April 26th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
The Holiday Inn Express Suites Houston-Westchase is usually booked solid, and why not — it’s cheaper than most of the national brands around here at $85 a night, and it’s only a mile from work.
The hotel itself looked like it could use some attention. Security cameras were bolted over misshapen drywall holes, and the hallway carpet was actually worn to holes in a couple of spots. My room was better maintained.
Platinum membership got me a large room with a hallway that traced the side of the floor’s elevator and the jacuzzi bathroom. Despite being next to the elevator, I never heard it, which was a plus. Over and under cabinets accompanied the under-the-counter refrigerator and space-saver microwave. Also in the hallway, the shirt/coat rack was too low for my pants. It would be appropriate for a handicap-accessible room, but nothing else about the room was handicap-accessible.
There was plenty of room for Tae Bo, but I chose to work out in the fitness room, which had a nautilus, treadmill, StairMaster, and recombinant bike. The equipment worked well, but the bike’s right pedal was noisy and loose. The room had a TV mounted high on the wall. The high-speed internet over cable was very fast, one data transfer peaked at about 186 KB/s, three times my DSL speed.
The king size bed slept well, and HIE provided their customary pillows labeled “firm” and “soft.” The couch was pretty new and was comfortable for watching 30 channels, including three SHO channels, Animal Planet, and Fox News.
Room service was outsourced to a local caterer, but between the refrigerator, microwave, and Dozo Seafood Sake Grill in front of the hotel, it wasn’t much of an issue. The mornings held the standard continental breakfast of the Express chain.
Heating and air conditioning were handled adequately by a window unit with its own controls. Strangely, the room also had a central-air-like thermostat, but there were no air ducts.
The bathroom’s jacuzzi worked fine, but it took a long time to fill. The shower head required one to stand in the jacuzzi, requiring a hot shower just to warm up the bathroom. The single sink had plenty of counter space. The shower worked well, but the temperature/on-off control could be spun completely around, making it hard to tell when it was really “off.”
I didn’t have much interaction with the staff. The front desk just had one person and the manager, who didn’t help when there was a 5-person line.
Getting in and out of the hotel was fun. Rogerdale Avenue in the back of the hotel was under construction, so that exit was completely cut off. The front of the hotel is hidden by Dozo and is on the southbound Beltway feeder. The entrance is right next to the Best Western entrance, and one person came into the Express looking for the other.
I will try and come back here again, but it will require some luck and some advance notice.
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