Hotels in Houston can be a difficult nut to crack, it’s all about location and convenience. The Aloft Houston by the Galleria is well positioned, offers premiums that other full-service hotels do not, and a reasonable price point for the quality of the room.
Location
The property is located opposite the Houston Galleria mall, convenient for many businesses, Williams tower, and excellent shopping and restaurants. The Capital Grille is across the street, Nobu is soon opening nearby and Ruth’s Chris is connected to the building.
Parking is available on the first three floors of the building and accessible by direct elevator to guest floors and the lobby. This is a thoughtful approach to the area which is generally short of parking options.
5415 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77056
+1 (713) 622-7010
Room
While yes, the property is an Aloft, the room was still a little tight. Walking into the room, the vanity, closet and bathroom were to the left, straight ahead was the desk. The desk was tight even when the clutter was cleared off. The test is usually whether or not I can fit my personal and my work laptop both on the desk, this one was too tight to make it work because of the lamp, connection device to the left and phone.
A note on the connection device. Though I am fairly tech savvy, these things never quite work for me. The device held every possible connection (USB, HDMI, S-Video, VGA, and on and on) and yet it wasn’t really useful. I am sure the hotel spends a fair bit of money on these things but I would settle for something simple that allowed me to airplay my own Netflix running on my phone or laptop to the TV.
The bed was really comfortable, but in the theme of simplicity, the plug multiplier was the show stealer. Next to the bed, the surge protector multiplied two plugs to six and added two USB ports plus the protection for my devices. If every hotel had this, I could leave mine at home and I would be happy to do so.
Bathroom
The vanity is opposite the closet and provides sufficient space. The closet is open and works for a short stay, but it does make the snack space a little awkward given that it’s opposite the toilet. I have never understood the motivation for putting a coffee maker near the toilet or in the bathroom.
The shower is not over tub, which I really appreciate. The dispensers mounted in the shower reduces waste and while I am not a huge environmentalist, it always seemed like such a waste to put shampoo and conditioner in tiny plastic containers, half-used and then donated or thrown away. This seems like a good solution and while it’s not new, I am glad they have stuck with it acorss the years and the brand.
Room Service
I am certain that elsewhere in the world there is a Ruth’s Chris connected to a hotel property that offers room service to your doorstep. I doubt, however, that there is another “select service” property (Aloft, Hyatt Place, etc.). Sncaks and small food items are available from the in-house menu, but having Ruth’s Chris as room service is an excellent option. While I prefer Del Frisco’s (walking distance from the property located in the Galleria), this is far superior to traditional options.
What do you think? Have you seen a select service hotel with room service options like this? Have you gotten those TV connection options to work?
** The property is located opposite the Houston Galleria mall, convenient for many businesses, Williams tower, **
No, it’s not “opposite” the Galleria mall, or it would be on Sage, not Yorktown, as google maps clearly shows.
This article has many comma splices and even typos and should really have been edited as a courtesy to readers. It’s not too late!
What do you think of steak at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse or Mexican at Xochi or Hugo’s?
My colleague loves the steak at Pappa’s but I haven’t been yet (I’ll be back in a couple of weeks and will add it to the list). I did have the six-finger pork chop at Perry’s this week and that was unreal.
I have a Mexican-American colleague who swears by the Xochi and Hugo’s. We only recently had the discussion so I haven’t had the pleasure yet. But the sausage and jalapeño kolache at Shipley’s is the stuff dreams are made of.