After leaving Mize Mills Falls, Shae and I continued driving to the Muscle Shoals region of Alabama. We’d booked a two night stay at the Radisson Sheffield as it was great value using our Radisson Rewards points.
Neither of us had stayed at a Radisson before, so we weren’t entirely sure what to expect. It ended up being a fairly decent hotel for its price, although there are several areas where it could be improved.
Here’s our full review of the Radisson Sheffield in Alabama.
Check-In
The check-in process wasn’t what could be regarded as expedited, but that’s because it was a new staff member processing it. He was very thorough and friendly though, so he certainly can’t be faulted for that.
After 10-15 minutes we finally had our keys and made our way to room 135.
Bedroom
When entering the room, the closet and bathroom were to the left, while the main bedroom area was ahead and to the left.
We’d booked a room with a king bed; the bed was comfortable and we both slept pretty well.
To one side of the bed was a padded bench which we used as a luggage rack.
Opposite the bed was a desk with an office chair and coffee maker. The office chair had seen better days as it wouldn’t remain at the same height. It dropped down when you sat on it and raised again quickly when standing up. It made a loud noise whenever it raised up which startled Truffles every time it happened.
To the right of the desk was a dresser with a TV on top.
There wasn’t much in the way of a view from the hotel window, but we weren’t expecting one either. The bigger issue with the window was that the blackout curtains didn’t stay together and there was a bright light outside our room at night, so the room wasn’t as dark as it could’ve been.
The room’s closet had an iron and ironing board.
Bathroom
There was an OK-sized bathroom with an exceptionally long counter. The most surprising aspect was that the toilet paper was single ply. I don’t think I’ve ever stayed in a hotel with such cheap feeling toilet paper – even the Red Roof Inn we stayed at a few months ago used double ply.
The bathroom also had a bathtub with shower which had good water pressure.
Breakfast
When checking in, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that breakfast was included in our room rate. Even better was the fact that they serve breakfast until 11am (or they do at the weekend which is when we visited). That said, it wasn’t the highest quality breakfast.
There were Styrofoam plates and bowls, along with plasticware.
There were a few breakfast cereals available, as well as bread, bagels and English muffins. The cereal selection was better on the first morning than the second. On our second morning there were only two types of breakfast cereal available, one of which was a store brand version of Raisin Bran.
There was a waffle maker with small plastic tubs of syrup.
There was coffee…
…as well as tea, hot water and some packets of instant oatmeal and grits.
There were a few hot options which were different on both days we were there. The first morning there were biscuits and gravy…
…as well as sausages and eggs. The eggs tasted very eggy and not in a good way. The sausages on the second morning were terrible – they were so dried out that they resembled black pudding more than sausage patties.
The breakfast area also had a microwave and juice machine. The only “juice” was a cranberry juice cocktail which was supposedly Ocean Spray but which both of us thought tasted awful.
On a side stand was a bowl of fruit and some kind of muffins.
Round the corner was a fridge containing milk, cream cheese, yogurts and small tubs of apple juice and orange juice – the kind that you might get on a long-haul economy flight.
While we appreciated that breakfast was included in our room rate, it’s certainly one of the least impressive hotel breakfasts I’ve ever had.
Amenities
The Radisson Sheffield has a few amenities. There’s an outdoor swimming pool, although it was drained and green at the bottom during our stay. We visited at the end of March so it was still too cold to have used it, but it seemed unusual that it was empty rather than covered, so I’m not sure if it has water in it during the summer.
There’s a fitness room right off the lobby which looks out at the swimming pool. People on the second floor interior mezzanine can see into the fitness room, so you won’t have the most private of workout sessions.
The hotel has an on-site restaurant and bar called Fizz. There was a large group of people who appeared to be having a party there on the Saturday night, so it was loud out in the lobby. The hotel had some interior fire doors leading to the corridor where our room was located though, so with those closed we didn’t hear a thing.
Service
We didn’t have any need to interact with staff during our stay other than at check-in and check-out, so there’s not much for us to note about service at this hotel.
Location
If you’re visiting the Muscle Shoals region, the Radisson Sheffield is in a pretty good location. It’s half a mile from the Tennessee River and only a few miles from both Florence and Tuscumbia (the latter of which is home to Helen Keller’s birth place).
When you’re feeling hungry, there’s an Outback Steakhouse next door if you don’t want to eat at the hotel’s restaurant.
Cost
When we booked our stay at this hotel, it was a category 1 property in the Radisson Rewards scheme which meant that it only cost 9,000 points per night. It’s since been moved up to category 2 which means it now costs 15,000 points per night. We earned 250 points as a bonus for having Gold status which made our total net cost for two nights 17,750 points.
If we’d paid cash for the stay it would’ve cost $75.89 per night. That means we got a value of 0.86cpp (cents per point) from our points which is good for Radisson Rewards.
Pet-Friendliness
This property is a pet-friendly hotel and, at the time of our visit, only charged $25 per stay. There was a fairly good amount of green space to walk Truffles, so no complaints there.
Final Thoughts
Given that we only paid 9,000 points per night, the Radisson Sheffield was a great value stay. There are numerous ways they could improve – better quality breakfast, double ply toilet paper, etc. – but overall it was a clean, comfortable place to stay.
Truffles Approval Rating
Truffles gives the Radisson Sheffield four paws out of four – pawfect! She liked that they were pet-friendly and only charged $25 for the entire stay – one of the lowest cost pet fees we’ve come across (other than when it’s been free of course!)
Our Rating
Room = 4.0 / 5
Hotel Amenities = 3.9 / 5
Food = 3.6 / 5
Location = 4.2 / 5
Service = 4.0 / 5
Overall Value = 4.5 / 5
Total = 4.03 / 5
Address
Radisson, 4900 Hatch Blvd, Sheffield, AL 35660
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