Cambria Hotel Houston Downtown Convention Center — Hotel in Houston

We stayed here from 4/16( Tuesday) to 4/20(Saturday) for First lego event.

The actual Experience at the hotel was 1 Star, Management team's follow up was 5 Star.

Below is the Actual Experience in the hotel:

Tuesday: When we reached the hotel, it was around 10 o'clock in the night. After we checked in, we got room 1305. The room looked clean and big. After we settled down, the temperature is kind of cold (68). So I tried to adjust the temperature, but it showed this was controlled by central on the panel screen. And then I thought it might be the same for all the rooms. So I asked to have extra blankets. The front desk said there might not have one due to the high occupation in the hotel. Finally, one maintenance guy came and give us one blanket.

Wednesday: I went down the front desk and asked to change the room temperature in the morning, the front desk lady said she will get engineering people to check it out. After we came back to the hotel around 8:00 pm. The room temperature was not adjusted, so I called front desk to change the temperature to 72. The front deck guy said he will call engineering team to do it. After 1.5 hours, the room temperature setting was still 68. So I called again, the same guy said he would call the engineering again. No change all night.

Thursday: I went down the front deck around 6:00 pm(we came here for FLL competition so we have to leave the hotel in the early morning) and asked them to give me another room if they could not change room temperature. The front desk lady said there is no queen bed room now. She can call engineering team to adjust room temperature. The room temperature was not adjusted by 9:00 pm. So I called them to give us extra sheet/blanket, of course, NO blanket, only sheet.

Friday: My mom got a little bit sick due to the cold room. After I came back from the event around 8, I asked the front deck to give us a new room. The front deck lady said she will call the engineering team now to fix it. After 30 mins, the room temperature was set up to 72. And engineering manager came to confirm it. I asked him why this request was not done for the last 2 days. He said the front deck told him to the room was TOO WARM so he changed the temperature to 67.

I was shocked how could the communication went this way!!! When we kept asking EXTRA sheets/blankets, is it due to the room was TOO WARM????? Saturday: I called the hotel to request late check out. Please see the below conversation: Me: " May I do late check out today?" Front deck lady:"hmm, when do you want to check out?" Me:" how late could you do it?" Front deck lady:"What's your room number?" Me:" 1305." Front deck lady:"oh...we can't do late check out today anymore."

If the hotel could not do late checkout anymore, why didn't you say it at the beginning of the conversation instead of after me giving the room number? So if I was someone else, they could get late checkout?

Based on the last few days' experience + above conversation, I really felt we were DISCRIMINATED by the hotel staffs. Maybe the front desk was purposely asked engineering team to set the temperature down instead of bringing up...

We paid 3 nights hotel and 25000 points, it's worthy around $1,000, and this is what you got!!!!!!!!!!!

During the checkout, I asked to talk to the hotel manager. Of course, the manager was not there. The front deck said they have noted down my concerns and will ask manager to call me on Monday.

Hopefully, the manager will see this review and make some changes!!

Updates on 4/28:

The management team's member Stephen saw my review and followed up with us a few times to try to resolve the issues/make things right. We appreciate his efforts, hopefully the hotel staffs will make some changes so he doesn’t have to follow up this kind of...

The Story of Service: The Antagonist of History

Date of Stay: March 2025 Room Type: King Room Non-Smoking Weather: Dress for Spring Weather

Impressions: The Cambria Hotel Houston Downtown Convention Center is located inside the historic Great Southwest Building, a nod to the glory days when Houston was the epicenter of the oil boom. However, this establishment poses itself as an antagonist to service. While the interior design and integration into the historic building reflect considerable effort, gaps in service become apparent as soon as you arrive. The overnight parking fee is $59, while the adjacent lot charges only $30, hinting at deeper underlying issues. Service throughout the hotel is lacking; for instance, the bell person was focused on their mobile device, neglecting to greet guests or assist with doors. The registration desk was staffed by just one person, and while the hotel tries to appeal to a Gen Z audience, service is hard to come by. Guests may find themselves repeatedly requesting towel replacements or cleaning services. Despite signs prohibiting smoking, conflict avoidance with guests vaping in the area sometimes results in an unpleasant smell.

The bright spot of my stay was the bar and small dining area, which were cozy and inviting. The bar hostess managed to provide the level of service that was otherwise missing in the hotel. Overall, the lack of adequate service and amenities warrants a 3-star rating, rather than the expected 4 stars.

Transportation and Parking: I rented a car, and while I encountered expected delays driving to the hotel during non-rush hours, the one-way streets complicated parking. It’s worth noting that from Saturday to Monday morning, street parking is free, which can save you over $100. The lot next to the hotel offers overnight parking for only $30, and the distance from the lot to the hotel entrance is the same.

Room & Accommodations: The room was clean and featured a large, comfortable bed with modern furniture. However, the bathroom was equipped with minimal toiletries and towels. The room included a coffee machine, refrigerator, iron and board, and a wide-screen TV, but lacked complimentary water bottles, alarm clocks, and extra blankets. For seasoned travelers, these details matter, and the absence of typical 4-star amenities (such as bathrobes, toothbrushes, and a range of toiletries) was disappointing. Breakfast was not included in the reservation, so guests should plan accordingly.

Food Options: Lacked a breakfast option during booking

Location & Surroundings: Expect a downtown vibe with questionable encounters and sights. Some fellow guests also displayed a lack of decorum.

Staff & Service: While the staff was friendly, they seemed to lack pride in their work, which was reflected in the level of service.

Value for Money: The hotel does not provide value for the price. It simply does not justify a 4-star cost.

Observations and Recommendations: Having stayed at 4-star and 5-star hotels across America and worldwide, I understand that the level of service can significantly affect a business. The Cambria should reassess its hiring practices and management capabilities. Additionally, the hotel needs to collaborate more proactively with the city council to improve its surrounding area.

Final Thoughts: In summary, while my stay was comfortable, it did not meet the expectations set for a 4-star hotel. I recommend exploring other options in the area for better value. I hope this review encourages management to enhance...

I stayed at the Cambria Hotel with my family for one night in mid-July for the first time. I chose this hotel since it was within walking distance to the music venue where we were seeing a concert. The hotel was actually very well kept and clean, the front desk staff were very friendly. Even though there was a baseball game going on the same night that we were staying there the place didn't feel crowded and wasn't noisy. After checking out I was very happy with the stay and planned to book again in the future. UNTIL TODAY.

Today I checked my mail to find a parking violation that was issued during my stay at the hotel. After digging through multiple emails to confirm dates/times and double checking my credit card statement to confirm that I was billed for the valet parking at the hotel (I was). I realize that I was receiving a parking violation that was issued while my car was in the hands of their valet. I called the hotel to try to sort things out and spoke with the front desk clerk, who was still very nice, but could not help me. She kept trying to transfer me to the valet manager, but this person would not answer. I asked to speak with the manager of the hotel since I felt I had no other options, but she was not available at the time. I had to call back later hoping to catch her. I finally did get to speak with her and was told that they use another lot, not owned by the hotel, for valet and that company had done some sort of system upgrade/update on that same weekend that caused issues with the billing. There were many people affected. She gave me the number for the parking lot (she said it was the direct line to the manager and it was not) and essentially told me to sort it out myself. I spoke with someone from the parking lot who took my information and said she would need to verify everything with the hotel before they could remove the violation, and that could take a few days.

I am not usually one to complain, but I feel that this whole situation and the way the hotel handled this is outrageous. I can't believe that the hotel wouldn't have records of all of the cars that they parked in that lot over that weekend that they could have provided to the parking lot so these parking violations were never issued. On top of that, to give me a number and tell me to go sort out an issue THAT THE HOTEL CAUSED is ridiculous. The hotel should have been the ones to contact the parking lot and sort this out. I did not park my car there...the hotel did. To salt the wound, the manager of the hotel wasn't even apologetic. I almost got the feeling that I was bothering her. If this was some silly overcharge from the hotel I probably wouldn't have even left this review, but this was a legit parking violation, in my name, and if I hadn't caught this and spent the 45 minutes sorting this out this could have ended up on my credit report. All for something that WAS THE FAULT OF THE HOTEL. After dealing with this I definitely will NOT being booking again with Cambria. I'll stick to the hotels that I can trust.

Beware staying here and make sure you keep...