Yeah, I enjoy the Garden Inns much more than this... as a Diamond I get a cooked breakfast.

As for Downtown Houston Hiltons, I think the Embassy Suites is the best value option, if you can get access to a decent corporate rate, it can be hard. The Hilton Americas is good due to its awesome gym and great lounge. It does occasionally have some great rates at times available to all on weekends or holidays when no conventions are operating.

The Doubletree is also quite blah with no special treatment for Diamonds and based on management responses to concerns in that area, not much care about that, with the opinion that meeting the minimum is good enough.

The Sam Houston does have lower rates than all of the above, for right now at least, so maybe this was Hilton placing a lower end option into the mix.

I would also mention that the location for this property is a good 7+ block walk to anything (except the courthouse and jail ). It is not near any tunnel access point so you will sweat well during the summer unless you can get a shuttle ride.

I did respond to the survey and got a response from the front office apologizing for no upgrade (due to being full) but then a standard "...will forward to other managers" response.