tvetter01

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!
Good one.

Seriously, though, the only Marriotts downtown are a Courtyard and a Residence Inn. They're a couple of blocks from Louisiana, though you didn't say where on Louisana you needed to be.

I make jokes about public transit, but I suppose you could stay at the Marriott at the Medical Center and take the light rail downtown. The light rail will run from the Medical Center up Main, which parallels Louisiana three blocks over. It might take more like 30 minutes, though. Just don't be surprised when the train hits a car one morning.

btravel112

offhand there is a Courtyard and a Residence inn right on main street and I believe Dallas (next to Houston Pavillion)

The property itself is a bit dated so unless you are looking for location convenience I would recommend Full service marriott at the Texas Medical Center.

There is also an execu-stay Marriott somewhere near Louisiana.

whatNJ

@tvetter01 - I am assuming the public transit in Houston will not be a preferable mode of commute. I am from NJ/NY and today is my day in Houston and staying in Courtyard for 2 more nights! . I need to come here at least a couple times a month till end of the year, so guess I'll learn soon. Maybe I should get a rental car?

@btravel112 Thanks for the info.

Also why is that both Mariott and Starwood have very few good hotels in downtown? Or is downtown a bad place to stay in general?

Thanks,
dj

tvetter01

Houston is pretty tough to get around without a car. But, on the bright side, compared to what you're used to in NY, parking is plentiful and reasonable. It can be $30/day downtown in some places, but otherwise, it's downright cheap compared to NY.

-It's a remarkably sprawling city (20, or so, times the size of Manhattan), so a viable public transportation system is quite a challenge (that statement is not intended to make excuses for the local government's awful decisions on the matter).
-There are no cabs. It's actually against the law to hail one; they're supposed to either be dispatched or pick you up at a cab stand (of which there are few).
-The light rail services a very limited area.
-Nobody takes the bus; I'm not even sure how good its coverage is (though I think it's decent, considering how little it gets used).

Several reasons:

-Houston is a large business city, but there's virtually no tourism, so there just isn't the demand for hotels that there is in NY, LA, or Chicago. Hence, there just aren't that many great hotels anywhere in town. There are a few good ones, but it's a surprisingly small number, considering the number of people that live in Houston.
-Downtown's fine, but Houston is so big and sprawling that there is a tremendous amount of business conducted in other areas. It's getting better, but downtown used to be offices only, open 7-7, with nothing else going on. It just wasn't/isn't a real desireable place to be - nothing wrong with it, just not a lot going on.
-The nicer hotels (Marriott & Starwood, anyway) are in the Galleria area, where there is a lot more retail, dining, and still a significant amount of office space/business. If you stay there, you'll certainly need a car to get downtown.

MSPDeltaDude

Stay at the Courtyard last fall. Pretty dated and staff wasn't the greatest. However, it was connected to the Res Inn and I happen to just use there doors as it was more convienent from where my room was located. It was much more updated and the staff was much more friendly so if I was going back I would stay at the RI. Like prior post DT Houston is a ghost town at night. At least in that area unless there is basketball or baseball game going on.

newbiztraveler

I stayed at the Courtyard on a weekend a couple months ago. It wasn't bad, but not great either. I'll echo what the other posters said - you need a car. There isn't much to do downtown either.

JIMCHI

We will be visiting HOU as tourists, but can't decide on a hotel. We prefer either full service Marriotts or Residence Inns. We will have a car. I gather that there is no reason to stay downtown and Marriott has no property there anyway. I am looking at the several properties near the Galleria. Is that a fairly central place for tourists to stay? Has anyone had experience at the Residence Inn Houston By The Galleria? It doesn't have many good reviews on TripAdvisor. The Marriott West Loop is out due to numerous reports of excessive noise there.

Any better suggestions? I'm not stuck on the Galleria- just someplace quiet, good quality, and in a safe area. Prefer a Marriott brand.

We will have a 9 a.m. flight from IAH on a Wednesday morning. If we stay near the Galleria am I going to run into excessive traffic getting to IAH around 6:30 a.m. ?

peersteve

Yes, we stayed at ResInn -Galleria last year and were happy with the location since there were restaurants and the Galleria within easy walking distance, which was nice since the rest of Houston requires so much driving! It's on a side street, so stays quiet.

The Res Inn-Galleria is older, which means larger rooms, but not the most up-to-date design.....but it was fine, but not luxury -- we wanted to have a kitchen, and easy self-parking (without dealing with parking ramps or attendants). Do check with the Res Inn on how early you'd have to leave for IAH at that hour of the morning -- Galleria area is about equidistant from IAH or HOU, if that helps. (Also ask if Res Inn has elevator.....my recollection is of taking luggage up steps to 2nd (top) floor, but that might have been just more convenient for our room.)

peersteve

While in Houston, don't miss the Menil art museum for fine contemporary/modern art. It's in several buildings in a residential area....very unique.....plan on a half-hour of contemplation at the peaceful Rothko Chapel.......I didn't know what a big deal the Menil was until I spoke with soem European art experts who had chosen to stop there and delete Los Angeles from their museum tour!

Enjoy! More info at www.menil.org

MSPDeltaDude

I stayed at the Courtyard DT last spring...not so great staff and rooms dated ...However, really odd, but the Res Inn attached was very nice. I used there enterence into the hotel and staff was really friendly seem more updated then the CY. Not much to do DT, but there isn't on the West Loop either..traffic wasn't bad, but I was with a co-worker so we used car pool lanes and it saved TONS of time!

JIMCHI

The Courtyard Galleria seems to have good reviews. Anyone stay there? Courtyards are not my favorites but they have a King Suite that looks nice. The J.W. is just way overpriced for the dates we need.

Thanks for the tip on the carpool lanes. There will be 4 of us, so we qualify. Anyone know if there are carpool lanes in the mornings between the Galleria and IAH ?

LabRat

If your budget can swing it, you may want to check out the JW at the Galleria. The wife and I stay there every few years and have been happy. You'll be able to walk across the street to the Galleria and the restaurants in the area.

Depending on what you are interested in seeing, the Residence Inn at the Medical Center is in a good location. You'll be able to get to the museum district and downtown very quickly from here without getting on freeways and have quick access via I-610 to I-45 if you are heading south. However, it's been a long time since I stayed there and the property is one of the older Residence Inns.

If you are on the road at 6:30, you should not have a problem with 9:00 flight. If you are late and get on the road at 7:00, it could get a little tight if you have to return a car.

Mackieman

The Courtyard is ok. I prefer the JW in the Galleria but that's only because I got a plat upgrade to room 349 which was a 1200sqft suite. Consider staying at the Springhill Suites near IAH the night before you depart. It's a newer property and should be up to par. That also prevents you from having to fight traffic and get up even earlier to make a 9:00AM flight.

dupontdude

I stayed there for a couple of nights late last year, and was very pleased. It's a well-appointed property, as nice as any Courtyard can be. The decor is nice, and the staff was very friendly. You can expect to pay for parking there (par for the course in the Galleria area); however, it is self-serve and garage accessed. Very convenient!

nickfromct

The Galleria area is very central and a good place to stay in Houston. If you budget can afford it, the JW is the place to stay in Houston. The Courtyard Galleria is an ok place, I stay there a few times a year for business. The location is nice, two blocks to the Galleria, very walkable. Up on Westheimer a few miles in the Westchase section there are a bunch of Marriott's. Never stayed at any of them and locations aren't as convenient, but this gives you another alternative.

You shouldn't have any problem with the traffic that early. Once you get out of the galleria area and past 1-10 it should be pretty clear sailing.