Howard Johnson by Wyndham Houston Heights/Downtown — Hotel in Houston

UTTERLY INHOSPITABLE.

Get this:

We got the only available three-bed room. We walked in to find it trashed. You read that right. Whoever was responsible for cleaning the room "forgot" to do it. Wow.

We had already paid $135 for the single room, but we obviously didn't want to sleep in it. The solution was to give us the three beds we paid for, whether they were in one room or two. The manager wouldn't do it. He said there were other hotels down the street. If it had been up to me, I would have left immediately, but it wasn't up to me.

For the record, there are hotels in the area that are around half the price and that have better ratings. Another interesting note: After learning of his employees' forgetfulness, the manager proceeded to walk around the place, checking how many other rooms had been neglected. This only revealed, based on the plentiful vacancies, that his unwillingness to provide us two rooms for the same price was entirely unjustified. Saturday or not, with these prices and ratings, expecting two rooms to have made a difference when it was already midnight was wishful thinking at best.

Anyway, we tried to work out another solution. We asked the manager if we could have the three-bed room anyway; we would clean the room and replace the sheets ourselves. He said no.

We weren't about to double our relatively exorbitant bill because of someone else's mistake and the manager's refusal to accommodate us despite his capability, so we decided to stay in a room with two beds. The beds seemed like twins, which meant they couldn't reasonably fit two adults. One of us ended up on the floor.

Although it cost $117 instead, the manager couldn't have been more inhospitable for a price like that.

The room itself was nice aside from the lack of easily accessible outlets and the lack of a fan in the bathroom, the latter being more strange than inconvenient. While the general adequacy of the rooms may seem like a good thing, I would argue otherwise: No hotel with decent rooms should have ratings as bad as this one. You can assume, and to us it was proven, that the service is a gamble - one that a lot of people lose.

Now that I think about it, a lot of reviews here say that the rooms weren't clean, so I guess everything is a gamble.

Find somewhere else to stay. It's...

I had a last minute event to attend. I wanted to find a place close to the location of my two day event. When looking online the pictures and videos seemed nice enough for the cost, and the name sounded like a decent hotel. The hotel did not appear that way upon arrival. The outside has been painted a light gray, and there are cameras in several places, some pointed directly towards rooms. Initially online it showed as $84/ night. As I went to reserve the room the price jumped to $113/ night. I needed a room so I moved forward with booking anyway.

When I arrived there was only one other car in the parking lot. It was after 8pm when I arrived. The man working the front desk was not friendly and seemed to just be trying to get through his shift. I will say the man who worked the front desk the next two mornings was much nicer. I was placed on the second floor at the second to last room, 211. The six cars/ guests that arrived after me, and the one that arrived before me were all in rooms on the 1st floor. I was traveling by myself so this made me nervous, but I took extra precautions and moved forward.

A lot of areas in the room seemed to be painted over or caulked to hide flaws. There was a stain on the carpet, but I keep my shoes or socks on at hotels. The blinds did not close fully and could easily be seen through. I was able to take a label off of my take out and close them. I then had to put the lamp in front of the window to keep the A/C unit from blowing it open. The shower head was dirty and the water didn't quite get hot enough for me.

I went to the lobby/ office for the "complimentary breakfast." There was a waffle machine with no mix, mini muffins, dry cereal, and watered down orange and apple juice. I attempted to grab a soda from the vening machine outside and it didn't work.

When I woke up my last morning I was greeted by the friend you see in the photo. I was happy to turn the key card in. I will not be back. This hotel was not worth...

Overpriced Stay with Few Perks

The interior of room 111 appears clean and recently renovated. However, the bathroom is relatively small and still needs some upgrades. The floor is quite slippery, though there are grab rails installed for safety.

While this inn offers proximity to downtown, making transportation more affordable, the overall experience doesn’t match its price tag.

Pros: ✅ Convenient location near downtown, which helps reduce Lyft/Uber fares.

Cons: ❌ Uncomfortable Sofa bed – The king bed was decent, though the pillow may not suit those with neck issues. The sofa bed, however, was old, noisy, and had a rusty frame beneath the mattress. Its worn-out mattress made for an uncomfortable sleep, and extending or closing the bed wasn’t smooth.

❌ Noisy Atmosphere – The A/C units were loud throughout the day, adding to the noise. The inn’s location—right by the Katy Freeway—makes for a naturally noisy environment. Additionally, a man was yelling across the street around midnight**, which was unsettling.

❌ Disappointing Breakfast – The waffle maker was present but lacked waffles, the vending machine dispensed water instead of apple juice, and there was no butter or honey available, making breakfast underwhelming.

Verdict: While its location is a key advantage, the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, persistent noise, and lackluster breakfast make it hard to justify the cost. If comfort, peace, and a satisfying morning meal matter, consider looking elsewhere.

Rating Overview:

Cleanliness: 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜ 7/10

Location: 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 5/10

Management: 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ 6/10

Breakfast: 🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 4/10

Quietness (Room 111) 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 5/10

King Bed Comfort: 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜ 9/10

Sofa Bed Comfort: 🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 2/10

Overall...