve stayed in dozens of hotels in the NYC area over the past few years, often using points to battle what are often skyscraper-high rates. I've enjoyed posh high-end stays at places like The St. Regis New York and the Park Hyatt New York. I've also had much less memorable stays at a wide assortment of midrange and budget establishments.

I readily admit to loving my high-end Manhattan hotel stays, but not every trip is worthy of a butler (like at The St. Regis) or a heated pool on the 25th floor (thanks, Park Hyatt New York). Sometimes you just need a bed, a good rate and perhaps a way to leverage hotel points or elite perks along the way. Such is the case at the Sheraton Tribeca New York Hotel, a Marriott property, on Manhattan's Canal Street -- roughly at the intersection of Tribeca and Soho.

The hotel isn’t fancy. It could use a little additional refresh. There are decidedly no butlers, room service isn’t free (even for elites), and there's no pool on the 25th floor. But it’s not a bad choice when the price is right -- and it can be right with cash rates starting at $128 per night. Most notably, there’s a club lounge with a pretty, five-star view of the city.

At the Sheraton Tribeca, I was a short walk from the Canal Street subway station, the rooms were a fair size for NYC and the service was friendly. It turned out to be a points-friendly option in a city known for high cash prices.

Booking

I picked the Sheraton Tribeca for three reasons: I like staying below 14th Street when I travel to New York for work, I needed Marriott stay credits, and the price was below $300 per night, which was a rare find for my fixed and pricey April dates of travel.

My stay was booked directly on Marriott’s site, but I did earn 10 airline miles per dollar by clicking through a portal to book the stay. Paying with my Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card also scored me 6 Marriott points per dollar since it's a hotel in the Marriott Bonvoy program.

This stay was paid for by work, but if I had been using points for this stay, I could have spent 35,000 Marriott points or even used the annual up to 35k award provided with the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card and Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card.

Right now, I see the hotel for 32,500 points per night, thanks to PointsSaver rates, making it an even better award option. During my stay, that award rate would have returned over 1 cent per Marriott point, beating TPG's valuations.

Room

Some NYC hotel rooms are claustrophobically tiny (as in 120 square feet), but this one was a decent size for the city, though certainly not huge by any standard. (Here's a good alternative if you need more space when visiting the NYC area with your family. Or check out this family suite in Times Square.)

There was a comfortable king bed, a good-sized chair, desk, tiny closet (with ironing board), power outlets by the side of the bed, a flat-screen TV and an above-average view.

I did not have any noise issues from the street 17 floors below, but there were very real noise issues from the rooms surrounding mine, as I easily heard conversations from the hallway and nearby doors opening and closing.

The bathroom was more tired and dated than other elements of the room, but it was functional. There was a small vanity with one sink, the toilet and a stand-up shower all in one room.

The bathroom was not large but not overly small, either. The entire space would have felt much fresher without the beige-brown bathroom sink and decor, but that certainly didn't impact its functional nature.

You could book a room with a sofa bed for 35,000 Marriott points plus a $60 copay, as those rooms were rated for four people. A one-bedroom suite, when available, was 35,000 points with a $100 copay. And, most interestingly of all, you could sometimes book the presidential suite for 35,000 points and a $150 copay. That room was almost 1,000 square feet -- a palace by NYC standards. Not surprisingly, it often sells for over $600 per night with cash.

While the my room was in overall decent shape, it didn't feel quite as fresh as the pictures online indicated, and there were numerous stains on the hallway carpet on my floor.

In other words, while the hotel's website boasted a recent multimillion-dollar renovation, it didn't feel quite that new on the inside. But it worked fine for a few nights.

Lounge

Unlike most hotels in NYC, the Sheraton Tribeca had a club lounge on the 21st floor open to eligible guests 24 hours per day. Hotel club lounges are a great way to save time and money on easy breakfasts, snacks and sometimes even dinner, courtesy of heavy appetizers. I scored access to the lounge thanks to my Marriott Platinum status.

My stay was during a popular spring-break week, and the lounge was very, very full during breakfast, with a mix of business travelers and families. In fact, it was uncomfortably full, with no seats to be found indoors that morning.

However, the best seats (and views) were on the attached patio, anyway –- which was mostly empty.

I did not have a chance to visit the club lounge in the evening, but from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, it had appetizers and drinks. On a nice evening, the patio would be a five-star spot to enjoy a drink and a snack.

While we are on the topic of elite-status perks, those with Marriott Platinum status also got the choice of bonus points or hot breakfast in the lobby at Antica each day. I did not select the breakfast, as my mornings were too rushed for a sit-down hotel breakfast, but that is likely the better deal if you have the time don't want a quick but crowded breakfast in the lounge.

Overall Impression

If you want Manhattan luxury for your Marriott points, go to The St. Regis. If you're looking to stay near Lower Manhattan and appreciate the convenience of a club lounge, the Sheraton Tribeca offers a reasonably priced alternative. The hotel stay's probably not going to be a memorable part of your trip to Manhattan, but that’s not a bad thing -- in fact, it probably means you're doing things just right.

Here are additional tips to help you plan a perfect trip to the big city:

• Best Marriott Category 5 Hotels for Families in NYC
• Family-Friendly Points Hotels in NYC
• NYC Restaurants That Kids Will Love
• Best Broadway and Off-Broadway Shows in NYC for Kids
• Tips for Navigating New York City With Kids
• Enjoy New York City With the Family — Without the Tourist Traps
• Affordable Activities for Families Visiting New York City
• Your Points and Miles Guide to New York City