8/10 Good
Elizabeth, Houston
Travelled with family, Travelled with group
18 Aug 2025
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
So it's a wonderful hotel in a great location with a handsome lobby, nicely appointed (and quiet) rooms with comfortable beds. But they have a 'gotcha' policy that just ruins the experience. You see, you book the room on Expedia by clicking the room with the price, you pay the price, and you think you are done. But then you show up at the hotel, and they have an extra 'destination fee' of $30/night that you had no idea about. Now I am sure of three things:
1) Their lawyers have crafted the listing so that there was enough notice of it somewhere so that it is legal,
2) the fee is not obvious when you are booking (certainly it's not part of the room rate), and
3) the situation of (1) and (2) suits the managers just fine.
Ok, so what does the destination fee get you? Well, a Lyft voucher of $15, which is actually useful. But mostly, it is a credit towards the property's restaurants. Ok, maybe you just end up with a breakfast, right? Well, no. First off, the credit for the first night ends that evening, so woe unto you if you come in late. The one for the next night does begin in the morning, but the breakfast buffet is $37/person -- and is pretty ordinary. You can order a la carte, but the prices are still nearly double what the cafes in the neighborhood charge for much better food. In all, you just get the feeling of property managers lowballing on the headline rate and then tacking on extra charges. For a nice hotel, it just leaves a sour taste in one's mouth.
Elizabeth
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2025