Holiday Inn Houston Downtown, an IHG Hotel

We picked this hotel as an inexpensive place to stay when coming to the College National Championships at NRG Stadium, as the Red Line leaves from right outside the hotel down to the stadium. We knew we were booking a cheap hotel, but this place failed to meet even the low expectations we had. In hindsight, we should have just paid more to stay somewhere nicer, but we were only in Houston for about 36 hours, most of it spent at the game. Some explanations for why we don't generally recommend this hotel: Although convenient for the red line, there's really not anything else around or within walking distance. The on-site restaurant has weird hours. The downstairs little snack purchase area was out of Diet Coke, so we purchased one from the vending machine on our floor. I kid you not, it had expired two and a half years earlier. We asked for a wine opener/wine key. The front desk person said at some point they had lent it out and never gotten it back. You know what the cost would be for a new one? Like 5 bucks. Buy a new one. I don’t know why it’s so hard for hotels to design bathrooms with counter space so you can put your toiletries bag somewhere. The sink just makes the entire area around the sink entirely saturated with water, so anything on the counter is going to get wet. There's also a little sign on the bathroom mirror that says "Forgot something? Ask us!" But when you do ask them, they act like you are insane. :) Sort of in general they were pretty unfriendly and off-putting, but not to the point of out-right rudeness. The chair in the room had obviously stains on it, so much so that I chose to lay a towel down on it before sitting on it to pump. A nice part of our stay was the mini fridge with a small freezer area, which was convenient for freezing breast milk. There was also a small microwave, which was nice for heating up water for tea. I guess in conclusion, if you are thinking to yourself that sure, you could afford something better, but that this might be "good enough" and seems fairly convenient, I would recommend heading elsewhere. If you do stay here, download a noise machine app on your phone - the sirens and traffic are quite loud, and the walls are thin. :)

I have nothing but good things to say. Danny really gets what hospitality is about. Before arrival he emailed me everything I needed to know, including tips how to save money on getting there. He didn't have to do that. I finally arrive, I felt welcomed as ihg platinum, and I got a nice upgrade. The room was spotless. The housekeeper is an all star. I had room 705 I think, near the elevator. The swan on the bed was a nice touch) I loved the bed and slept like I was dead! This place is great if you're going to United as they'll even drive you there for free! Thank you, Danny and team, for a wonderful stay! - Sonya