checked in the late PM. platinum status was recognized....maybe because i handed her my SPG card with the credit card and drivers license. i had gotten out of the habit of showing my platinum card but after very poor recognition in 2005, i am going to start using it again.

i was not assigned a suite. i told the front desk agent that i was batting zero for 2005 in suite upgrades. i also told her that i was going to log onto spg.com and if i found suites available, i was going to log a complaint with customer care. miraculously, a suite appeared.

the amenity was a gargantuan room service tray filled with hugh cookies, chocolate bars (shaped like the state of TX (yuck...although it made me feel like i was biting off W's head which felt nice)), choc covered strawberriers, etc. it was really over the top. someone had to fetch it from the standard room i was assigned and bring it to my new room.

my room, 410, must be facing train tracks. if you are a light sleeper, request a room on the other side of the building. i was told there are two suites per floor on either end. the suite was a nice size with 1.5 bathrooms. when you walk in, there is a coat closet in the foyer. oddly, this closet was completely empty. nary a hanger or laundry bag or anything. completely empty. (i half expected to see a bible in every nook and cranny of my room having never been to houston before.) moreover, the closet in my bedroom was also almost completely empty....maybe two pant and two shirt hangers, no laundry bags or anything else. if i was with anyone, i wouldn't have enough hangers.

the bed was magnificent. i could have died on the thing. the large bathroom had a tub with jets and a separate shower stall. the shower nosel was one of the most un-Heavenly things i have ever used. to call it old fashioned would have been an understatement. about half of the little holes were clogged so the water pressure was lousy and the water sprayed in about one thousand directions.

the bedroom was very spacious with ample power outlets. same for the living room. there was a bar with a sink. hmmm...what else?

the gym was decent with cardio machines and free weights. each locker room had a steam room. the gym/steam room were 24 hours. after hours, room keys work for access. i love that and, for the life of me, don't understand why hotels close their gyms. why not allow guests to use them 24 hours with room key access? security can come around periodically to check up.

didn't order room service so no comments there. didn't eat at the hotel at all, in fact. i wanted to grab a drink in the nice bar but didn't have the chance. the average age of the hotel guests that i observed was about 100, so this isn't the hippest of places.

the hotel is located near the Galleria mall. this is an amazing shopping mall if you want everything in one place. there was the range of stores from gucci and YSL to hollister, puma and abercrombie. truly impressive. the best part, there was a chick fila in the food court. yummm....

finally, there is a truly impressive amount of construction around the hotel and the galleria. it almost rivals the "Big Dig" (exaggeration noted). it took me as long to find the hotel from the galleria area as to get from the airport to the galleria which was incredibly frustrating. if you get off the main highway at the wrong exit, you are scre*ed, to put it bluntly. call the hotel and get the directions for that day. also, with the construction, street signs are missing. given that this is a tourist area, it can be wildly frustrating. i observed a bevy of starwood properties in the area, including at least one westin and one sheraton suites.

overall, a nice property and a nice stay. oh....front desk staff was extremely friendly and helpful!!!! KUDOS.