Decided to try out this 2-weeks old property against my brains telling me to stop trying hotels so new. But my obsession with new hotels was too strong and I bit the bullet to bring the family there for our quick hop over the causeway.

Address – Jalan Storey, Bukit Senyum, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, 8030. Website.

Contact – Tel: +60 7-707 7777. Email: JohorBahru.Reservations@sheraton.com.

Location – the property’s location is not great, with the connecting smallish SKS Mall not even opened until Jan 2026 as advised by a hotel staff. So for now, there is nothing much in the vicinity and taking a Grab out to somewhere is the only way you’ll get your shopping / food / essentials. It is very close to the Woodlands checkpoint though so quite convenient for Singaporeans who are out for a quick hop like me.

Price – For 4pax, I redeemed 23,000 points for an entry-level Deluxe Room + 950MYR++ for a Club Access King booked directly on their website. It is one of the most expensive hotels I’ve paid for in JB and despite alarming reviews online and real-life warning from a friend, I was still hopeful that it will somehow be of decent value.

Pre-arrival – I received a pretty generic welcome email about 10days prior which was rather early:

Then 3 days prior, I received an invite to upgrade:

Then about 2 days prior, I received another email from the Loyalty Ambassador who also responded to my queries about early check in etc. I also noticed that we had been upgraded to Premier Club Access King + Twin rooms.

We arrived via the basement carpark and got to level 1 where the arrival entrance is, but informed that check in happens on level 5 so off we went.

Check In – the main hotel lobby on level 5 was actually quite nice – with loads of seating with a view and plenty of areas to lounge in as one discovers the hardware of this new property.

Check in took a while as the staff didn’t seem super well trained in the process, and info about breakfast and the Sheraton Club was also verbally communicated. But that said, we were very grateful to be given our rooms at 9:30am so that extra gesture was very appreciated.

I was also asked to select my Welcome Amenity of 1x snack + 1x beverage, or 1,000 points – I picked sparkling water + chocolate pralines.

Room – We had non-connecting but side by side room, 1512 + 1514. They were essentially replicates of each other save for the bedding configuration. My Premier Club Twin (45SqM) was really spacious and the new-ness of the property showed throughout the new build starting with this generic wardrobe in the walkway.

The bathroom was super new and had double sinks, a bathtub, and separate toilet and standing shower areas but with glass doors so multi-tasking was not possible during our stay. Toiletries are the house-branded ones I’ve seen in my past Sheraton stays elsewhere.

The sink however jammed up after one use and water did drain but r.e.a.l.l.y slowly. The bathroom also flooded after one shower which I just mopped up with spare towels since it was only for one night.

The bedroom space was really nice, with beds being the firmer end (I like~) though only 1 bedside table in between, a lounge sofa + chair with a big coffee table.

The mini bar was a tasteful setup and contained the usual Nespresso, teas, cupware, and came along with an empty fridge. The Nespresso pods though were not replenished at turn down though, if there was one at all (didn’t notice any traces of that when we returned to our rooms later at night).

Later that day, I found these in my room but I wondered what happened to my choice of sparkling water and pralines. I found out later that those were delivered to the King bedded room and already consumed so no pictures to show for haha.

Sheraton Club

Since there was no written info about the Club, I can only assume the space operates from 6:30am to end of evening cocktails at 7:30pm. I actually quite liked the space as it was still very new and the modern design made it a very cosy chillaxing spot during my stay. I did feel the space could have accommodated more tables as there were some random empty spaces which were under-utilised.

The circular island bar showed potential for later evening cocktails too. Or so I thought.

There was even an alfresco section for those who don’t mind the heat.

Due to our early arrival, we were very warmly accommodated complimentary breakfast on arrival and managed to enjoy a decently peaceful breakfast experience. The F&B on offer including an egg station were actually adequate to start the trip with, and the strong coffee was a huge plus.

Evening Cocktails from 5:30pm-7:30pm was an entirely different experience.

The food offerings were basic carbs, chee cheong fun, buns, and a live murtabak station which was quickly overwhelmed by the hungry crowd. But at least they had cheeses, cold cuts, salads to low carb nosh which was appreciated. But these too ran out quickly, with no refill in sight for a very long time.

In terms of service, the team seemed unprepared for the crowd despite it being their 2nd weekend of opening. Service felt hurried and severely lacking attention for a 5-star property, especially when guests who walked in 30mins after the start of the session to find no seats available and were left standing around on their own. Not a pretty sight!

There was also no self-serve alcohol station available, whoever wanted alcohol had to grab staff to ask what’s available before knowing there is only 1x red and 1x white available and both were honestly very crappy wines. I had one glass before I decided it was enough. BOO.

Facilities – We popped by the Fitness Centre and the Pool on level 6 and both looked decent enough to offer basic workout options, with the pool looking particularly inviting in the evening coolness – they even have a kids playpool area.

Breakfast – Elite members can also enjoy breakfast at the main restaurant, Daily Social (6:30am-10:30am) and that’s where we opted for our 7:15am nosh. Figured we’ll be able to enjoy the variety before the breakfast rush since we were early.

The restaurant is actually bigger than I expected, with plenty of seatings spaced adequately apart for solo up to big groups. The layout also helped to spread out the crowd later on in the morning which helped to ease the somewhat frantic breakfast atmosphere.

The food itself was a massive spread which was great, plenty of local flavors which were mostly tasty. I appreciated the fact that fresh greens and cheeses showed up again which offered the healthy eaters an option amongst the others.

Service – the overall experience of the property’s service is somewhat middling as the staff seemed slightly unpolished for a 5-star property. Check in could have been smoother, and the Club team were basically not equipped to represent the standards of a Sheraton.

Eg I asked for sparkling water at 10am and was told they ran out. Eh? I later found soda water in the fridge on my own which basically could work for a drink but no initiative from the staff to offer options. During evening cocktail hours, staff were standing around when food were running out with no refills which was so weird as surely they can help to make some refills if the chef inside the kitchen was busy.

Lastly, the lacklustre alcohol offering was so bad it was unbelievable. If they want to throttle the quantity / quality of the drinks, they need to throttle the price as well to be at most half of what I paid.

Shame on this Sheraton.

Check Out – painlessly done at 4pm on a Sunday which was appreciated.

In Summary,

Save your money to stay elsewhere at half the price until this property gears up to be enough for its brand standard.