Sheratons at Westport

enue itself is beautiful, the food was excellent, and the banquet staff on the day of the wedding did a wonderful job. Our guests enjoyed themselves, and my daughter's wedding turned out beautifully. The problem was the person responsible for managing weddings and coordinating the event. What should have been an exciting and enjoyable planning process became months of frustration, stress, and unnecessary headaches. Communication was poor, follow-through was inconsistent, and details that should have been straightforward required repeated follow-up. We often felt as though we were the ones managing the event rather than the person being paid to coordinate it. The most disappointing part is that many of the issues were entirely avoidable. Weddings are emotional, expensive, and once-in-a-lifetime events. Families should not have to spend their time chasing answers, correcting mistakes, or worrying whether important details are being handled properly. As our out-of-town guests joined us at the hotel restaurant for lunch the staffer who was coordinating our event approached the table and announced, "You have a balance remaining on your account can I go ahead and run one of the cards on file?" As our contract stated all deposits should have been made at least one week prior to the event and I assumed she had processed those payments per our agreed upon schedule and on the direction of my daughter via email each time. So, I stated that I would like to review the invoice prior to her acting and she walked away. As the day went on and more guests of the hotel arrived, she emailed and I failed to notice or have time to review, and she went ahead and ran my card for the FULL AMOUNT of the bill. What venue in the world would allow you to move forward with plans for an event without paying one dollar? This action was beyond careless and there are much stronger words for her actions. Even after the wedding, the problems have continued. Settling the final bill has been far more difficult than it should be, adding yet another layer of frustration after what a challenging experience was already. It wasn't until Monday afternoon that I realized my deposits were not considered and there needed to be a major adjustment to my invoice. Upon visiting with her immediate supervisor, she stated "Well you had a lot of changes made at the last minute," and my response was "that's because she didn't get many details right the first time." The Sheraton Westport Chalet has all the ingredients of a great wedding venue—beautiful space, excellent food, and hardworking event staff. Unfortunately, the experience was overshadowed by poor event management and a lack of professionalism from the individual overseeing weddings. My daughter's wedding was wonderful because of our family, friends, our vendors, and the staff who worked the event that evening and especially because of the two wedding coordinators we hired—not because of the support we received from the wedding coordinator. Had we known what the planning and billing process would be like, we would have seriously considered other venues. For that reason, I cannot recommend hosting a wedding here. Ok here's the kicker, at each meeting I requested that my Bonvoy number be added to the bill and at last look NO BONVOY NUMBER ADDED.