The Sheraton Tysons Hotel closed its doors permanently on Friday, April 3, 2020 due to the current 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic as being one of the factors — and as of yesterday, Thursday, November 12, 2020, virtually all of the contents of the former hotel property with 440 guest rooms and suites are on sale to the public every day until all items are sold out…
Should You Take Advantage of a Hotel Liquidation Sale?
…and although you may be thinking about spending this weekend at the former hotel property to stock up on all sorts of bargains and deals, should you take advantage of this — or any other — liquidation sale of a hotel property?
Consider my experience at what used to be known as the Atlanta Sheraton Airport, which officially closed on Sunday, July 23, 2017 because the hotel property was acquired by the city of Atlanta for $16.8 million and destined for eventual demolition as part of the $6 billion expansion plan for the international airport which serves the greater Atlanta metropolitan area, which included the extension of at least one terminal and the possible addition of a sixth runway for the airport.
The closure of the hotel property at 1900 Sullivan Road meant clearing 395 rooms of furniture, lighting, mirrors, hair dryers, flat-screen televisions and soap dishes — as well as equipment, fixtures and furnishings from the restaurant which was on site, the lobby, meeting rooms, offices and the outside patio…
…and everything was consolidated onto two floors for a liquidation tag sale, which started on Thursday, August 10, 2017 and was scheduled to continue for a total duration of two weeks. All items were sold by the piece on a basis of first come, first serve by Hotel Content Liquidators LLC…
…but are significant savings for the public really being offered? Are there some incredible bargains to be had?
Not exactly.
What Can You Get For Your Money?
The name and logo of the former hotel property will likely be covered from view when you approach it — and signs may warn visitors that the hotel property is closed; while other signs may announce the liquidation sale.
Customers who walk in through the lobby of the former hotel property may be given a slip of paper to mark down which items they would like to purchase — especially if they are not capable of taking immediate delivery due to their size — and will immediately greeted by furnishings, fixtures, and virtually everything else adorned with price tags.
A guest room door may be priced at $45.00; but if you want the electronic door lock which is attached to it, be prepared to fork over another $55.00. Soap dishes were a dollar apiece, as were amenity trays.
You could have also purchased worn-out chairs and old uniforms.
Catering equipment was for sale — such as plates and chafing dishes…
…and racks for transporting food.
This armoire — which at one time contained a television and some other items — could have been yours for only $599.00.
Speaking of televisions: how about some flat-screen televisions with older technology for $99.00 for a 32-inch screen; or $129.00 for a 37-inch screen?
For comparison purposes — as of Tuesday, August 15, 2017 — you could have purchased a brand new 40-inch flat screen television with at least quadruple the resolution for $249.00; and it would almost certainly have weighed significantly less than these models.
Remote controls for the televisions — which have been cited as one of the parts of a hotel room which harbor the most germs — were conveniently stored in bulk in plastic containers which used to be used as trash cans in the rooms. No, there was no plastic bag in the containers. Ensure that your new remote control is thoroughly sanitized before using it with your new — er…used — television.
Who knows how many people have used these devices prior to this sale?
You read that paper sign on the yellow bin correctly: stained towels are for sale — just in case you do not find them often enough while staying as a guest at a hotel or resort property and you want to experience that more often out of sheer nostalgia.
Hand towels cost two dollars each; while bath towels cost four dollars each.
Perhaps you could have been lucky to find hair in these towels as well — but there was no word on how much extra you would have been charged for that hair.
Comforters, duvets, mattress covers and pillows — priced at $20.00, $15.00, $8.00 and $2.00 respectively — were strewn all over the floor.
A complete king sized bed cost $225.00.
Some people believe they have seen the light with desk lamps and nightstand lamps priced at $35.00 each — although fluorescent bulbs are no longer the latest in illumination technology.
One might believe that $45.00 for a floor lamp is kind of shade-y.
This wooden desk was an absolute steal for only $145.00 — especially in its condition. The flat-screen television was not included in the price.
Would you pay $75.00 for these old copying machines?
I am not sure as to what the prices were for coffee makers and telephones; but I would guess that they were rather phone-y.
Eight dollars for hair dryers literally blows. Irons — seen in the background — cost ten dollars.
By the way, what you see is not exactly what you get in terms of prices: tack on another ten percent for a “buyer’s premium” and another 7.75 percent in sales tax to your purchases for a total of 17.75 percent in additional costs.
Prices were reduced on unsold items as the sale progressed — but I would not take many of the items I saw if they were given to me for free.
Even some of the equipment inside of the former restaurant was for sale.
Summary
This is your chance to acquire some furniture and other items — if you want to recreate and replicate staying in a hotel room in 1997 for prices which may not exactly be considered “bargain basement” values — but keep in mind that items are sold on a “as is, where is” basis, so no recompense is in order for you if the item you purchase does not work or is substandard in any manner.
Also, what you see is not exactly what you get in terms of prices: tack on another 15 percent for a “buyer’s premium” and another six percent in sales tax to your purchases for a total of 21 percent in additional costs. That seems similar to the percentage of tax you would pay for staying in one of the hotel rooms or paying for room service — right?
The liquidation sale of the former Sheraton Tysons Hotel is being handled by International Content Liquidators, Incorporated, which is a different company than the one which handled the liquidation sale of the former Atlanta Sheraton Airport — so the prices may be different and the items may be in better condition…
…but is a “buyer’s premium” another deceptive way of advertising prices — similar to mandatory resort fees and carrier-imposed surcharges?
Based on my personal experience, I would not waste my time at the liquidation sale of a hotel property — but perhaps you might find a bargain at this one; so the information shown below is for you if you are interested.
Sheraton Tysons Hotel
8661 Leesburg Pike
Tysons, Virginia 22182
571-262-1602
This liquidation sale is open every day until all items are sold out.
Operating hours:
Mondays through Saturdays from 10:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon
Sundays from noon until 5:00 in the afternoon
All photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.
