The Sheraton Bloomington has had plans to renovate since, and as a part of, their conversion from a Sofitel. We have recently been told that they ” […] have been awarded the honor by Starwood Hotels and Resorts, to be the flagship Sheraton Brand in all of North America.”
This means their renovations—not just remodeling or redecorating—are going to be quite extensive throughout the entire building. As of January 2015, their renovations have finally begun and are so extensive that the Sheraton at this point in time is only willing to commit to 50 king bed rooms for their CONvergence 2015 room block.
We will of course continue to monitor the Sheraton’s time frame with hopes that more rooms will become available. The CONvergence Hotel team has also worked to nail down as many room blocks as possible elsewhere, and is working on securing shuttle information.
The CONvergence 2015 hotel lottery is still on track for us to notify entrants by March 15th. For more information on the CONvergence 2015 hotel lottery, see the Hotel Lottery page. Additionally, see the Get a Room page for information on overflow hotels.
Below is the full text of the letter that CONvergence received from the Sheraton Bloomington.
Good Morning,
On behalf of our hotel team, we are looking forward to your upcoming CONvergence room block July 1-5, 2015. The Sheraton Bloomington Hotel recently celebrated our one year anniversary and we are thrilled to share with you the new transformation that will take place in 2015. We have been awarded the honor by Starwood Hotels and Resorts, to be the flagship Sheraton Brand in all of North America. Therefore, upon the conclusion of this incredible transformation, we will be the face for the new era of the Sheraton brand.
The transformation of this new style will begin with our lobby, our guest rooms and with our new restaurant. The journey to our new Sheraton brand will begin in January, with a conclusion in July of 2015. Due to the nature of our business, your comfort is very important during this process, so we commit that this renovation will not take place during your event, therefore we anticipate minimal noise disturbance. In addition, the scope of the guest room renovation will be impressive, yet discrete; as we will not undergo drilling or plumbing changes, confirming the quiet nature of this renovation.
In order to ease the anxiety you may be experiencing right now, we have identified the time frame during your event as a quiet work period. The contractors are aware that they are required to exercise extra sensitivity to noise. Therefore, you should not have any concerns.
Although we intend to mitigate all noise disturbance, your guests may experience two alternate service locations during your stay. Due to the lobby transformation, there will be a period where guests check into their rooms from an on property satellite location. If that is the case for your program, I will be sure to notify you prior. Signage and assistance will be clear in order to eliminate any confusion. In addition, while the official restaurant will be closed for renovation, food and beverage will still be available for your guests. Again, this will be offered from a comfortable satellite location.
Delivering a top of the line guest experience remains paramount, therefore, our goal will be to mitigate any negative guest impact. Visually, we will provide barriers to the work zones so your guests continue to feel warm, welcome and connected at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel.
Warm regards,
SHERATON BLOOMINGTON HOTEL