Sheraton vs Marriott Tunis: Which Bonvoy Hotel Was Better?

37

After our trip to Marrakech, we flew on Royal Air Maroc to Tunisia. We stayed in the capital, Tunis, and used it as a base to explore nearby cities and towns, including Bizerte, Kairouan and El Jem. With nine nights in Tunis, I decided to split our stay between the Sheraton and the Marriott.

The Sheraton Tunis was originally a Hilton, opening back in 1965. It wasn’t rebranded to a Sheraton until 2004. The Marriott Tunis is much newer, having opened in 2022.

So how do these two Bonvoy hotels stack up?

Sheraton vs Marriott Tunis – Pricing

Marriott Bonvoy uses dynamic pricing, with no fixed award chart to accurately predict redemption costs. That said, you can expect the Sheraton to range from 12,000 to 21,000 points per night versus 14,000 to 22,000 points at the Marriott. During our stay, the Sheraton was on the lower end of its range, while Marriott was on the higher side.

As for cash rates, they average $220 to $260 CAD per night at the Sheraton for a standard superior guest room, while at the Marriott, typical cash rates average between $265 and $375 CAD per night.

I booked the Sheraton for five nights for a total redemption of 67,500 points per room. At the Marriott, I opted to pay cash since the rate was on the lower end for a total of 2,213 TND (about $1,080 CAD) for four nights, averaging $270 CAD per night. I planned to use my Marriott gift cards purchased through a credit card promo, but they were not accepted at check-out.

Best of all, booking a 5-night award redemption stretches your points further thanks to Marriott Bonvoy’s fifth night free. To sum it up, if you’re low on points or want to spend less cash, the Sheraton is the more budget-friendly option.

Sheraton vs Marriott Tunis – Location

The Sheraton Tunis sits atop a hill overlooking the city, in the central business and diplomatic district. It’s only 5 kilometres from Tunis Carthage International Airport and a quick car ride to the historic Medina and new downtown, along Avenue Habib Bourguiba.

The Marriott Tunis isn’t far from the Sheraton, but sits closer to the airport, within the Northern Urban Centre, a business district that includes embassies and many health care centres. The area feels more modern and newer.

Either way, you’ll need a car to explore Tunis’ tourist attractions, such as the Medina, Carthage, La Marsa, and the seaside town of Sidi Bou Said. Thankfully, rideshare apps like inDrive are available and affordable.

Sheraton vs Marriott Tunis – Status Recognition

At the time of my stay, I held Platinum elite status. Both hotels acknowledged it, but one was more generous than the other.

Sheraton offered:

• A welcome fruity juice drink at check-in (it wasn’t good!)
• A welcome benefit choice of 1,000 points or complimentary breakfast for two at the on-site restaurant
• Sheraton Club lounge access
• Upgrade to a Junior Suite for one of the two rooms I booked
• Honoured late check-out

Marriott offered:

• A welcome benefit choice of 1,000 points or a 30 TND ($10 USD) drink voucher
• M Club lounge access
• No room upgrade
• Honoured late check-out

Sheraton vs Marriott Tunis – Guest Rooms

Sheraton

Our assigned Junior Suite, 232, was spacious and newly renovated. It had the classic Sheraton design, featuring dark wood. The hotel left us plates of macarons, fresh fruit, dates and bottles of water as a welcome amenity.

Unfortunately, we immediately noticed how warm the room was. The hotel hadn’t switched on its central air conditioning yet, since it was early spring. I went down to the front desk to complain, and after a lot of back and forth, they moved us to another, older guest room, 524, that had a split A/C unit.

Room 524 had carpeted flooring and was significantly less spacious and had a dated bathroom, but I was relieved that it at least had a functioning A/C unit. The room was ice cold. We then discovered multiple issues:

• The A/C remote didn’t work. We had to wait for a hotel staff member to replace the batteries so that we could adjust the temperature
• The bathroom sink drained poorly. It took multiple calls and more than one technician to finally fix it the next day
• The fridge wasn’t working either, and we had to wait for a replacement

It was very obvious that this room hadn’t been used in a long time. Despite the very negative first impression, all the issues were sorted out, and the hotel manager would check in on us during our stay to make sure we had everything we needed.

Marriott

The Marriott, on the other hand, didn’t upgrade us, but they did assign us two connecting rooms, conveniently on the same floor as the M Club Lounge. They left us a small welcome amenity of chocolates and macarons. Fortunately, we had no A/C issues, since the hotel runs central air conditioning throughout, including in our rooms.

Room 919 was significantly more modern compared to the Sheraton’s, with USB outlets, digital “do not disturb” and housekeeping buttons. However, the room was considerably smaller. Despite the hotel only being four years old, I noticed holes in the drapes, and the bidet in the bathroom was terrible, leaking water everywhere.

As for sleep quality, I found the mattress too firm, preferring Sheraton’s bed. The pillows were thin and offered little support, similar to Sheraton’s. My pet peeve was the feather down duvet. I wish hotels didn’t use these. While the room was modern, there was limited space to sit and relax, though the lounge was accessible and nearby.

Sheraton vs Marriott Tunis – Lounge and Breakfast

Sheraton Club Lounge

Guests who book a club room or hold Platinum elite status or higher can access the Sheraton Club Lounge. It sits on the fifth floor and offers breakfast in the mornings plus happy hour from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the evenings. Alcoholic drinks have to be requested, as they’re not on display.

One thing I liked was the grab-and-go water bottles, and the fresh strawberry juice was also refreshing. The quality of the food was decent, but the spread was limited. I noticed that the breakfast items were the same as those offered at their restaurant, only with less variety and quantity.

Sheraton L’Oliveraie – Breakfast

I chose breakfast as the welcome benefit, and I was glad I did! Served from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., the breakfast buffet at L’Oliveraie was far more generous than the lounge offering. They had an extensive selection of hot dishes and a station for made-to-order eggs, crepes and savoury pastries.

One morning, the chef prepared a fresh thyme pastry on request, which was a pleasant surprise. You wouldn’t usually find these pastries in North Africa, but apparently the chef was trained by a Syrian pastry chef. They also had a date jam spread, which was sweet but delicious. Still, I missed no longer sipping Moroccan tea in the mornings!

One hiccup was that the server billed us for breakfast, but I was able to get it sorted out at the front desk and had the charges removed.

Marriott M Club Lounge

Like the Sheraton Club Lounge, the M Club offers breakfast in the mornings and light bites, including alcoholic drinks in the evenings. We ate breakfast here every morning, since breakfast at their restaurant, L’Urbain, would have come with an extra charge.

The breakfast at M Club was definitely more varied than Sheraton’s lounge. M Club was well staffed, particularly during breakfast hours. You could order eggs from the waiter, but be prepared to wait a while. The waiter heads down to the restaurant’s kitchen on the lobby level to place the order, which is part of why it takes so long. Besides the lengthy wait, they messed up my order, adding cheese to my omelette and leaving out the mushrooms. I didn’t bother ordering eggs again for the rest of our stay.

In the evenings, there was a decent selection of evening hors-d’œuvres, but the food quality was pretty mediocre. Hot items included chicken wings, roasted veggies and meatballs in a cream sauce. We decided to skip the lounge food and dine at local restaurants instead.

That said, if you’re on a tight budget, there’s enough food and variety to keep your stomach full. One final disappointment was that they didn’t have water bottles, and instead just had large glass bottles to drink at the lounge.

Sheraton vs Marriott Tunis – Facilities

Sheraton

A large wing below the lobby level houses The Garden Spa, a hair salon, an indoor heated swimming pool, and a fitness centre. Outdoors, a large garden leads to an outdoor swimming pool. The pool was under construction at the time of our stay as it was being renovated.

Dining options include:

Walima: a traditional restaurant open for dinner serving Tunisian cuisine

L’Oliveraie: open all day with breakfast and dinner buffets, featuring international dishes

Pang’s: East Asian cuisine with a sushi bar

Harry’s Pub: drinks and light bites in a casual setting

Lobby Bar: drinks and casual food

We only tried L’Oliveraie for breakfast, skipping dinner since I generally don’t like buffets. We tried the Lobby Bar on our first night for a quick, late dinner. I had ordered a Caesar salad, which was okay. We also tried Walima for dinner one night, and I liked the décor of the restaurant more than the food.

Marriott

The Marriott Tunis has a rooftop outdoor pool on their 11^th floor. A fitness centre with both cardio and weights, plus a fitness coach available for hire. The 10^th floor is home to Tanit Spa, where I decided to try the Majestic Hammam treatment. It’s supposed to last 55 minutes and consist of:

• Deep cleansing with black soap
• A gentle scrub with a kessa glove
• A wrap of choice with various masks and creams

Instead, the spa employee instructed me to go to the steam room, shower with water only, then return to the steam room. When she finally began the treatment with the kessa scrub, it was anything but gentle. There was no mask or cream to conclude the treatment. All in all, it was the worst hammam experience I’ve ever had and not worth the 160 TND. The actual treatment lasted about 10 minutes, with most of my time just spent waiting around in the steam room.

Dining options include:

L’Urbain: open all day, serving both Tunisian and international classics

L’Onzième Grill: on the rooftop near the pool, serving charcoal-grilled meats

Lobby Lounge: serving cocktails, other drinks and casual food

We only tried the Lobby Lounge for a quick lunch on our last day before heading to the airport. The service was prompt and friendly, and the burger was good.

Verdict

The Marriott Tunis is relatively new, has all the modern amenities for a comfortable stay and has a better lounge than the Sheraton. Yet, I personally preferred the Sheraton Tunis, despite a negative first impression. The Sheraton was grander, its elite recognition was stronger, the rooms were more spacious with nicer views overlooking the city, and I appreciated having the choice of breakfast at either their lounge or the restaurant.

Beyond that, the Sheraton generally has cheaper cash rates and lower points redemptions, which delivers better overall value. It’s also closer to downtown than Marriott, though it’s a bit of a distance from other tourist sites.

If I were to return to Tunis, I would actually opt for a hotel in La Marsa. It’s a chic neighbourhood with great restaurants, cafes, and boutiques along the Mediterranean Sea, with a corniche and a beach. For those who want to splurge on a more upscale experience, the Four Seasons Tunis in La Marsa would be hard to resist.