Houstonian Trellis Spa — Attraction in Houston

Summary: a place to feel special, overpriced treatments, not exactly "European" as claimed, basic amenities, focus on service culture more than spa culture

Prep: Locker rooms was crowded, making it impossible to change. My group and I waited 10 minutes for other guests to change so we could access the space. Pockets in robes are sewn shut so you can't carry anything. Why? Everyone was walking around with phones, so it's not like they are off limits or something.

The spa: The claim of being European is cute. As a resident of Europe, I can assure you the spas here are far more equipped and focused on bringing the benefits of spa/sauna culture to the people who partake. I'm used to a variety of saunas (different temps, dry, infrared, with/without sound, etc), a cold pool/shower, and a variety of warmer pools (ranging warm to hot). There are also instructions and tools to help you understand how to take advantage of the different options (e.g. what to do, in what order, for how long, to what end). I didn't find any of this, only several warm/hot tubs, which became quite crowded in the afternoon. Was fine for hanging out, but not a proper spa in my opinion. I did hear later there was a sauna indoors, but this was not made clear to me upon entering. There were no instructions around use of the premises besides where to get slippers and robes, where to eat, and where to go for treatments. The focus was on the treatments.

Treatments: you must book in advance. They were not able to add anything day-of. I had an inhibit facial. It was fine. But for $250+23% I expect a little more than fine. Yes, the table was ergonomically pleasing, the service was very customer-centric, the process was seamless. But I am personally less interested in paying to be served than paying to receive a service I cannot perform myself. The massage parts of my facial were too gentle for my liking. There seemed to be a few kobido-esque elements, which I appreciated. But I can get a full 90-min kobido facial where I live for €70, so... The person helping me was kind and knowledgeable. She didn't push products on me but gave good advice. I just didn't feel much difference.

Lunch: The range of salads was OK, but a bit of a surprise. I ordered the steak salad and got a cold steak on a plate of separated cold vegetables (made me 💬 nk of what I serve my small kids — little pile of shredded carrots, broccoli, tofu, etc). The Americans in the group were not surprised by this. I expected warm roasted vegetables and a warm steak with my salad, so I was disappointed. They were kind enough to take it back and bring something else. Chicken and pumpkin was good, with delicious dressing. Loved the Nutella dessert.

Price: I didn't drink alcohol, and my afternoon of one 50-min treatment and lunch came to around $400.

Overall: The feeling I got was that much attention was paid to making the experience feel posh. People were constantly serving things, bringing things, being helpful, etc. But the spa itself was below average compared to a typical spa in the Netherlands (where we pay a fraction of the price), or Iceland, or Turkey, or Sweden... This felt like a typical hotel spa, but then highly staffed. I don't need to feel served to feel pampered, so this wasn't how I'd prefer a spa day, but that's different for everyone. I personally wouldn't go back, though the girls I was with seemed to love it. I'd much rather go to a hammam where you come out feeling reborn, even if you're not treated...

A zero could not be given so I had to leave a 1. I learned a valuable lesson from Trellis Spa at the Houstonian in Houston Hotel last week. I called on Friday, June 28 around 2:30p and asked if there were any openings the following Monday for 2 people for massages. I was told they had a 9 and a 10am time open. I asked for the 10a appointment. I gave my credit card and was told about the cancellation policy if not notified 24 hours prior to appointment. The appointment day (Monday) and time (10) was reviewed. There was no date discussed. I recall this because the appointment made was on July 1 and it was still June. There was no July date discussed in our conversation. I was told and email would be sent. I showed up with my family member on Mon at 10 as planned and was told our appointment was scheduled for Sun, not Mon and that my credit card had been charged the full amount. I was shocked and disappointed as this was a gift to my family member also. I explained that I would not show up on Mon if I planned to make the appointment on Sun. I asked to see the manager. I do not recall the manager’s name but she was polite. I explained the situation and asked if she could assist. She stated she could give us the use of the amenities (that we had paid for anyway) if we still wanted but that would not include a massage. I would need to pay again for massages. The charge to my credit card was $400. She explained that I had received an email to confirm. I had but my mistake was trusting the Spa that the date was correct. I saw the times and never even looked at the date. I had no reason to doubt it was correct. I must say that I cannot recall booking any appointment for any services that I did not receive several reminder emails and text messages reminding me of my appointments to the point of being annoying. In the case, I received one email confirming appointment. Nothing on Sat or Sun and no calls or texts to check on the appointment. I made the appointment with Trellis because I recognize them as high class. I came to their offsite spa when they were under renovation and enjoyed it. The price alone should speak for itself to be of a higher caliber. I expected the same in customer service. Being in the service industry myself, I understand the importance of taking care of your return customers. I was not offered even half the refund or even one of the massages. I did not feel there was any empathy or attempt to correct the error. I truly know that I asked for Mon and that no date was given back. I would have caught the difference between Sun, JUNE 30 vs. Mon, JULY 1. I also truly believe it was simply human error that entered the appointment into the wrong date. I just wanted Trellis to own up to this and provide the service that day or a refund. I will not be returning to Trellis. We did end our day on a good note and had massages same day at Milk and Honey. I received 4 text messages that day from Milk and Honey to confirm and remind me of our appointment for that day. We were very impressed with their services and they were half the price. Hopefully, Trellis can catch up with the tech world and upgrade their reminder systems to avoid losing...

Where to begin?

In November of 2019, I purchased a gift card for my mother in law to the Trellis. This gift card was for $560, which would have covered the Citrus Package which includes a meal, and an added 20% gratuity.

This is where the problem began. The person I spoke to on the phone failed to mention that A) there is an 18% gratuity included in the price of the package, and B) the spa would be shut down for most of the year in 2020.

I feel that when one is purchasing a Christmas gift for a family member, it implies that the gift will be used after Christmas. Since the packages have to be booked two weeks in advance, this gave my MIL a window of two weeks to use her gift certificate before it became useless for nine months.

When I discovered this, I contacted the spa. I attempted to do so via phone, but their system was down.

So I emailed.

I got a call back from the spa director Renee this morning.

Renee was insulting, and apathetic.

"After your wild email yesterday..." was how the call began.

I've only been in customer service management for ten years, so I could be wrong, but that's not the right way to talk to a customer that was deceived by omission.

"The remodel is campus wide, and all over the website."

No madam, it isn't. It is NOW listed on the Trellis website, it was not in November. Further, The Houstonian and its affiliate sites say nothing about a campus wide remodel.

"We're super excited about the remodel"

That's nice. What does that have to do with the price of beef?

"I can refund you, or she can wait until October"

So, either she doesn't get to use her Christmas gift, or she doesn't get to use it until it's almost time to get her another one. Awesome.

"You can always just go to Post Oak or Fiori"

So what I'm hearing is that you don't want my business?

"You're the first person that has complained about this"

Again, what does that have to do with the price of beef? I bought something that was to be used in 2020. I was not told it couldn't be used until the end of the year. I should have been told. PERIOD.

And since each entity at The Houstonian is under separate management, there's exactly nothing that can be done.

I expect so much more from an establishment of this calibre. This is highly disappointing. I have never experienced anything like this at any other top rated hotel and spa, and I have visited more than my fair share.

How embarrassing. I will certainly be taking Renee's advice, and both my mother in law's Christmas gift as well as my good friend's birthday gift will be coming from The Post Oak next time. I have only been there once, but they seemed to care that I came back, The Trellis and The Houstonian...