Sheraton Bucharest Hotel Review

Overview: What is Sheraton Bucharest Hotel?

The Sheraton Bucharest Hotel occupies an 18-floor, 70-meter tower at 5-7 Calea Dorobanților in Sector 1 — Bucharest's diplomatic, embassy, and business district. The building has carried three identities: Hotel Dorobanți, opened in 1976 as a state hotel for foreign tourists and official delegations during the communist period; Howard Johnson Grand Plaza, opened in 2004 after a four-year, €30-million reconstruction backed by businessman Gabriel Popoviciu's Grand Plaza Hotel SA; and Sheraton Bucharest Hotel, rebranded on August 25, 2015 after a €6-million Starwood franchise conversion. It was the first Sheraton-branded hotel in Romania. The 270 rooms are spread across 18 floors, including 27 Executive Suites and a Presidential Suite. General manager Daniel Ben-Yehuda, who has run the property since 2014, was named "CEO of the Year" at the Top 50 Business Hotels Gala by Trends by HRB.

Where is Sheraton Bucharest Hotel? Location and access

Calea Dorobanților is one of the most upscale boulevards in Bucharest, lined with embassies, designer boutiques, and fine dining. Piața Romană (one of the city's main squares) is a few minutes' walk; the Romanian Athenaeum, the city's frescoed neoclassical concert hall, is roughly 700 meters away. The Old Town and Lipscani — the cobblestone restaurant and nightlife district — is a 20-minute walk. Cișmigiu Gardens, the Palace of the Parliament (the second-largest administrative building in the world, visible from select rooms), Revolution Square, and the National Museum of Art are all within a short ride. Herăstrău Park, the largest park in the city, is about 1.7 miles north. Henri Coandă International Airport is about 25 minutes by car. Piața Romană metro station is approximately 10 minutes on foot.

Nearby landmarks

• Piața Romană
• Romanian Athenaeum
• Old Town (Lipscani)
• Cișmigiu Gardens
• Revolution Square
• Palace of the Parliament
• Herăstrău Park
• National Museum of Art
• George Enescu National Museum

Rooms at Sheraton Bucharest Hotel

All 270 rooms feature the Sheraton Signature Sleep Experience® bed, 42-inch flat-screen TVs, climate control, complimentary high-speed WiFi, sound-insulated walls, mini-bar, work desk, and floor-to-ceiling windows with relaxing window corners that look out over the city. Bathrooms have separate toilets, a lowered sink, a shower, and bathrobes. Higher floors offer sunset and panoramic views; the Palace of the Parliament is visible from select rooms. The category mix is 270 keys total, including 27 Executive Suites and one Presidential Suite. Rooms vary in size: Classic Rooms are 24-26 m² (258-280 sq ft) and Club Suites run 38 m² (409 sq ft) and up.

Service and staff

Standard Marriott Bonvoy service model with a Sheraton Club Lounge for Executive-level guests on the 18th floor, with breakfast, evening cocktails, and panoramic views. Multilingual staff and 24-hour concierge. The concierge team is consistently called out in guest reviews as a strength — the property frequently coordinates day trips to Dracula's Castle, Peleș Castle, and Brașov for tour operators and individual guests. In-room dining is available through the hotel's app.

Amenities at Sheraton Bucharest Hotel

The signature Skyview Pool and Spa is an upper-floor wellness retreat with a heated pool, a special swim-against-the-current system (for both air and water resistance), three hydro-massage areas, two cervical-massage fountains, and a panorama of the city. The full-service spa offers wellness and SPA treatments alongside a sauna, steam room, and hot tub. Fitness center with Pilates classes. Approximately 1,400 square meters of meeting space, including a ballroom and a 24-hour business center. A hair salon, dry cleaning, laundry, fireplace lobby, rooftop terrace, garden, and limo/town-car service are also on site.

Full amenity list

• Skyview Pool and Spa
• Sauna and steam room
• Hot tub
• Fitness center with Pilates classes
• Sheraton Club Lounge (18th floor)
• Approximately 1,400 sq m meeting space
• Ballroom
• Two restaurants
• Two bars and a dessert counter
• 24-hour concierge
• 24-hour business center
• Hair salon
• Rooftop terrace
• Pet-friendly
• Limo/town-car service
• Free vegetarian breakfast

Food and drink

Two restaurants and two bars. Avalon, the contemporary à-la-carte restaurant, focuses on innovative European and international cuisine. Benihana Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar is the global teppanyaki and sushi room — chefs prepare meals tableside on the iron grill, and the property runs sushi-training classes for groups. The Terrace serves a more casual international and Japanese a-la-carte menu. Centro Bar is the lobby-level cocktail and lounge venue; Centro Cakes is the on-site dessert and pastry counter, known locally for its design pastries. Buffet breakfast is served 6:30 to 10:00 a.m. daily.

Design and architecture

A boxy mid-rise modernist tower from the 1970s, fully reclad and modernized through the 2004 and 2014-2015 conversions. The most distinctive design move is the permanent exterior LED facade illumination — installed during the Sheraton conversion under general manager Daniel Ben-Yehuda — which replaced the previous static white-light scheme with stripes of saturated color that reach the top roof. It remains the largest permanent architectural lighting installation in Romania and is intentionally unique in Bucharest, where most other high-rises use simple LED-strip facades. Interiors are corporate-luxury Sheraton with warm woods, neutral fabrics, and signature lighting.

Fun facts about Sheraton Bucharest Hotel

• The site has carried three different hotel identities since 1976: Hotel Dorobanți (state-run, 1976), Howard Johnson Grand Plaza (2004 to 2015), and Sheraton Bucharest Hotel (since 2015).
• It was the first Sheraton-branded hotel in Romania, officially opened on August 25, 2015.
• The €6-million conversion began in autumn 2014 after Starwood signed a franchise agreement with Grand Plaza Hotel SA, the Romanian company controlled by businessman Gabriel Popoviciu.
• The 70-meter tower's permanent LED facade illumination remains the largest of its kind in Romania, and the lighting project itself took about a year to design and install.
• General manager Daniel Ben-Yehuda has been with Sheraton since 2000 and has run the Bucharest hotel since 2014; he previously managed Sheraton properties in Israel and French Polynesia.
• The Palace of the Parliament — the second-largest administrative building in the world after the Pentagon — is visible from select higher-floor rooms.
• Howard Johnson operated the previous version of the property for 11 years (2004-2015) before the Sheraton conversion.