The Fairmont on San Felipe

I have no idea what the other fool is talking about when it comes to the Fairmont staff here. First of all – WORLDS better attitude here than at the Museum District. I looked for apartments at both because the complexes are gorgeous but nobody beats Sophia’s peppy get-​it-​done attitude. That chick will move heaven and earth to make your life easier. I’ve never seen her take a personal phone call although I can’t imagine why since her job looks horrifically boring and anything that deals with jerks like most of the yuppies who live there would make me want to set the place on fire. No so with Sophia. Always pleasant, always has time for you, always always always has a smile on her face. I don’t even know who Pam is. If she was the lady who sat on her computer like a 15-​year-​old boy who can’t get enough of first-​person RPGs, then I am not even really sure what she did in the first place. Rhett is similarly sweet. Always remembers my name even though she is constantly busy and I mean *constantly* She always has someone or other in her office, knocking on her office door, calling her incessantly. Sophia, too, although if a crowd is gathering it’s usually right after work or at lunch when everybody needs to pick up packages. The staff here is fantastic. I don’t know who sits in the office opposite Rhett’s but usually there’s nobody, so I’m not sure why Sophia has to sit where she sits? Seems like it would be easier for her to have an office to herself since she is the one dealing with the cranky people like Versailles all day. I don’t pretend to understand the inner-​workings of apartment management, but I am better than satisfied with the Fairmont staff. They are great, the whole place is great, get over there and get an apartment.

**** Great apartments not so great staff ****
I recently moved here and I must say the amenities are great, on the other hand Rhett the property manager is not. As another resident I met recently said «Rhett is certainly not user friendly» I couldn’t agree with her more. I was in the main office recently when a prospective residents came in and she had to show them around, she smiled at me and put on a show of friendly. Normally she’s quite rude to me. I’ve even seen Sophia ignore tenants while she continues personal phone calls about her social plans for the weekend. This place is convenient and really lovely but they need someone without the arrogance of Rhett and who’s more «user friendly». How they came to choose this woman as a representative of the company is beyond me. I haven’t interacted with many residents in the building but the ones I have, love Pam’s friendly and helpful nature and the maintenance crews fast turnaround time but feel the total opposite about the rest. I’ve given this place 3 stars for the overall look, the maintenance crew who’s fantastic and Pam who gets things done. Downside, they allow smoking around the pool and bbq area, there are 0 No Smoking signs so people do it openly.

We have lived here for about 4 months and I haven’t heard an alarm go off once (like I have read in previous reviews). The ladies in the office are almost always very pleasant. The amenities are awesome.

So this is my updated review for this apartment complex. It’s going on one year now and we have renewed our lease to stay!
I have to say this apartment was good to start with but it’s great now! There is a security guard onsite, prompt & kind maintenance staff & helpful office staff. For added security, they even added a bar to the gate for only one car to pass through the gate one at a time. Some idiots break the gate bars but the apartment is very consistent about replacing it, which was a big plus!
Office staff always keeps the resident informed and up to date on notices via e-​mail, the alarm testing has subsided :)
I love all the amenities they have here and my husband and i will probably stay here as long as we can.

The staff is AMAZING at this property! Always super sweet and eager to help. I love their finishes inside of the apartments. Every time I see the pool, I want to dive in. Great location! I would say one of the best options in the area in it’s price range.

My wife and I lived at the Fairmont San Felipe for over 4 years. During that period, we lived in the smallest one bedroom to a really nice /​spacious 2 bedroom. The only reason we are turning in our keys is b/​c we moved to a house. I know most folks don’t like to read really long reviews, so if you want any information on the apartment, just message me. I will say that the one star reviews on the basis of fire alarm testing are completely asinine. Bottom line — the complex is outstanding, the management is outstanding, and it’s ~$ 300 – 500 cheaper than comparable apartments inside the loop.

I really enjoy living at this apartment complex! The maintenance staff is very friendly and efficient and gets service requests done on the same day. They even painted my kitchen for free!
This complex also has events for the residents at least once a month as well as a variety of gym classes during the week. They will even delivery my dry cleaning to my unit and my packages to my unit. And they send out email notifications when my packages arrive in the office.
And just as a side note, another user commented about there being too many fire alarm testings – which in my opinion, that is false. They’ve only tested the alarms three times in the past year, once to find out which sensors needed replacing, a second to replace those sensors, and a third time to test those sensors to make sure they work. Which quite frankly, I am happy about. I was here all the days that the fire alarm guys were here and the noise was irritating, like any human would find, but I was still able to get my work done in my apartment. Even as a courtesy the apartment management even sent out doggie day care suggestions and complimentary ear plugs and notices via email and on the doors of each unit the week before to let us all know about the testings. I find that to be a service above and beyond and wouldn’t think of throwing such a kind gift away out of spite. And didn’t an apartment complex in Houston just burn down – lucky that won’t be ours now. :)
But if you really what to know more about this apartment though, just call the Leasing Office or visit them like I do – their staff is very friendly and always cares to make sure my living experience there is above my expectation. :)

I’ve lived at the Fairmont San Felipe since 2011 and absolutely love it. The leasing staff is beyond wonderful. The apartments are beautiful and spacious and the common areas are always clean. Anytime I’ve had a maintenance issue they respond immediately and take care of it. The concierge always sends you an email notification when you have had a package delivered so you know it’s available for pickup. I have no intention of moving and as a matter of fact I just renewed my lease. I love my apartment, the staff and the location.

WARNING! DO NOT LIVE HERE! FREAKING SOUND ALARM SYSTEM CHECK IS EXCESSIVE AND SUPER ANNOYING! I’m so glad I’m not the only one that finds this very intrusive. I have to plan to be out from 9am to 6pm; hence, make the mistake again of staying home to work in my computer ~ not only could I not work, my eardrums busted and my poor puppy became anxious and nervous for a good 1 – 2 days! I don’t care for the one pair of orange earplugs they distributed for each apartment (I actually threw them away out of anger and frustration) and the discounted dog-​sitting referrals. What? I have to shell out extra money to take my dog out of the apartment complex so they can do their own thing? I so totally agree with JULES K! Twice-​thrice a month, they sound the blasting alarm system off in the whole building even if only they’re just checking and repairing 65 units at a time. So, let me calculate: with 300+ units, it’ll take 7+ sound alarm days meaning I have to find somewhere else outside to do my work via tablet either at nearby Starbucks, library or some café with wi-​fi. No compensation from management for lost time and wages? Hhmm… folks, be smarter not to choose this apartment complex. I do not fault the government inspectors in any way ~ they’re just doing their job in the name of public safety. It’s another thing though when management cuts back by installing sub-​standard fire alarms and showers during building construction. You can never cut back especially when it comes to SAFETY! Who’s suffering now? Not just the management’s headache of replacing and repairing the alarm system, but the current tenants, as well! One thing for sure ~ I’m definitely not renewing my lease with this company!

I have been at the Fairmont on San Felipe for about a year now, and I have to admit I’m having second thoughts about renewing my lease here. I was thrilled to see such positive reviews when I moved here, but the apartment has not quite lived up to expectations.
PROS
1. Interior and amenities — the apartments are gorgeous, relatively new and well kept. Hallways are indoors so you feel safe walking to your car. Plenty of parking for you and guests. The pools are gorgeous and the work out facilities are decent. Even the smallest 1×1 units have high ceilings and big bathrooms, with large closet space as well. Trash chutes are on every floor, so you don’t have to go outside to take out the trash.
2. Noise — the complex is very quiet. I rarely hear my neighbors and only occasionally hear the people above me. My unit faces the smaller pool and I rarely hear noise from it.
3. Location — there are so many grocery stores, banks, pharmacies and restaurants within a few blocks of this apartment complex and it is so convenient. Though the complex is not directly off of any freeway, you are essentially equidistant from 59, I-​10, 610 and the Beltway. There is also a 24 Hour Fitness right next door, and a wine bar in the shopping center downstairs. The rent is much more reasonable than the neighboring apartment complexes.
4. Staff — the ladies who work at the main office here are so friendly and welcoming. The complex is owned by a smaller leasing company, and they never try to weasel extra money from you like some of the larger companies do. They recognize you when you walk in and are very receptive to your concerns.
CONS
1. No online billing system — I always forget to pay my rent simply because there is no way to pay your rent online. You have to physically deliver a check to the leasing office. Frankly, it’s not a deal killer but I find it odd that an apartment complex would have no option for this when all other complexes do.
2. Maintenance staff — I have had very negative experiences with their maintenance staff. They are very rude and disrespectful of your privacy and personal space. I have had problems with the maintenance staff tracking dirt and footprints into my apartment, losing tickets after calling in to double check a few hours beforehand, and rude comments about the inconvenience of making them come out to fix something. I would have let these things slide because they are minor; however, one day I was home sick and they came unannounced to do fire alarm checks (see note below). When they came, I was not dressed so I requested they come back in 5 minutes. They refused to do so, so I asked them to give me one minute to get dressed. After they agreed I closed the door, walked away and they immediately started unlocking my door again. This particular instance was what really ruined it for me, because they violated my privacy and ignored the fact that I denied access to my apartment. I would have understood if I had received a notice of these repairs, but I did not receive any notification. After multiple instances of no notification, the apartment staff does now send out notifications for repairs but only 24 hours beforehand, which is very inconvenient — especially if you work from home, which I do occasionally.
3. ***Fire alarms*** — I hear these freaking fire alarms so much that I may very well move out because of them. This is such a bizarre problem to encounter at an apartment complex that I’m really quite shocked by how awful it is. As I mentioned, I work from home often and will be here during business hours. The fire alarms used to go off unannounced about once or twice a month. I’ve had fire alarms interrupt conference calls, training sessions and conversations with my boss. After calling in to complain a few times, they started putting out notices to let us know when they are testing them; however, they seem to need to test these alarms once every other month or so, and only provide 24 hours’ notice. They have the alarms go off from 9 – 5 and give no indication as to when your particular floor is going to be tested. I was wiling to let it slide once they started providing notice, but last week the fire alarms went off at 4 AM. The entire building went off and we all left our apartments, only to find that it was a false alarm. The complex did not provide any follow up for the reason for this fire alarm, and when I called in to ask they said that it was set off due to the thunder storm — not a real fire.
Overall, I love my apartment here and I am really upset that there are problems that make me want to leave. I am fed up with having to flee my apartment every time the fire alarms go off. If they could get their act together with these few things, this would easily be one of the best apartment complexes in Houston.

This post only pertains to the Leasing Agents at the Fairmont. Amenities are quite nice.
I recently toured the Fairmont on San Felipe. One word review of the leasing agent: Snobby. Another word would be: Haughty.
Being a new hire at a law firm in Houston, I’m in need of a great apartment close to my Galleria area office. I visited the Fairmont Thursday 4÷21÷2011 in the afternoon. The leasing agent took one look at my shorts, longhorn shirt, and vibram five fingers and said, «You know the rent is $ 1060 a month, yes? Shall we continue?»
She then proceeded to speed walk me through the complex to the show apartment and started talking me through the amenities at 100 mph. After a little bit of this pace, I slacked up my gait. Soon she was ten feet in front of me still talking 100 mph, now to no one in particular. It was completely ridiculous. She never waited for a response or even checked to see where I was in relation to her.
After seeing the apartment, she dismissed me with some information.
Needless to say, I will NOT be renting from the Fairmont. Awful experience. Terrible leasing agents.

I love my apartment here at the Fairmont at San Felipe. For me, it’s about location, location, location. I am near my office and I don’t have to go far from home to go to the grocery store, drug store, gym or a number of restaurants.
The apartments are beautiful and the management team keeps it nice. When I have called maintenance, they have come the same day and sorted out the issue. The parking garage is even kept clean.
The property has a great workout facility, two nice pools and I am looking forward to the cold weather again so I can sit outside by the fireplace and read with a glass of wine :)
As the other reviewer mentioned, there are some crazy drivers in the garage, but then again, this is Houston — I don’t know a place in Houston that doesn’t have crazy drivers.
I plan to renew my lease and stay here. I like the indoor hallways, especially when it is pouring outside.