The Royal Sonesta Houston Galleria — Hotel in Houston

Our stay at Royal Sonesta Houston Galleria was nothing short of a nightmare, especially considering the hefty price tag of over $1,000 for our accommodations. From start to finish, nearly every aspect of our experience fell far below expectations.

Firstly, we arrived hoping to check in just an hour early, only to be informed that we'd need to pay an additional $50 per night for an upgrade. Reluctantly, we agreed, only to find that our "upgraded" room reeked of mildew and cigarettes. The sheets were also soiled, prompting us to request a room change. Instead of resolving the issue promptly, the staff moved us to the next room over, which had the same unpleasant odor, this time coupled with mold in the shower. Despite our exhaustion from traveling, we settled in due to sheer fatigue, though the room's outdated decor and motel-like ambiance were far from what one would expect from a purported 4-star establishment.

Our troubles continued into the evening when we had dinner reservations at 9:30 pm. We waited a frustrating 20 minutes for the elevator, only to discover they were out of service. This forced us to navigate 18 flights of stairs, a particularly challenging task for my significant other, who suffers from a knee problem exacerbated by wearing heels. To make matters worse, our path to the lobby was marred by sewage odors and sightings of rodents—a truly unpleasant experience.

Upon returning to the hotel later that night, the elevators remained dysfunctional, and we were instructed to use a maintenance elevator that was not only filthy but also unsettlingly unsafe. Seeking to address our mounting grievances, I approached the staff to voice our concerns, only to be met with dismissive responses and excuses, with one staff member even suggesting that everyone was dealing with similar issues. When we requested a new room due to the unacceptable conditions, the staff's dismissive behavior and eye-rolling further compounded our frustration. It was disheartening to see such a lack of professionalism and empathy. They even left their vape in my car, but I didn't worry because you might need more than a vape to calm your stress working for this hotel, so I don't blame the valet staff.

The next morning, our hopes for a resolution were further dashed when we overheard another guest facing a similarly frustrating predicament with incorrect charges. Eventually, we managed to check out early with promises of a refund for the remaining nights, though the return of our security deposit was needlessly delayed until the original checkout date, leaving us financially strained and forced to seek alternative accommodations.

Throughout our stay, the hotel's amenities fell short of what one would expect for the price. Valet parking, priced at a staggering $45 per night, was an additional disappointment, compounded by the unprofessional oversight of leaving personal items in our vehicle. Even basic room service, including clean towels and washcloths, was subject to availability, a policy communicated to us with surprising nonchalance.

In conclusion, our experience at Royal Sonesta Houston Galleria was a regrettable one, marred by substandard accommodations, indifferent customer service, and operational failures that severely impacted our enjoyment and financial well-being. Despite initially hopeful impressions from the lobby and promotional materials, the reality proved starkly different. We strongly caution against choosing this hotel based on our distressing encounter and urge prospective guests to consider alternative options for a more pleasant and...

The Royal Sonesta in Houston was not ready for prime time. This was supposed to be my first visit to a Sonesta hotel in Texas. The lobby was beautiful with grand views from every window, but I would have done better going to a quality hotel and a brand that I trust. I hope that next year’s conference is not at this hotel. Let’s just say this was one of the worst experiences at a hotel I’ve had in a long time.

I just came from the airport as I traveled all day to get to Houston for a conference. I reserved my room several months in advance so the level of disrespect of my time, room uncleanliness and poor service makes the experience even more heartbreaking for me.

The room I received was across from the ice machine and appeared to be a staff hang out. The bed appeared as if someone had laid in it. The toilet had trash in it. The walls were covered in drip stains. The rug needed maintenance and dirty. And the couch had several unsightly stains. But I’m not a pretentious person and was very tired. I was just going to press through this bad experience and enjoy watching the Olympics uninterrupted, study in peace and have a great conference the next day. That feeling was short lived when I tried to turn on the television. It didn’t work properly…no picture.

So I called the front desk and was told that maintenance was coming up. The maintenance worker came promptly, surmised the situation for a few minutes and left explaining that he would return. Mind you, I just got in and still needed to take a shower and get something to eat. He returned with another male, another tv and lots of equipment. They were having more difficulties and left again!

Unreal!!! Why do I have to cower in the corner to wait for maintenance workers to finish in order for me to take a shower and eat because management didn’t have the common decency to check my room I reserved months ago?! I had enough of this dirty room and it’s issues.

I finally had to advocate for my self, call the front desk again and drag my tired hungry self with all my belongings back to the lobby. The staff must be use to the complaints; no apology just a flat response.

After getting to another room which wasn’t much better than the first, I wanted to order room service. I called and called but no one picked up the phone. I tried four times for dinner. I ended up ordering from Uber Eats, waiting in the lobby for PF Chang’s. (Very good by the way.). I tried another day and should have ordered from Uber Eats. The fruit plate was beautiful but the entree was just reheated and dry.

I hope that next year’s conference is not...

I usually stay at the Royal Sonesta Houston Galleria when I travel to Houston due to its perfect location, walking distance to the mall, near great restaurants and close to downtown. However, this time was different. We requested adjoining rooms as we were traveling to celebrate our friend's birthday and we wanted to be together, that request was granted. However, once entering one of the rooms, power did not work, there was a sign on the dresser that said Refrigerator with no Refrigerator inside and the tub did not drain properly, pretty much standing water while in the tub taking a shower (yuck).. we tried calling the front desk several times and noone answered. Went downstairs to request to speak to a manager and was advised that there was no manager on duty they were all on vacation. Called downstairs again and spoke to Leonard Boddie who after a long drawn out unnececessary, rude conversation; came to our room to verify the issues. Mr. Boddie promised he would correct all issues by the next day as we had dinner reservations at 10pm, he stated he would notate the issues in the system; comp our valet and provide free breakfast due to the issues. Well the next day, we never received a refrigerator, maintenance never came to "fix" the drainage problem or the electric problem. And the other room that had a refrigerator, the door was broken, the headboard had stains like the leather was peeling. After speaking with the front desk again about this issue, there were no notations made by Mr. Boddie in the notes to advise other hotel staff that there was an issue and get the service we were promised. I was very dissatisfied with my stay. Not sure if the staff/management are new but the girl in the Market was rude, the bartending staff weren't pleasant, ordered gumbo and received a bowl of gravy and rice. I'm guessing the food wasn't good because I saw others patrons sending their food back. The breakfast buffet was mediocre, bag eggs and flat ginger ale, that the waitress told us came from a bottle, there was trash piled up in the lobby on the floor around the trashcan and trash piled up outside during the day. It was a very lackluster experience. Next time I visit Houston, I will not be patronizing this establishment. There is supposed to be a...