The Sam Houston Hotel

Worst bar service ever. I had to correct my order three times. The bartender was not attentive. Just ordering was an exaustive task.
The male «crowd» were talking in obscene terms about Hillary\ racial slurs about Obama.
Is this America? I think not!

Wow if I could give this place more than 5 stars, given the price, I would. For a relatively affordable
Hotel in Houston, this is a great choice. Was pleasantly surprised for a Hilton. Rooms and lobby much more
updated and modern than some of the galleria hotels, a couple blocks from Main Street with all the bars. Hilton gold members get free hot breakfast at their hotel restaurant. Much cooler than the other Hiltons in this city. Would definitely stay again, even just for a night out on the weekend of you don’t wanna drive home. We used über to get around and it was really easy. Stayed here to celebrate hubby’s bday.

It is a cute little hotel, friendly service, the rooms are a little small but the bathrooms are renovated and they are all granite, comfortable beds, great linens, friendly valet parking, a bar and a restaurant, nice lobby area. The location is excellent, theater district, walking distance to bars and restaurants, it’s quiet, so you can sleep. It’s not as expensive as other boutique hotels.

Seemed decent enough. Its a Hilton property but is technically a boutique hotel style. Room not huge but tall ceiling and everything newish and clean. Good bar with decent taps available. Breakfast buffet on the weekends is $ 21 so helps to be a diamond Hilton member and get that free. But was good food. Service in the entire hotel from the front desk to the valet guys to the breakfast staff were above and beyond polite, helpful and genuinely welcoming. So bravo Hilton, you have a well run team here. Parking is valet only and pricey but everything is downtown.

Nice boutique hotel in downtown Houston. Décor is nice, not too trendy. Had dinner at the bar one night but the menu is very limited and generic. Would have liked something with Texas style for dinner. Rooms are comfortable and adequately sized. I was on the 8^th floor. Few fixes needed: bathroom mirror had about a 10 inch crack that had been there a while, no shelf or counter for your bath items — I had to balance around the sink and back of toilet, then some odd loud sounds from the HVAC that woke me up multiple times — sounded like someone banging a metal door. Overall I enjoyed the small hotel feel and would stay again.

I love the décor in this modernized historic hotel. It is very much on trend, with white, beige and metallics the predominant colors and a blend of textures in the lobby, from plush MCM couches to mirrored, cubed coffee tables to blown glass vases.
The room makes good use of its space, the rooms are smallish but large enough to lay down a yoga mat and stretch out, if that’s your thing (as it is mine). Note: when the bellman warns to watch out for the clear glass desk’s sharp corners, take heed. The threat is real.
The staff here are attentive and very helpful.
Finally, the bathroom travel sundries are wonderful and high quality! Overall a great one-​night experience.

I’m giving the restaurant three stars only because the customer service was nice. I had a seafood avocado salad. The avocados came in slices on the side of the plate. I was surprised. Isn’t avocado supposed to be on the salad itself? The salad was bland. The ambiance is nice with very contemporary and comfortable chairs. Considering the prices of the menu items, the chef needs to bring the food up a few notches.

This is a review for the Sam Houston Hotel’s Veranda as a wedding reception venue:
We picked the Sam Houston hotel after seeing a few very distinct pictures of the Veranda in wedding magazines. It was even better in person. It is the perfect mix of blank canvas and unique features. I fell in love with the greenery wall with the clear beaded curtain immediately! The brick wall was also a perfect complement. Once we sat down to discuss the details, I liked how flexible they were in everything — the menu, décor, and timing. The fact that they only do one wedding per night sealed the deal for us. We booked it 14 months out! The original catering manager we met with ended up leaving a month after we signed the contract, but luckily, Christopher (the new manager) was so accommodating and personable that the transition didn’t affect anything for us. I also liked that there was no specific charge for the room, it was a food and beverage minimum. We knew we wanted to wine and dine our guests so that was perfect for us. Once we started picking food and liquor packages, we set up a time to try the food and pick our signature drink. The bar manager was super helpful and didn’t stop trying to make the precise drink we wanted until my fiancée said Perfect! We also wanted a signature entrée and Christopher and the entire culinary had several meetings just to execute it seamlessly for all of our guests and people are STILL talking about it! I cannot say enough about how much Christopher worked with us, tirelessly and constantly to make sure everything was how we wanted it. Anything we would suggest, he would assist us in figuring out the best way to do it. He was priceless in making the reception flawless, stress free and stunning. Another perk is the ease with which our guests were able to make reservations to stay at the hotel the night of. The venue is perfect for having a small wedding (150 guests) without feeling crowded or empty like most hotel «banquet» rooms tend to. I couldn’t have helped so many guests without Miriam! She would answer my emails not only same day, but usually same hour. Having so many closes family and friends being able to spend the night with us made the after party (in the SAM bar) a blast. The venue is so incredible, I wouldn’t have wanted my wedding anywhere else.

Friendly, comfy and the lobby smells amazing.
I didn’t eat in the hotel on this stay.
I stayed on the 4^th floor facing Prairie St. It was very noisy all night and kept me awake.

It was novel that it was a historic building, but apart from that it was nothing special especially for the price.
I’ve stayed a few different hotels in this area and they were better in just about every way.
The rooms here were pretty small. The architecture and décor was fine, but not what I was expecting. I don’t know that I would stay here again.

Just okay. For a nice hotel located in downtown Houston we expected more. Don’t get me wrong, the service was good it could have been better.
My husband and I stayed a night here for our friend’s wedding (congrats to the Tong’s!). The ceremony and reception were both lovely! Our stay wasn’t bad, we just had annoying things come up. For example, the room’s blow dryer and short circuited and stopped working before I had a chance to use it. I made a call down to the front desk, notified them about the issue and they were happy to send me a new one… well we never got a new one. Waited and waited, luckily it started working again so I got over it. Next issue, our TV remote was not working either, made another call about and also another no show. I don’t mind getting up and pressing the buttons, except they were tucked away in the wall so it was a bit difficult to reach to. My thing is, please don’t tell me one thing and then not do it. Another issue, the night before we came for rehearsal since my husband was part of the wedding, the hotel was having issues with the card keys registering the rooms for the bridal party. I’m aware it were issues that couldn’t be helped, I felt there were a lot of unnecessary «extras» for the bride to worry about.
Anyways, my small rant about it. Overall our room was nice and spacious (loved the King beds) with a nice view.

Poor service across the board.
When I checked in the valet parking attendant asked if he could help me with my rolling bag, I let him take the bag and I walked to the desk to check in. The valet walked halfway there, got distracted by a conversation, and then walked out leaving my bag sitting by itself near the bar.
I ordered carbonara pasta from room service with a side of fried brussels sprouts (the in-​room dining menu had «Fried Brussel [sic] Sprouts» listed under «Sides»). The pasta arrived with brussels sprouts mixed into it. The server didn’t understand the problem and when I said I had ordered a *side* of brussels sprouts, she said, «oh those little green balls?»
When I checked out I was told that the computer system was down and that I could leave my email address and receive a receipt. The receipt was either never mailed or mailed to the wrong email address. I had to call back to get the receipt mailed to the correct address and I was told there was no way to find out if the receipt had been mailed to the incorrect address on file.
The fitness center is the size of a jail cell. It has a couple treadmills and a rack of mismatched barbells ranging from 15 to 45 pounds, but with gaps in weight and half the pairs missing a member. Who steals a single bar bell? The water cooler in the fitness center was empty and (had it not been empty) the cup dispenser was also empty to ensure no one was getting any water.
At least one of the elevators smells like someone puked in it.
They play bad 90’s music during the continental breakfast and they play the same bad 90’s music at the restaurant during dinner.

We stayed here for 4 days and 3 nights. We were very happy. The front desk staff was more then helpful making dining recommendations and the bartenders at the restaurant were friendly. Our room and bathroom were clean and the set up was perfect. The bed was SUPER comfortable and we had no problems when my boyfriend accidentally cut his elbow and got some blood on the sheets during the night. It was an old fashioned outside and a modern inside and we would definitely stay here again. You can walk to a bunch of bars downtown and minute maid stadium is about 3 blocks away for the baseball fans coming into town for a game.

Very unique hotel, different stile of other hilton hotels but still part of the brand and same great customer service, beautiful place and great location, great people, great free continental breakfast, take a pick I love hiltons

I’m surprised the other reviews aren’t so positive. I loved this place! I travel a lot for work and have stayed at probably 10 other places in the area. This one was #2 behind the Four Seasons (hard to beat the four seasons in all fairness!)
First off, the décor inside is awesome. It’s funky, modern and elegant all at the same time. The check in desk was very nice and told me about local hot spots to visit. The room was CLEAN and well kept. Nothing broken or needing repair. There are nice touches that add an expensive feel to the place such as a heavy glass shower door, built in flat screen tv and firm bed. I slept better than I have in a long time. The room was nice and cold and didn’t have that musty or humid smell some hotels do. They have a fun bar downstairs that gets busy at night. The gym was not the best but they have one. Personally I think they should expand it if they can and add natural light. It was a little dungeony for my taste. The hotel offers a COMPLIMENTARY BREAKFAST, bottles of water and COMPLIMENTARY downtown shuttle that takes you to nearby places! The price is great too compared to other hotels and there are tons of cute bars/​restaurants within walking distance. Check out Prohibition, Grove, sambuca, blue fish and Moonshiners. Best of luck!

Stayed there for one night right after the switch over to the Hilton brand. Front desk staff and bar staff not very helpful or polite but the valet staff were awesome. Can’t say enough good things about them, really went the extra mile. So was the complimentary downtown driver.
The deluxe king room was exactly what was advertised and the bed couldn’t have been more comfortable. The décor in the hallways and rooms is much better than the décor in the lobby, love the cowtown feel. Very quiet rooms, the blinds keep the sun out if you want to sleep in.

Amazing time! I spend a lot of time following my favorite ball team as they make their way across the U.S. And I have nothing but great things
To say about the staff here. So accommodating and kind. I’ve already booked a return stay at this hotel the price is a steal and the staff is incredibly nice. They offered to wait for me while I spent about 30 min buying canned goods for donating to the flood victims in Houston. I’m from Miami but I wanted to help and the hotel made it so easy. The staff is incredible the price is right. Great time. Highly recommended.

This place is horrible. Don’t let the pictures fool you.
The staff is friendly and the location is great and you get Free wifi, but otherwise the accommodations felt gross; stained towels, stained sheets, grime all over the bathrooms and the elevators smelled absolutely putrid.
I didn’t see the stains until the next morning of course. I mentioned it to management and although they were nice I don’t think they spend much time doing quality control and it show in all aspects of this hotel.
Their complimentary breakfast was semi-​brownish bananas and stale bagels all jammed onto one tray on one table with coffee. No napkins, No knives for cream cheese! Seriously!!!
They also like to ‘mistakenly’ charge you for extras. They charged me for two days of valet parking when I really used one day. They charged me for room incidentals when I absolutely did not open any of their cheap cookie bags or water bottles.
I had to spend at least an hour on the phone with managers to get a refund. They never refunded me any of the funds. I had to dispute it with my credit card company.
I don’t recommend this hotel at all.

Stopped in for a nights stay with my mom. Very polite staff from the moment we arrived.
Facts:
— complimentary driver around downtown only. You just step outside they call him for you, take you where you want to go or recommend places for you to go if your new to the area.
— complimentary breakfast: bagel, yogurt, fruit and oatmeal. Nothing big it fancy but perfect for on the go.
— clean rooms and comfortable beds!
Very hip!!! If ever in the area again this will be where I lay my head down! Everything was just so easy!!!

Went here for valentine’s day weekend. It had the potential to be a great experience, but there were enough annoyances for me not to return. Our blinds didn’t work in our room. The television remote didn’t work so we weren’t able to watch it until it was almost time to leave. Our breakfast in bed was extremely expensive and the food was dry and the portions were tiny. With mimosas, two breakfast entrees ended up costing over $ 100 and it was not $ 100 quality food. I had to send back my eggs Benedict because it didn’t have hollandaise sauce on it. and when it came back, it had 3 drops that I could barely see… I thought they had forgotten it again until I looked very closely. My boyfriend’s omlet was tiny and flavorless. They ended up giving us a credit for one day of valet to make up for all the incidents… which was also super expensive.
I don’t mind paying for high quality products and services and we knew we were in for an expensive weekend, but we paid top dollar for an average experience and we do a lot of traveling. We’ve had a better experiences at Staybridge Suites or Hyatt Place. The staff remained friendly throughout all the mishaps though. That was the most positive thing about the experience.

Cute boutique hotel downtown Houston: upscale and affordable. I would give the room a four, and everything else a 2−3− quite a few quirks, glitches, but nice modern rooms and great potential!
After a really painful check in process in the sleek lobby area, I was relieved to find my tiny but impeccably designed room quite suitable to my taste and needs. Water! Snacks! Groovy Chaise lounge! Designer paint colors, fabulous furnishings and a modern bathroom slathered in granite… plus a comfy bed. Quite honestly, this is one of the nicer rooms I have been in in the last year.
I used the free shuttle service to get to the convention center– excellent! Upon my return, there was a note and some treats from the front desk apologizing for the weird check in. Nice!
So some of the glitches:
No toilet paper. At all. But there were tissues! (Woops!)
The $ 4 Voss water tasted like bad tap water… hmmmmm
Room Service: I could not find a menu in the room so ordered salmon and a glass of wine. It was $ 78!!! I sent the wine, a 3 ounce pour at $ 22/​glass, back!!! Ridiculous! So watch out there! Also: the $ 36 Salmon was a 5 oz fillet with a little rice. No veggies, bread, ice water, nada. Hmmmm .
Room service never picked up the tray. That nasty salmon greeted me 8 hours later, still on the floor at 7 am!
Breakfast in the associated restaurant was pathetic– a business party of 6. I am submitting that review separately.
So there is room for improvement for sure, but overall for one night, this was ok.

Holy Rear Window! This place is a voyeur’s dream come true. There are thin, light-​colored mesh blinds on the windows. In our room these were in the sleeping area, so apart from being a nuisance for sleeping-​in they really weren’t a problem. However, I could see out our window right into another guest’s bathroom. Luckily I only witnessed shirtless tooth brushing instead of a murder.
This hotel has potential but with some serious quirks. The lobby, bar and restaurant are all decorated very swanky with sexy long low back couches, hot lighting and enameled paint. Hallways are nice and large, and the rooms are spacious, clean and nicely appointed. Hotel staff was friendly and attentive. The complimentary shuttle was wonderful and our driver couldn’t have been nicer. Also, a free continental breakfast is provided daily in the lobby.
Drawbacks, apart from the transparent blinds, beds and pillows are not comfortable (woke up every day with a sore back). Only one small wastebasket in the room. One more is definitely needed in the bathroom, and the glass shower door-​although sleek and modern– dripped water on the floor making a mess in the bathroom.
This hotel is fine for a night or two get away. It’s reasonably priced and met our needs. With the proper small fixes this place could be a real find. [Insert Hitchcockian side profile]

I had a wonderful experience having my wedding ceremony and reception at The Sam Houston Hotel. The Veranda Room is gorgeous, and the hotel made several notable updates to the space between the time I signed my contract and the day of the wedding — new ivy on the wall, chandeliers and additional greenery lining the open window.
It was the perfect backdrop for a morning wedding with so much natural light coming into The Veranda Room. Our guests were so impressed by the hotel, and the staff was so helpful. Love this place.

I’ll give the Sam Houston Hotel 4 stars. We stayed here for two nights as part of our honeymoon. 9^th floor with great view of Minute Maid Park — it was awesome! We booked via Hotwire.
When we arrived the first night, we were unprepared when it came to parking so we succumbed to $ 28/​night for valet. The valet was prompt and offered to help with our bags. The man working the front desk was very nice and courteous. We ordered room service and it was faster than they said and the lady who delivered our food was very friendly and wished us well. The bed was huge and so comfy! There was a Keurig in the room so it was great to wake up and just pop one in and have a cup of coffee without even leaving the room. The air conditioning was superb and would leave the room chilly in less than ten minutes. Also, free WiFi — I know some hotels will charge an extra fee.
The second night was less than stellar. We arrived around 10PM after jaunting around Houston for the day. We pulled up outside the hotel waiting for the valet and no one was there. We continued to wait for several minutes and no one appeared to be rushing to park our car. i had to go inside and inquire at the front desk. Lady at the front desk said the valet was «off site» and to just leave the keys and it would be parked. Great, right? Then the next morning the valet was missing again and we had to go get the car ourselves. Still mad that we had to pay $ 28 for nothing that second night.
So the only problem we really incurred was the valet issue, so I’m sticking with my 4 stars because I can find no reason for 3. It’s a great hotel with friendly staff, comfy rooms, and modern décor. If you don’t need to park your car this is a great place to stay in downtown Houston!

They’ve gone from «The Sam Houston Hotel» to «Alden Hotel» and now back to «Sam Houston Hotel.» Despite the confusion, it’s not bad for a $ 150/​night stay. It’s in the heart of downtown, they’ve got a revamped bar (Sam Bar) downstairs, trendy lobby, onsite restaurant (17*) and pretty popular terrace perfect for quaint weddings and banquets.
My room had a nice view of Downtown; I was on the 9^th floor and could see Chase Tower and a happenin’ Main Street. You’ll find that the bathroom and room is larger than most boutique hotel rooms.
The major downside is the service. There aren’t ice machines on any of the floors, so you have to request it. I was in the bridal sweet and we requested three buckets of ice. More than an hour later, someone showed up with ONE bucket of ice. Fail. This seemed to be a reoccurring theme other bridesmaids experienced.
As for the wedding in the terrace, by 9pm the room was uncomfortably hot. The vents over the dance floor where kickin’, but everyone at the tables was miserable. Being the maid of honor, I took it upon myself to request multiple times to turn down the thermostat and make sure all the vents were on. It’s as if they wanted to cut the cost of the AC halfway through the event. Awful! And the $ 28/​day parking, I didn’t mind paying. I did, however, didn’t like being charged $ 16 extra. (I paid the difference for a friend who left her car there overnight — she already paid the $ 12 daily rate — and there was a $ 16 difference for the nightly rate. They charged me the full $ 28.) Also, my room (914) was missing the blackout blinds for one window, so it was a bright and sunny morning at 7am — not fun for a gal who stayed up til 4am the night before.
I’d recommend SHH for a business night stay, but honestly, I prefer the Magnolia down the street. They have a rooftop pool and better, organized customer service.