Hilton HHonors - Hilton Americas- Houston

... the Houston Chronicle took a sneak peak

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/2258092

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On the road, In the air,
I enjoy travel, From here to there.

From February 2 through April 30, 2004, stay at the Hilton Americas Houston and earn double Hilton HHonors® Base points and double miles with Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, America West Airlines®, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Midwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines*, United® or US Airways

Request Plan Code H2 for the Hilton Americas Houston offer.

I will be visiting Houston in a few weeks to catch a weekend baseball game, so staying downtown is a priority for me.

I am currently sitting on 2 reservations. One at the Hilton Americas and the other at the Houston Four Seasons.

The Four Seasons is a Amex Platinum Hotel so that brings with it some bennies (late checkout, room upgrade, free lunch). But other FTers on the Luxury Hotel board have said the FS is getting tattered and run down, and question why it still carries the FS label.

The Hilton is a newer property, and seems to receive good reviews from FTers on the HH board.

The rooms are priced about the same. so that is not a factor.

If you had the option, where would you stay? I should note that one more qualifying stay is not going to impact my HH Elite Status one way or the other.

Does anyone know which floor of the Houston Hilton Americas has the executive rooms & lounge?

Thanks!
jodawg

I am going to be in Houston for two days to catch a Rockets' game ... Rates are about $130-150. I just signed up for HHonors and need about 70000 points for my stay which I dont have in any other frequent flier program. Does anyone know of any offers or promos to get this price adjusted or at least get some decent rewards/points/miles. Thanks

I am going to be in Houston for two days to catch a Rockets' game ... Rates are about $130-150. I just signed up for HHonors and need about 70000 points for my stay which I dont have in any other frequent flier program. Does anyone know of any offers or promos to get this price adjusted or at least get some decent rewards/points/miles. Thanks

I'm confused. Your title is misleading. You're not asking or giving any information about this property. You're looking for points information, but YMMV.. I am unaware of any rewards/points/miles information and check that properties "specials" page, but I suggest doing a search, if you haven't already done so.

Any recent stays here? I've visited the hotel itself, and have seen the lobby and top-floor bar (excellent view). However, I've never seen any of the rooms. I'll be staying in late March, and was hoping someone here may have had experience with Gold Upgrades, or perhaps could describe the rooms (standard or executive).

I have stayed there several times over the past few years attending Astros games. I have never received an upgrade to a suite, but the front desk has always welcomed me as a return guest and actually put me in the same room two years in a row. The room was above average with a great view of the downtown area. The executive lounge was one of the better ones as well. The room I stayed in was King with desk, mini bar, big bathroom and sitting area. Hope this helps.

You should get an executive upgrade if there isn't a convention in town....at least lounge access. I've basically had the same type of room on every visit whether I am on executive lvl or not. Spencer's has great food, exec lounge is huge, and fitness room is outstanding as well.

Thank you both very much for the update. Am looking forward to my stay here. The lobby and common areas alone blow any SPG property in Houston out of the water.

Stayed here after the IAH Beer & Ballpark DO back on 3/31, and the stay was quite pleasant. Received an upgrade to the Exec Floor, with a nice view of the ballpark in the background. The room was nice enough, though I don't have much Hilton experience to compare it to. The room reminded me of a nice Sheraton or middle-of-the-road Westin, with a very comfy bed, standard TV, chair and work-desk, and good-sized bathroom with tub-shower combo. Continental breakfast in the exec lounge was ample.

All-in-all, if I need to stay in Downtown Houston again, I'll be staying at the Hilton Americas. As for Houston Hotels in general (based on price and upgrades), my hotel of choice is still the newly renovated Sheraton Houston Brookhollow (Upgrades to nicely renovated junior suites with 40+ inch LCD TVs, nice staff, good dining, $60/night point-earning weekend rates available via SPG.com).

My first Hilton foray was positive, though...and I'll definitely be back for more.

Thank you both very much for the update. Am looking forward to my stay here. The lobby and common areas alone blow any SPG property in Houston out of the water.

I'm forced to go to Houston in August for a convention; Houston is NOT my favorite city. I have a room booked at the Hilton Americas and was considering switching to the Westin or Hyatt, but after this comment I think (and hope) that I may be pleasantly surprised.

I'm forced to go to Houston in August for a convention; Houston is NOT my favorite city. I have a room booked at the Hilton Americas and was considering switching to the Westin or Hyatt, but after this comment I think (and hope) that I may be pleasantly surprised.

I work across the street from the Hyatt Regency, and have passed through the hotel many times (though have not stayed there). Based on the common areas, I definitely would not stay there, as it's definitely looking a bit 80s these days.

The Galleria Westins are two SPG properties in Houston that I've not stayed in, based on generally poor reviews here on FT and on TripAdvisor. They've not been renovated in quite some time, are always full, and Plat treatment is lackluster to nonexistent.

If you're not dead-set on earning points, you might consider (for Downtown Hotels) Hotel Icon or the Magnolia Hotel. Both tend to generate excellent reviews, and the Magnolia is perhaps as close to a W Hotel as anything Houston has (except perhaps Hotel Derek at the Galleria).

This property is now a "Hiton," as it appears to have lost its "l" after Hurricane Ike :eek:

Does this hotel have Zip-In Check-In Kiosks?

Bump - any updates on stays, upgrades (status and facilities/furhishings, etc.?

Bump - any updates on stays, upgrades (status and facilities/furhishings, etc.?

The hotel still looks great, inside and out. Rooms have been kept up quite well. It's still my favorite hotel in Downtown Houston, although the DoubleTree is a close runner up since it was renovated. The Hilton Americas has just passed five years in operation, and is still an excellent property. It still blows away any of the full service Starwood properties in the city (although there is a new Westin under construction on the west side of the city) and I still prefer it to any of the full service Marriotts.

ssulivan, thanks for the up-date.

Checked in last night and as a Diamond got assigned a room on the 16th floor which is an HHonors floor. Room had HD flat screen TV, cordless phone, chair with ottoman, comfy bed with 5 feather pillows. Bathroom was large and had plenty of counter space.

Exec lounge is on the 19th floor and is closest to the WEST elevator bank. Exec lounge only had a cheese and cracker tray out in the evening. There was a bartender mixing cocktails for a price in the evening. The breakfast options were slightly better with bagels, toast, english muffins, cereal, milk and melon. I found the exec lounge to be nice, but I wouldn't pay for it based on the pretty limited offerings.

The gym is on the 23rd floor and can only be accessed from the WEST elevator bank. The east elevator bank only goes up to the 19th floor. All the cardio equipment is lined up against the windows. I enjoyed watching the sunrise this morning while working out.

Self parking is across the street in a separate lot. It is $16 a day while valet is $23. There is a flat rate $6 taxi service in Houston for downtown locations, so if you are only doing things in downtown you could probably skip the car.

Checked in today as a Diamond. Only king available was on a lower floor, no upgrade. I called to inquire switching rooms tomorrow as I am here for a week and they stated much more will be available as they have a large contingent checking out tomorrow. I will post more later in the week or after my stay.


Checked in last night and as a Diamond got assigned a room on the 16th floor which is an HHonors floor. Room had HD flat screen TV, cordless phone, chair with ottoman, comfy bed with 5 feather pillows. Bathroom was large and had plenty of counter space.

Exec lounge is on the 19th floor and is closest to the WEST elevator bank. Exec lounge only had a cheese and cracker tray out in the evening. There was a bartender mixing cocktails for a price in the evening. The breakfast options were slightly better with bagels, toast, english muffins, cereal, milk and melon. I found the exec lounge to be nice, but I wouldn't pay for it based on the pretty limited offerings.

The gym is on the 23rd floor and can only be accessed from the WEST elevator bank. The east elevator bank only goes up to the 19th floor. All the cardio equipment is lined up against the windows. I enjoyed watching the sunrise this morning while working out.

Self parking is across the street in a separate lot. It is $16 a day while valet is $23. There is a flat rate $6 taxi service in Houston for downtown locations, so if you are only doing things in downtown you could probably skip the car.

Checked in today as a Diamond. Only king available was on a lower floor, no upgrade. I called to inquire switching rooms tomorrow as I am here for a week and they stated much more will be available as they have a large contingent checking out tomorrow. I will post more later in the week or after my stay.Personally I wouldn't bother changinig just for a higher floor. All the rooms appear to be very standard with very few suites. If you can switch to a suite then maybe I would change. I don't know about you, but I don't spend much time gazing out windows while on a business trip. Heck I am lucky to get back to the hotel while the sun is still out.

True....thanks for the input. I'll see if an upgrade is in order, if not, staying put is probably the right thing. I'll post anything not found in this thread if I come across it.

Thanks


Personally I wouldn't bother changinig just for a higher floor. All the rooms appear to be very standard with very few suites. If you can switch to a suite then maybe I would change. I don't know about you, but I don't spend much time gazing out windows while on a business trip. Heck I am lucky to get back to the hotel while the sun is still out.

The hotel still looks great, inside and out. Rooms have been kept up quite well. It's still my favorite hotel in Downtown Houston, although the DoubleTree is a close runner up since it was renovated. The Hilton Americas has just passed five years in operation, and is still an excellent property. It still blows away any of the full service Starwood properties in the city (although there is a new Westin under construction on the west side of the city) and I still prefer it to any of the full service Marriotts.

Have you stayed at the Starwood property St. Regis? If so, you can't possibly mean the Hilton Americas blows it away. NO WAY!!! Stayed at both and most other hotels in Houston. I will say though, that Americas is second to St. Regis.

It's still my favorite hotel in Downtown Houston, although the DoubleTree is a close runner up since it was renovated.

Have you stayed at the Starwood property St. Regis? If so, you can't possibly mean the Hilton Americas blows it away. NO WAY!!! Stayed at both and most other hotels in Houston. I will say though, that Americas is second to St. Regis.Reading is fundamental. While the St. Regis is a lovely hotel, it is a far cry from downtown.