Holiday Inn Express & Suites Houston Energy Corridor-W Oaks

Houston, TX: Strip malls galore on this highway
Staff we interacted with during our stay were adequate overall, but the night time front desk agent, Vanessa, was the most gracious, and warm. A star for her customer oriented standards.
South of I-​10, this highway has other names and this property was tucked in amidst a series of strip malls. That made it easy to walk to options for dinner.
The front door lights, signage, and parking lot lights, were all dark when we returned one night after going out to dinner on foot, returning after sunset. Was told that they were set on a timer. I felt management lacked concern for guest safety. Loss of a star.
Loss of an additional star for lack of responses from repeated phone calls and emails to the property management to address a charge after being asssured by front desk staff that an additional day would not appear on our bill. We checked out a day early and had given adequate notice, before 9PM the night before, of our early departure.
Given the mediocre location and lack of concern from management, I have no interest in any future stays here. I would drive a little further out of my way to stay at a property where management is proactive and sees that guest needs and details are attended to.

I’m not a Holiday Inn type of person but last minute travel gave me few options. This location did exceed my expectations for an IHG property. Special shout out to Natalie at the front desk, she was super nice and welcoming. One criticism is that the side door did not unlock with either of my room keys and I was a little frustrated when I returned to the hotel with arm fulls of stuff and parked near that door to be closer to my room.
One warning — this isn’t in the nicest part of town. However, nicer parts of town are just a few short minutes away so if you don’t mind the drive, you can save a few bucks by staying here rather than in a more desirable location.

So far our stay has exceeded our expectations. The rooms are nicely appointed with comfortable beds. I love having both a soft and a firm pillow option on the bed. The facilities are nicely maintained even the exercise room. This is a modestly priced hotel and feels like we’re getting more for our money. Special call out to the staff for being friendly and courteous.

I work for a big corporation that has a lot to say regarding where we stay and how we should keep safe during a business trip. I appreciate it, although the pickings have perhaps become a little more utilitarian over the years.
This Holiday Inn is conveniently located near to a major company facility along Highway 6. I first came out this way back around 1980 and there was nothing out here. Now it’s just another section of endless Houston sprawl and pushing towards a 3^rd outer Beltway (Highway 99). As such, it may be a short drive to work, but damn!, where did all these cars come from?
This Holiday in offers clean, comfortable, and safe rooms (with Direct TV). There’s a generous free hot breakfast offered in the morning and a nice off-​Lobby area to enjoy it. The Corporate rate was very reasonable and I appreciated the use of their business center which allowed me to print out my boarding pass on the last day. It’s also short walk over to Logan’s Roadhouse, Joe’s Crab Shack or Chili’s, but take my advice and try the small Cuban place at the strip mall next door.
For continual improvement purposes, I might offer some sort of happy hour in the evening to take further advantage of the nice off-​Lobby space. The Exercise room is also a little small and with limited equipment options. I could have supplemented my exercise needs with a walk, but I was afraid of being run over Texas style.