Stay Report: Doubletree by Hilton Hotel & Suites Houston by the Galleria (Houston, Texas - July 2020)

Stay Report: Doubletree Hotel & Suites Houston Galleria
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Travel around the world has been seriously diminished due to COVID-19.  Even when traveling, hotels and airlines are putting in special measures to ensure a safe and healthy travel experience.  I have been limiting my travels due to the pandemic, but recently I had to travel to Houston.  I have been to Houston many times and stayed at various hotels throughout the city, mostly in the Galleria area.  When I was looking this time, I found a good deal at the Doubletree in the Galleria area.  I have stayed here twice (see reviews here) and the experience was mixed - the rooms were nice but the service bad - but I decided to give it another try.

The hotel has gone through some renovations on the inside (and this was evident in my previous stay in 2017) and since then the only additions have been due to COVID, which included partitions around the check-in desk, markers on the floor for social distancing, wipes next to the elevator, and signs stating masks were required.  Other than that, everything was the same including how small the hotel entrance is; the layout of the hotel is such that you have the hotel building, the parking garage, and a small connector between the two.   As you enter the connector, the parking garage is to your right, the connector in the middle, and the hotel on the left; the entrance is small generally and gets more crowded once there is a rush. Both valet and self-parking are available.

The lobby itself is wide and spacious. The waiting area is right in front, while the check-in desks are to the

left and the elevators and meeting rooms are to the right.  As both the meeting rooms and elevators are in the same direction, it can become a bit crowded when there events taking place.  I have stayed at other hotels during the pandemic (see review here) and their restrictions were far more strict than what was done here.  There was no restriction on limiting the hotel to only guests so anyone could enter and exit as they please.  Also, even though the state had mandated a mask-wearing policy and the hotel had signs requesting masks be worn, there was no enforcement or verbal reminders regarding mask wearing.  In terms of social distancing, the only stickers on the floor were the ones in front of the check-in counters and they were not adhered to by most guests (nor enforced by the hotel staff).  Check-in was okay but there was no customer service aspect - no greeting, no welcoming a Hilton Honors member, and not checking the reservation before asking questions, in fact it was the bare minimum of service expected and required; even the cookies, which are normally handed out at the beginning had to be requested.  I received the key and proceeded to my room.  

The waiting area for the elevators can become crowded very quickly as there are 4 elevators all converging onto the same waiting area.  They did have wipes for guests to use to wipe down the surface, but this was at your personal preference.  Also, other hotels had enforced either a minimum number of guests in the elevators or only same-household groups in the elevators; none of that was mentioned nor enforced here and it was basically to each their own how they wanted to proceed.  Previously, given my status, I have been upgraded to a junior suite and those rooms, while outdated, are quite spacious; this time I was not upgraded so I was given a standard Doubletree room.  

As you enter the room, on the left was the bathroom which contained a toilet, a shower/tub, a sink with lots of counter space.  The bathroom was standard with standard amenities and toiletries needed to be requested from the front desk.  Further inside the room, on the left were two double beds with a nightstand in the middle.  The beds were generally comfortable, decent in size and overall good in sleep comfort.  Across from the beds, against the wall, was a console that had a TV on top, an open shelf with the coffee/tea as well as ice bucket, drawers on the bottom, a fridge on the bottom, and a small table next to it.  There was a large window across one wall and in between the window and the bed was a chaise lounge chair.  There was a lot of furniture in the room and given the amount of things in the room, the standard size of the room, and then add people to that, the room felt small and cramped and some of the furniture needed to be removed to make the room feel more open.

The hotel is full-service so there are many amenities for the guests to enjoy including a pool, a gym, meeting rooms, business center, restaurant, parking garage, and wifi.  As I said earlier, parking was a nightmare both times I stayed here; you have to pay for parking so considering it requires payment, you think they would come up with a better solution.  The gym also needs to be remodeled as its small and is located on the 3rd floor, right next to other rooms (it looks like they converted two rooms into a gym).  The business center was 3 computers in the open lobby on the other side of the check-in desks.  There was complimentary printing, but there was also a lot of noise; the wifi was complimentary and provided decent speeds.  

Overall, its an average hotel in the Galleria area.   Plus points are the location, the hotel's signature cookies, and the spacious rooms and full-size fridge in the suites.  Negatives include inconsistent and poor customer service and horrible (paid) parking situation, and particularly to covid no enforcement or adherence to public health-related guidelines.  Given the horrible parking situation, the lack of adherence to public health guidelines and overall the general lack of service provided this was my last time staying at this hotel. 

Stay Report: Doubletree by Hilton Hotel & Suites Houston by the Galleria (Houston, Texas - September 2014, 2017)

Stay Report: Doubletree Hotel & Suites Houston Galleria

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Photo courtesy of Hilton.com

As I travel often to Houston, I am always looking for a good hotel in the Galleria area. I have a special affinity to Doubletree thanks to the complimentary warm chocolate chip cookies they provide. There is a Doubletree hotel in the Galleria area and I have stayed here twice, each with different results. Overall, the rooms are mini-suites so they are large and spacious but the parking is always a nightmare.

photo courtesy of Hilton.com

The hotel is set aback from the main street but as the hotel is large, you can see it from the main street; one side of the hotel faces the main street but the entrance of the hotel is on a side street. Given how big the hotel is, the entrance to the hotel is very small. The layout of the hotel is such that you have the hotel building, the parking garage, and a small connector between the two. As you enter the connector, the parking garage is to your right, the connector in the middle, and the hotel on the left; the entrance is small generally and gets more crowded once there is a rush. Both valet and self-parking are available.

The lobby itself is wide and spacious. The waiting area is right in front, while the check-in desks are to the left and the elevators and meeting rooms are to the right. As both the meeting rooms and elevators are in the same direction, it can become a bit crowded when there events taking place. As I said, I have been here multiple times and each time the check-in was different. When I first arrived in 2014, it was extreme chaos when we checked in as the hotel could not handle a crowd. The lines were long and the check-in process was very cumbersome. When we finally got to the front, there was no greeting, no apologies for the wait, nothing - and no smile on any of their faces (there were 3 people working in the lobby checking in guests, and none of them were smiling). The check-in was taking a really long time, and no explanation was given, so I asked 'is everything ok'. The attendant replied 'I am looking for a room' and went back to staring at the screen. No customer service at this hotel. When we finally finished, no cookies were given; I had to ask for the cookies even though they are supposed to be given upon check-in. In 2017, it was a different story as the check-in process went smoother, they were more customer-friendly, and overall it was a more pleasant experience (in fact, the mood of the hotel felt lighter as well - they had recently gone through an upgrade and it improved the feel of the hotel).

Photo courtesy of Hilton.com

I received my key and took the elevators to the room. Even though there are 4 elevators, they can get busy really quickly and become very slow (I don't think the hotel was designed for the large rush of crowds they now receive). All the rooms at this DoubleTree are Suites so the room was very spacious and clean, and the beds were very comfortable. As you enter, on the left hand side is a galley kitchen, which is a bit outdated but provides a very large fridge.  The kitchen also contains a sink, lots of counter space, dishes, a microwave, and a stove.  There is also a round dining table with 4 chairs in the sitting room just right outside the kitchen.  The sitting room also contains a sofa-bed/couch with a coffee table, and in front of the sofa is an chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV on top.  The sitting room is very spacious, has lots of features for guests to enjoy, and can become private by closing the door between the sitting room and the bedroom.

The bedroom itself is also quite large.  You enter into a long corridor, which will

Photo courtesy of TripAdvisor.com

eventually lead to the bathroom.  As you head down the corridor, the beds are on the left side In between the two beds was a night stand and in front of the beds was another chest with drawers on the bottom and TV on top.  The beds were spacious and comfortable, and provided a good night's sleep.  The bedroom area was quite spacious and easily allowed access to each item.  Continuing down the corridor leads to the open closet and the bathroom.  The closet is on the right and contains a place to hang items and a shelf to store items.  Next to the open closet is the bathroom which contains a shower, a toilet, and a double sink.  Considering how big the rooms area, the bathroom area is relatively smaller but overall its a comfortable room.

The hotel is full-service so there are many amenities for the guests to enjoy including a pool, a gym, meeting rooms, business center, restaurant, parking garage, and wifi.  As I said earlier, parking was a nightmare both times I stayed here; you have to pay for parking so considering it requires payment, you think they would come up with a better solution.  The gym also needs to be remodeled as its small and is located on the 3rd floor, right next to other rooms (it looks like they converted two rooms into a gym).  The business center was 3 computers in the open lobby on the other side of the check-in desks.  There was complimentary printing, but there was also a lot of noise.  The wifi was complimentary and provided decent speeds. 

Overall, its an average hotel in the Galleria area.   Plus points are the location, the spacious rooms, and the full-size fridge and kitchen available in the suites (as well as the cookies).  Negatives include inconsistent customer service and horrible (paid) parking situation.

Stay Report: Hilton Houston Westchase (Houston, Texas - October 2018)

Stay Report: Hilton Houston Westchase

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photo courtesy of TripAdvisor

I was planning a trip to Houston and wanted to stay near the Galleria area but could not find a good deal so I expanded my search.  I had previously stayed at the Hilton Houston Westchase for a family friends wedding, and the hotel was nice and located about 15-20 minutes away from the Galleria and I found a good deal so decided to restay at the hotel.  From the outside, hotel looks like a tall office building with an attached restaurant and parking surrounding the building.  The parking is free and ample but some of the parking is a little shady so I would be careful about leaving valuables in the car; the parking does fill up quickly, especially well-lit areas and those closest to the entrances.  The hotel is located next to a supermarket and easy access to many amenities and highways. 

Check-in was a breeze, the attendant gave us the key and explained everything that the

photo courtesy of Hilton.com

hotel offered. We went to our room, which was located on the 5th floor and two doors away from the elevator (we were a little skeptical about the proximity to the elevator, but no noise from the elevator or gathering around it was heard).  Both the rooms and the bathrooms had been updated with the new Hilton offerings, but the doors and other structures indicated the building itself was old.  As you entered the room, the bathroom was on the right while the closet was on the left.  The bathroom was a bit small but decent and contained a sink, a tub, a toilet, and bathroom toiletries.  The closet was also standard and contained a shelf, hangers to hang items, an iron and an ironing board.  Further into the room on right hand side were the two double beds with a nightstand in the middle.  The bed quality was very nice and the pillows were very nice, but the beds in the Hilton seemed smaller than the ones we got at the Doubletree (check out that review here); the bed could easily fit two people, but there is just enough room to fit 2. Across from the bed was a chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV as well as coffee stand on top. The bottom of the chest also contained a mini fridge a well as a safe.  The room also contained a desk and a chair next to the chest, and between the bed and the window was was a table and lamp (the window faced out onto the parking lot).  The room we had was on a corner so while it was shaped a little differently, there was still plenty of space to more around and be comfortable.

photo courtesy of Hilton.com

The hotel is a full service hotel so there are many amenities for the guests to enjoy including a restaurant, parking, wifi, a fitness center. meeting rooms, a business center, and a pool.  The parking was self-parking, there was no charge, and there were plenty of spaces available; however, as I said before some parking spots were not as well lit as others so I would be careful about leaving valuables in the car.  The wifi was complimentary and there was no limit on the number of devices that could be connected, and the speed was decent enough to check email and watch videos.  The fitness center was located on the first floor, en route from the elevator to the big conference room/meeting room, and seemed to be installed as an afterthought.  The fitness center was located next to other rooms so there is a lot of traffic passing by the fitness center and it was somewhat small as well, as only three, maybe four, people could work out at the same time; 4 people or more and the place would feel very congested and cramped. Again it seems as if the hotel took out an existing room and replaced it with the fitness center. The amenities inside the fitness center included decent equipment as well as fruit (not the best looking, but not the worst looking either), water, and cold towels.

In the end, the hotel provided a nice and comfortable room with free parking, free wifi, good customer service, and decent location with many restaurants and services within a short distance away.  While it is a bit further away from the Galleria (about a 15-minute drive) the added benefits of the hotel make the drive worth it.

Stay Report: The Westin Oaks Houston at the Galleria (Houston, Texas - March 2015)

Stay Report: The Westin Oaks Houston at the Galleria

I originally stayed at this property in November 2013.  I revisited the property in March 2015 and here is a combination of my experiences at the property.

I travel to Houston a lot and usually I like to stay in and around The Galleria area as it has access to the interstate and lots of restaurants and shops.  There are two hotels directly connected to the Galleria and both are Westin; the one facing Westheimer is the Westin Oak Galleria while the one facing W. Alabama is the Westin Galleria.  When the Westin was part of SPG I found some really good rates to stay at this hotel, but since Marriott took over it is very hard to find those special rates.  The reason I enjoyed the hotel is because 1) it is connected to the Galleria so you can go enjoy the mall and then walk back to your hotel room; 2) the service and the rooms were great; and 3) there is complimentary parking in the Galleria garages.

Even though the hotel is part of the Galleria complex there is a separate entrance to the hotel.  The main entrance is on the street level and there is also an access to the mall from the basement level.  As you enter into the lobby, the first thing you notice is how tall and open the lobby is but also how dark the lobby is.  The valet stand is outside the lobby and inside there is a waiting area while straight ahead are the check-in desks.  The elevators are to the rights of the check-in desks and if you continue towards the right you access the business center (computers and printers in the lobby), the bar, and the elevators which can take you up to the meeting area.  The lobby is very spacious and there are plenty of chairs and spaces for you to relax, but as I said before there is not a lot of natural light so the lobby can feel quite dark.  After check-in, I received my key and went to the elevator - the guest floors can only be accessed by key and its one of those elevators where you put in your key, press your floor and then you are told which elevator to proceed to.  It takes some getting used to at first and sometimes there can be a lot of people in one elevator.

When I got the room, the first thing I noticed was how spacious they were and how easily and comfortably 4 guests could fit in the room.  As you open the door, on the right is the bathroom and on the left is the closet.   The bathroom was standard with a toilet, a tub, a sink and toiletries but the main differences were that the bathroom was also a good size and the sink had a long counter to provide lots of storage.  The closet was standard with a shelf on top and places to hang your clothes on the bottom but the closet also contained the safe, an iron, and ironing board.  In the main part of the room, on the right-hand side, were the 2 large double-beds which were very spacious and very comfortable (they provided an excellent nights sleep).  In between the beds was a nightstand and in front of the beds was a chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV on top.  There was a coffee stand next to the TV and there was a mini-fridge hidden as part of the chest.  Next to the chest was a large desk and chair in which you could do more work to add more storage space.  The room also contained a chair and lamp next to the bed that faced out to the windows – the windows faced onto Westheimer street and provided great views of the city down below.  As I said, the room was very spacious and the beds were comfortable so it provided for a great nights rest.
    

The Westin is a full-service hotel so there are many facilities for the guests to enjoy including a gym, restaurant, business center, meeting rooms, pool, wifi, and parking.  There are two parking options available, either valet or self-parking.  The self-parking is free, which is quite unusual in the Galleria area, and space was always available - even on the Thanksgiving holiday (the garage is the regulars shopping garage shared by all shoppers and there is an entrance to the mall and through this entrance there are elevators to take up to the hotel).  The wifi was complimentary for SPG members and it was relatively fast enough to check email and watch videos.  The business center was a bit odd as it was just some computers and a printer near the escalators in the lobby; given the size of the hotel I expected a dedicated business center.  The fitness center was nice but it was in an odd location; to access the fitness center you took the elevator the basement in which there was the mall access as well as garage access but this was the access to both for guests of the hotel as well as guests of the mall.  To access the fitness center, you had to cross this pathway to get to the other side of the hallway to access the fitness center.  The fitness center itself was very nice with updated equipment and enough of them to get a decent workout.  (Since this gym is smaller, guests of the Westin Oaks are able to use the bigger gym of the Westin Galleria which is located on the other side of the Galleria Mall).  

photo courtesy of TripAdvisor

When I stayed at the hotel it was still part of SPG so I was able to take advantage of 2 Starwood programs – the ‘gear lending’ program and the ‘stay friendly’ program.  The ‘gear lending’ program is a partnership with New Balance and it allows guest to rent tennis shoes, gym shorts, gym shirt, and a mesh bag for $5.  These are fresh clothes that are laundered and they come to your room in a mesh bag and you can use them throughout your stay; upon checkout leave them in your room (or you will be charged the full price of each item).  You also get a pair of socks but those you get to keep.  The ‘stay friendly’ option is an environmental/eco option in which you do not choose housekeepings ervice throughout your stay, and for this you get either a coupon to the restaurant or 500 starpoints.  This means that no one will come in your room even to tidy up or make the bed or vacuum --- nothing.

Overall, it was a nice and comfortable stay in a hotel that is very conveniently connected to the Galleria.  The hotel provides comfortable and spacious rooms, complimentary self-parking, and easy and convenient access to the Galleria.  There are not many negatives to the hotel so that is why the Westin Oaks Houston at the Galleria is at the top of my list of hotels to stay at in Houston in the Galleria area.  

Stay Report: Hilton Garden Inn Houston/Galleria Area (Houston, Texas - November 2012)

Stay Report: Hilton Garden Inn Houston/Galleria Area

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picture courtesy of Booking.com

I am always on the lookout for good, quality hotels within the Houston Galleria area.  I have previously stayed at other Hilton Garden Inn’s so when they opened up a property near the Galleria, we were excited to try out the product.  The hotel is located right behind the Galleria – the Galleria is located on the main street Westheimer and from there you go down a side street and 2 blocks later is where the HGI is located.  There are a lot of other hotels in the area, including a new Homewood Suites, a new Courtyard, and an older hotel that used to be the Staybridge Suites.  The location and the surrounding hotels are the positive about the location – the negative about the location is that the hotel is located right next to a gentleman’s/strip club.  By next door I mean the two businesses share a wall; they are that close.  While you cannot hear the noise from the club inside the hotel, it is still a little odd that you are pulling up to a hotel next to a strip club.

The hotel itself is the standard HGI – there is nothing fancy about it but the hotel provides a good HGI experience.  The hotel's entrance is situated close to the street so that the main entrance is right off of the street and the parking area is behind the hotel; there is plenty of parking available, but the hotel does charge for the parking.  Inside the lobby of the hotel is a restaurant, the check-in desks and the guest waiting area.  The waiting area has seats for guests to lounge in as well as additional seating area to do work and/or eat.  Once check-in was done, we received our keys and took the elevators up to the room.

The rooms were standard HGI rooms; a decent size so it did not feel too cramped but did provide enough room to more around.  We had chosen a room with 2 double beds so as you entered the room, on the left hand side was the bathroom and on the right hand side was the closet.  The bathroom contained a sink, a toilet, a shower, as well as bathroom toiletries.  Again, the bathroom was a decent size so not too small but also not grand.  The closet was also decent in size and had a place to hang your clothes, a shelf on top, as well as an iron and ironing board.  In the main area of the room, on the left were the 2 double beds with a nightstand in between.  In between the beds and the window (which faced out onto the parking lot) was a sitting chair.  Against the opposite wall was a desk and a chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV stand on top.  All the furniture and decorations were modern and up to do date HGI furnishings so the hotel did not look old.  The beds were comfortable and provided enough room for a comfortable sleep.

The hotel provides certain amenities for the guests to enjoy including wifi, parking, a restaurant, a pool, a fitness center, a business center, and meeting rooms.  Since I was there only for a short period, I was only able to enjoy the wifi (which was complimentary) and the parking (which had a costs).  The restaurant was available in the mornings and there are certain rooms/rates in which breakfast is complimentary but generally breakfast is not included.  The wifi was complimentary and the speeds were decent enough for email and videos.  Overall, the hotel provides a comfortable stay near the Galleria – nothing fancy but a good stay.  The only negative would be the location of the strip club next door, as that does not elicit a family-friendly atmosphere for the hotel.

Stay Report: Hampton Inn Houston-Near The Galleria (Houston, Texas - January 2015)

Stay Report: Hampton Inn Houston - near the Galleria

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photo courtesy of TripAdvisor

I have been trying various hotels in and around the Houston Galleria area trying to find one that has a decent quality of sleep as well as a decent price.  I had seen the Hampton Inn in my previous researches and this time decided to try it out.  Overall, it was a nice and updated Hampton Inn which provided a spacious room, with comfortable beds, and good customer service.  The negatives were odd location of fitness center, lack of lighting in the parking lot, as well as the price --- the price was a bit high for what I would normally expect from a Hampton (i.e. I paid the same amount here as I have previously paid at the Doubletree or Hilton); and a comparable hotel in the area, the Courtyard, was less expensive.
The Hampton Inn is located about 10 minutes away from the Galleria – so not walking distance but a quick drive away.  There are two entrances – either from the Highway side road or from the main road.  Both of the entrances are not clearly marked but you can see the hotel before the entrance.  Parking is available in the front of the hotel or you can go to a gated section next to the hotel – both are paid parking and both need additional lighting as it was rather dark and dim at night. 

photo courtesy of Yelp.com

When you enter the hotel, on the right is the check-in desk while on the left is the dining room/lounge area where complimentary breakfast is served.  We had e-checked in through the app and just needed to pick up our key (in my opinion, Hilton needs to introduce a computer or something else to allow those who e-check-in to just pick up their key and go).  The staff were very friendly and nice and warm – this touch of customer service was appreciated. 

As you walk down the hallway towards the elevator, you pass an open business center - with two computers and a printer - as well as meeting rooms.  The layout of the first floor and elevators is odd – you have to walk almost ¾ down hallway from the lobby to get to the elevators and you pass many guest rooms to get there.  Midway down the hallway is an entrance to the parking lot, but that is not connected to the elevators and if you enter through this entrance you have to continue to walk past guest rooms to get to the elevators; the elevators are located in the middle of the hallway and across from guest rooms.  The fitness center is located at the end of the hallways, in the middle of the hallway between guest rooms – it looks like they took out one room and made it into a fitness center; not the best idea.

We had requested and chosen a room with two double beds and our room was a standard Hampton room.  As you opened the door, on your right was the bathroom.  The bathroom was standard with a tub, a sink, a toilet, as well as toiletries - the size was also standard, not too big but not too small.  Next to the bathroom was a huge door covered with a mirror (nice touch) and it was a swinging door that opened up to the closet.  Beyond that was the two double beds – both of which were comfortable but a bit on the small side.  In between the beds was a nightstand and across from the beds were a microwave, fridge, a chest with 3 drawers on the bottom and the TV on top, as well as a desk.  Overall, the room was decent, spacious enough and comfortable but not overly spacious. 
In addition to the fitness center and business center, other amenities the hotel provided were complimentary breakfast, complimentary wifi, and paid parking.  The complimentary breakfast was standard and decent, and the wifi was fast enough to check email and watch videos.  Overall, it was a decent stay at the Hampton Inn.  The hotel was updated and provided standard Hampton amenities.  The negatives of the hotel included the lack of lighting in the parking lot, the odd location of the fitness center, and the costs which seemed a bit high for a Hampton (it seems they were pricing for the area rather than for the product).  

Stay Report: Sheraton Suites Houston Near The Galleria (Houston, Texas - January 2015)

Stay Report: Sheraton Suites Houston Near the Galleria
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I frequently travel to Houston, specifically to the Galleria area, and am constantly on the search to find a decent hotel in the area.  There are lots of hotels in the area, and more keep coming.  This time I decided to try out the Sheraton Suites near The Galleria.  Overall, the Sheraton Suites is a nice hotel with comfortable rooms and good customer service, but this is not my definition of suites and access to the hotel can be difficult.  

The hotel is located within the Galleria area and is either a 2 minute drive or a 3 minute walk to the Galleria – so it is very convenient in that sense.  What is not convenient is the entrance – there is only one entrance to the hotel and that is in the middle of the highway service road so you have to make a very long u-turn and then wait into traffic to get to the entrance of the hotel while competing with the drivers that want to turn onto the main street to access the Galleria - not very relaxing.  Parking is available behind the hotel and it costs $19 for in/out privileges and there are plenty of spaces. I checked in and was given my key as well as a detailed explanation of the hotel and its services.  


I had requested a suite with 2 double beds and the layout of my room was as follows.   As you entered into the room, on your right was the bathroom which had a long sink and counter space.  On the other side of the sink was a double closet and next to the sink was the door to the bathroom which contained a toilet and a shower.  You could also access the bathroom directly from the bedroom.  The bedroom itself contained two double beds, which were both spacious and comfortable.  In addition to the beds, the room also contained a dresser with a  TV on top and drawers on the bottom.  In between the two beds was a nightstand with lamps and plugs.  The room was a decent size so even though there was a lot of stuff in the room, the room did not feel too claustrophobic and only felt a bit snug.

Across from the beds was a door that led to the sitting room and this room contained a couch that could double as a sofa bed, an armoire that contained the TV, as well as a chair and a table.  Right next to the couch was a desk that faced towards the couch and behind the desk was a nook that housed a fridge, a coffee maker, and a sink.  I had said earlier that this was not my definition of a suite, because usually a suite has a more defined kitchen area with a larger fridge and microwave as well as dining table; this hotel had none of that.  While overall it was a pleasant and comfortable room, it just was not my definition of what a suite looked like (there are other hotels within the Galleria area that bill themselves as 'suites' and those are proper suites; see Doubletree Suites Houston Galleria review here).

There are many amenities for the guests to enjoy including a restaurant/bar, a very nice and spacious fitness center, a business center (with computers and printers), shuttle service to transport guests around the neighborhood, as well as wifi.  Since I was only here for one night I only got to experience the wifi which was complimentary and decent enough to stream videos.  

In the end, the positives of the hotel are the close proximity to the Galleria, the hotel has good customer service, and the room is divided between the sitting area and the bedroom.  Negatives include the lack of a full suite, lack of complimentary parking, and odd entrance to the hotel.

Stay Report: Houston Marriott West Loop by The Galleria (Houston, Texas - October 2018)

Stay Report: Houston Marriott West Loop by The Galleria
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I have been to Houston many times and my favorite place to stay is in The Galleria area.  This area is close to many restaurants, shops, and services and has a wide selections of hotels.  I have stayed in many of them (you can see the reviews on my blog) and am still trying to find the best one.  I recently traveled to Houston and stayed at the Houston Marriott West Loop.  I had previously stayed here, in May 2015, and had a pretty decent stay so decided to book the hotel again.  

The hotel itself is on the backside of the Galleria, faces the highway, and shares its space with an office building.  There is a parking garage attached to the hotel, and walking from the garage entrance to the lobby is the only time you actually see the office building.  The entrance to the hotel in the parking garage is on the 2nd floor, and from here you can either walk down the stairs or take the elevator to the first floor where you walk past the meeting rooms into a hallway.  This hallway connects the hotel with the office space so you have to turn right to enter into the hotel.  As you enter into the hotel, you pass the restaurant, the bar, a sitting area, and the stairs to the gym before getting to the check-in desks.  Check-in was fairly quick and efficient, I received my key and proceeded to the elevator to go up to my room.

The room itself was a decent size - smaller than the Westin rooms but bigger than other hotels - as

was a standard hotel room.  As you entered, on the left side was the closet while on the right was the bathroom.  The closet contained hangers, a shelf for storage, and the iron and ironing board.  The bathroom contained a sink, a toilet, and shower tub - while it was a standard bathroom, the bathroom toiletries that Marriott provides are really nice.  The hallway also contained a little nook, next to the closet, which housed the fridge on the bottom and the coffee maker on top.  Further into the room, the beds were on the right hand side with one table in between.  The beds were comfortable enough and provided a decent night's sleep.  Across from the beds was a chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV on top.  The top of the chest was connected and led into the desk, and against the wall of the desk was the panel to connect multiple devices and electronics to the TV.  There were also plugs available in this outlet to charge your devices.  There was a large window which provided nice natural light but the view was very bad (either of a highway or parking garage).  In between the beds and the window were sitting chairs and some additional free space to place your luggage or the ironing board.  Overall, it was spacious hotel room with decent beds and plugs throughout the room (there were also plugs near the beds as well).

As the hotel is full service, there are many amenities for the guests.  These include a gym, a pool, a washer and dryer, a restaurant, a bar, parking garage, meeting rooms, a business center, and wifi.  The wifi was complimentary for Marriott Rewards members and allowed upto 6 devices to be connected at no charge (which is great as others cap it at 4 devices).  The speed and connectivity were decent for emails and videos.  The gym is nice and a decent size and is located next to the pool and washer/dryer.  While all of these are connected, their location is a bit odd; they are located on the 2nd floor right across from hotel rooms.  The gym is accessible 24hrs so if your room is right in front of the gym, you could potentially hear noise throughout the night.  Also, the pool is an indoor pool located on the 2nd floor next to an open meeting area/hall and the entrance to this is either from the elevator on the 2nd floor or through the stairs on the 1st floor - again an odd layout.  If you walk down the stairs from the pool and hall, you are in the lobby where the restaurant, bar, and 'business center' are located.  If you leave the lobby of the hotel and go through walkway to the office building, this is where the meeting rooms are located and you walk past the meeting rooms to get to the parking garage.  While all the amenities are really nice and spacious, the layout is a bit strange.


Overall, it was a nice stay at the Marriott West Loop by the Galleria.  The rooms are spacious, their somewhat updated, and the fitness center is nice.  The negatives are the odd layout of the hotel, the long walk from the parking garage to the hotel lobby, and the high price for parking ($24/night for self-parking and the spots are limited).  

Stay Report: Courtyard Houston by The Galleria (Houston, Texas - December 2014)

Stay Report: Courtyard Houston by the Galleria

comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

photo courtesy of Hotels.com

Even though there are many hotels within the Galleria area - some good and others not - new hotels are being built in the area and I like to try them to find the best hotel in the area.  The Courtyard Houston Galleria is located a block of Westheimer and is near the Galleria Mall, about a 5-10 minute walk.  The hotel and the Homewood Suites share the same building, which takes up the entire width of the block.  The hotel itself as zero curb appeal as the entrance to the building looks like an alley way that is open on both sides.  On one side of the alleyway is the entrance to the Courtyard while the Homewood Suites entrance is on the other side of the alleyway.  On the main level is the entrance to the parking garage as well as the lobby; the lobby is located underneath the garage and rooms so its looks more like a basement lobby.  

photo courtesy of Priceline.com

As you enter the lobby, on the right side is the check-in desk while on the left side is a really big restaurant and sitting area.  The restaurants serves breakfast (complimentary depending on which rate you booked), lunch and dinner.  Courtyard has partnered with many sports teams so there is a big TV in the lobby surrounding by coaches so guests can watch the games.  The lobby also contains the 'open' business center which contains 3 computers and a printer tucked on one side of the restaurant.  While the computers were quite slow, the availability of the computers and the printer is a nice addition.  Beyond the check-in desks was a lobby that contained other facilities such as the entrance to the parking garage (which has a daily charge) and the entrance to the pool and gym.  On the other side of the lobby was another hallway that led ot the meeting rooms.  The elevators to the rooms were located in the middle, and in front of the elevators was a table which contained scented-water and cookies on Sunday (chocolate, oatmeal and macadamia).


Check-in was efficient and I quickly received my key and proceeded to the room.  The room itself was pretty decent in term of size and comfort, it was just dark.  As you enter into the room, you enter in a corridor which leads to the bedroom area.  In the corridor, on the left is the bathroom which contains a toilet, a sink, and a shower.  The bathroom also contained the rooms only mirrors, which is a bit inconvenient as if someone is using the bathroom then no one can utilize the mirrors.  In between the bathroom and the room area was a little nook which contained a fridge on the bottom and a coffee maker on top.  The nook was built to look like a mini bar as there were shelves above the nook which contained the glasses.

photo courtesy of TripAdvisor

The bedroom area itself was open and wide,  This room had two double beds with a shared nightstand in the middle.  The beds were spacious, comfortable, and provided a good nights sleep.  The lamps on the shared nightstand had plugs on the bottom making charging devices very easy.  On the other side of the wall, across from the beds, was an armoire which contained storage space as well as an iron and ironing board.  The closet was big, only partially opened up, and did not seem like the best use of the space.  Next to the armoire was a desk that contained the TV, the telephone, another lamp with more plugs (additional plugs were located underneath the desk, and a pull out table.  In between the second bed and the window was sitting chair, and there was enough room to put the pullout table in this area with half the people sitting on the bed and the other half on chairs.  Overall, te room was spacious, modern, and clean but very dark as there was not enough light (especially at night in which the lack of light and the dark furniture made the room even darker and hard to see.)

As I said earlier, both hotels shared facilities between each other and these facilities included a pool and a

photo courtesy of Hotels.com

gym.  Each hotel also had their own restaurant, their own complimentary wifi, their own meeting rooms, and own business center.  The wifi was complimentary and the speeds were decent enough.  Even though they shared the fitness center and pool, both were very small as the pool looked like an oversized hot tub and the gym had two treadmills and a stairmaster (not enough for one hotel let alone two hotels to share).  The business center was 3 computers in the open lobby, but the availability of the computers and printer was helpful.  The hotel also provided complimentary water and coffee in the lobby, which a nice gesture of service.  Lastly, the two hotels shared a parking garage which was not complimentary.  The costs (at the time of the stay in 2014) was $16/day which was lower than some in the area but still not complimentary.

Overall, it was a decent hotel near the Galleria mall.  The plus points of the hotel included an updated, clean, and spacious room with decent service and a good location.  The negatives were the paid parking, the small gym and pool, and the lack of lighting in both the hallway and the room.  The hotel also does not have a lot of curb appeal, and while that something I really do not care about I do know others who do as 'it does not feel like we have pulled up to a hotel; rather to a bland apartment building.  

Stay Report: Hilton Houston Galleria, SW Freeway (May 2017)

Stay Report: Hilton Houston Galleria, SW Freeway
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

We have stayed at many hotels in and around the Houston Galleria area.  Some of them are nice, others not so much but I am always looking to try different hotels in the area.  We were going to be in Houston and had heard good things about the Hilton Houston Galleria so decided to check it out.  First, the hotel is not near the Galleria; the hotel is located off of Hillcroft and that is about a 15-minute drive to the Galleria.  The hotel itself is located on the interstate service road and does not have a lot of curb appeal.  The hotel recently underwent renovations - both inside and out - so the outside the hotel looks nicer now.  The hotel is surrounded by plenty of free parking.  There is not a lot within walking distance, but there is a lot within a 15 minute car ride.

The main entrance to the hotel is on a street of the service lane.  There are two entrances to the hotel - one to the main lobby and one to the meeting rooms/conference area.  If you enter through the conference area, you walk past the conference rooms as past the elevators to get to the main lobby.  If walk through the main entrance, then you enter into the main lobby with the check-in counter on your right-hand side.  Given the large size of the lobby, the check-in counter was a bit small.  Check-in was a quick and with our key we proceeded up to our room.

The room itself was nice and spacious and looked updated after the renovation.  When you entered into the room, you entered into a wide space which had - on the left hand side - the closet and the bathroom.  The closet was a big size and offered plenty of space, and it also contained the safe, iron, and ironing board.  The bathroom was a bit small but decent and contained a tub, toilet, and sink.  As you entered further into the room, along the wall on the right-hand side table with the coffee machine on top.  It was a little out of place but the table provided a nice place to rest keys when you entered into the room.  Continuing along the wall was the TV on top of chest with drawers on the bottom.  The drawers also contained the mini-fridge.  Further along the wall was the desk which provided a nice, wide working space and lots of counter space.  We had requested a room with two beds, and these were located against the opposite wall.  The beds were generally comfortable and provided a nice sleep.  Overall, the room was spacious and the beds comfortable but there were two negatives to the room - one was a lack of outlets (it was definitely a struggle to find more than one outlet) and two was the sound-proofing.  Either the room had no soundproofing or our floor was very loud because we heard almost every noise throughout the night.  The lack of quiet led to a very uncomfortable night.

Amenities the hotel provides include restaurant dining, fitness, pool, business services, and free wifi.  Due to my limited time, I was only able to try the free in-room wifi.  The wifi was generally strong and provided enough data to check email, browse the internet, and stream youtube.  

Overall, it was an interesting stay at this Hilton.  The refurbishment of the hotel definitely makes the hotel look more appealing and since the hotel is located a bit further away from the Galleria, their prices are about $10-$15 cheaper than Galleria hotels.  This is coupled with the free parking at the hotel overall provides a less expensive stay; however, it the overall price was not that much cheaper.  If my intention was to go to the Galleria, then I would have spent the little extra funds to be closer.  If my goal was to stay within this area, then its a fine hotel.