Stay Report: Element Houston Vintage Park (Houston, Texas - December 2014)

Stay Report: Element Houston Vintage Park
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The Element Houston Vintage Park is a hotel “inspired by Westin Hotels, bringing together an eco-friendly environment with overall wellness…where guest can enjoy free breakfast, an evening reception and free internet access”

I had to go near Intercontinental Airport in Houston and was looking for places to stay when I noticed the Element Houston Vintage Park.  I heard some news items about the Element – which is the eco-friendly studio brand from Westin.  Right now they have a few properties scattered around the world, with one in Houston so I thought it would be nice to try --- after my experience, I would definitely go and seek out an Element; it was an excellent stay.   The rooms were spacious and well-laid out, the beds were also spacious and comfortable, there was enough lighting in the rooms, the free wifi was fast and really responsive, and the free breakfast was pretty good.  All this in an eco-friendly atmosphere made the stay all the more relaxing.

There are only two negatives I would say about this hotel – and both have to do with the location.  The hotel is located in a newly developed area and there are shops and restaurants near the hotel, but they are about a 2-3 minute walking distance --- this is fine during the day but at night there are very few lights.  That was my second negative, which was the road to the entrance of the hotel is not lit at all – the hotel is located on a one-way so if you are coming from the opposite way you have to pass the hotel and go down into the undeveloped section to make a u-turn to get to the right side of the street on which the hotel’s entrance is on – and that section of the road has no lights and is completely dark during the night.  As I said, those are the only two negatives as the rest of the experience inside the hotel was positive.

Once you walk inside the hotel, on the right-hand side is the check-in counter.  Beyond the check-in counters was a little pantry to buy snacks and beyond that was the elevators.  Across from the check-in was the dining area where the free breakfast is served (the breakfast was decent. There were standard items available that you normally would get as well as some unique items like egg, spinach, and mushroom on a toasted English muffin – but I did expect healthier or organic options and those were limited).   As you walk straight, there is a lounge/sitting area or relaxing area where you can also enjoy the free wifi.  To the left of this lounge is the business center which has access to two computers and a printer (during my visit, only one computer worked and the printer was not working).  Beyond the business center is the meeting room.  On the other side of the lounge/sitting area was the fitness center – which was spacious and had a nice array of machines – and a path to the outside which had an outdoor pool as well as an outdoor sitting/bbq area. 

Check-in was smooth and efficient and I was given my keys as well as a detailed explanation of the hotel and its amenities (which was good since it was my first time staying at the hotel).  I took the elevator to my room and when I opened the door, I thoroughly enjoyed the room. I had requested a room with 2 double beds so this is how my room was laid out: As you open the door, on the left were big closets (in an ikea-style design) which also contained a safe.  On the right was the bathroom which was very large and had a waterfall-style shower or hand-held shower.  The bathroom also had a low-flow toilet, low-flow sink, as well as refillable pumps for the the amenities instead of individual size toiletries (maintaining the environmental aspect throughout the room).  As you walked further into the room, on the left was the kitchen which was again ikea-designed and was quite big.  There was a very big fridge, a microwave, a sink, a stove, dishes and glasses, and pots and pans.  There was also two barstools and a little area to sit and eat at the kitchen.  Across from the kitchen was a desk/console combined into one.  This separated the bedroom from the main area.  The desk/console was a full desk that was extended to include a TV as well as a converter to plug in various devices and shelves below the TV.

The beds were quite comfortable and spacious and there were plenty of outlets near the beds and throughout the room.  In addition to the two beds, there was also a sofa that was very comfortable and could also turn into a sofa-bed.  Overall, it was a GREAT stay at the Element in a spacious room with comfortable beds.  The wifi was REALLY strong and fast both in the rooms and in the lobby.  It was a great stay in a place that is good for you and good for the environment.