Hotel Review: The Westin Galleria Houston
I never anticipated going to Houston, Texas, so often, but I have frequently visited Houston for personal and business reasons. Because I am a Marriott loyalist, only a few Marriott hotels in the greater Houston area are left for me to review. On my recent work trip, I had a chance to visit the Westin Galleria Houston. It was conveniently connected to the Galleria Mall, so you wouldn’t have to leave the hotel to visit countless shops and restaurants at the Galleria Mall. Though my reason for booking the hotel was its proximity to my office, the convenience factor may win over potential guests. My lodging experience at the Westin Galleria Houston was overall pleasant, and I was especially impressed with its amenities. Here is my review of The Westin Galleria Houston:
The Westin Galleria Houston is located at 5060 W Alabama St, Houston, TX 77056.
What Card(s) Should You Use to Book?
I earn tons of Marriott Bonvoy points by using my American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card. It currently offers a sign-up bonus of 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $5,000 within your first 3 months of card membership. The card earns 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar when you book directly with Marriott, 3X points on dining and flights booked directly with airlines, and 2X on all other purchases. Paired with Marriott’s promotions and AMEX offers, it opens doors to endless points-earning opportunities.
The AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card comes with great benefits that can substantially offset its annual fee.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card does come with a hefty $650 annual fee but offers tons of perks to significantly offset its costs. The card features the following benefits:
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status
$25 monthly dining credit—$300 total in a year
$100 property credit when booked directly with Marriott and staying a minimum of two nights at Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis properties
An 85,000-point Free Night Award
Access to Priority Pass lounges
25 Elite Night Credits for chasing Marriott Bonvoy status
Even if you don’t stay at Marriott properties often, this card is still a must-have, in my opinion. It’s a true example of a keeper card that offers benefits that outweigh the annual fee.
If you’d like to apply for the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! Click HERE to access my referral link!
If you are looking for a Marriott Bonvoy credit card with a low annual fee, consider the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card. It currently offers a sign-up bonus of three Free Night Awards after spending $1,000 in three months, each covering up to 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. I personally value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.8 cents each, making the 105,000 points offer worth $840. The Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card earns 6X points per dollar when you book directly with Marriott, 3X points on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases every year on dining, grocery stores, and gas stations, and 2X points on all other purchases.
Be aware that 15 elite night credits from the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card can’t be combined with 15 elite night credits from the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card.
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card’s annual fee is $95, and it offers useful perks to offset the cost:
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status, the low-tier status offered in Marriott’s member ecosystem
A 35,000-point Free Night Award
15 Elite Night Credits that will help you achieve a higher Marriott Bonvoy status
Please note that you can’t combine Elite Night Credits from two Marriott Bonvoy personal credit cards, but you can stack Elite Night Credits from one personal and one Marriott Bonvoy business card. Thus, if you own both AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant and Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless, you would only earn 25 elite night credits.
If you’d like to apply for the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you!
The last Marriott Bonvoy credit card you could use would be the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business card. It currently offers a sign-up bonus of 125,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $5,000 within your first 3 months of card membership. Considering that the annual membership costs $125, you get paid to have the card! The card earns 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar when you book directly with Marriott, 4X points on dining, U.S. shipping purchases, U.S. wireless telephone services, and at U.S. gas stations. All other purchases earn 2X points.
The AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business card is the only Marriott business card on the market.
The AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business card’s annual fee is $125, and it offers valuable benefits to justify the cost:
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status, the low-tier status offered in Marriott’s member ecosystem
A 35,000-point Free Night Award
15 Elite Night Credits, which can be combined with 15 Elite Night Credits from other personal Marriott Bonvoy credit cards
As you can see, the card’s benefits are less substantial than the ones from the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, but it is a great long-term keeper card due to its annual Free Night Award perk. Furthermore, it is absolutely necessary if you want to chase a higher Marriott Bonvoy status because it is the only Marriott business card that is on the market and will grant you an additional 15 Elite Night Credits. Lastly, even though it is a business credit card, it is very likely that you could get it approved. Check out my article on how to apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor.
If you’d like to apply for the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! Click HERE to access my referral link!
Location
As the name suggests, the Westin Galleria Houston is located adjacent to the Galleria Mall, which is the biggest mall in Texas and one of the biggest malls in America. The Galleria Mall is an excellent shopping destination and provides a wide variety of dining options, from fast food to upscale restaurants. You can even ice skate at the mall! Downtown Houston is fairly close to the hotel, and I suggest visiting nearby Memorial Park to escape the urban landscape.
Lobby & Check-In Review
I drove from Austin, and as I approached the hotel, I learned that valet parking would cost roughly $50 a night. On the other hand, parking at either the Brown garage or the Yellow garage next to the hotel would be free. Since the Galleria Mall is so big, there were many garage locations for shoppers categorized by various colors. Both garages were adjacent to the hotel, and while I parked at the Yellow garage, I later learned that the Brown garage was closer to the hotel. The lobby was surprisingly modern, with white marble-patterned tiles and numerous seating arrangements for guests.
The lobby was surprisingly contemporary, unlike typical Westin properties.
Trendy light fixtures and glossy hexagonal coffee tables modernized the lobby, and I especially liked the ceiling installation.
Gold paint transformed wood side tables into contemporary interior design pieces.
A hotel bar was situated next to the check-in desk, but it was unavailable during my stay.
Hotel housed a bar next to the front desk, but it was closed during my stay.
I checked in the early evening and was upgraded to the deluxe executive suite upon checking in.
With the beautiful ceiling art, the check-in desks didn’t need additional decoration.
The front desk agent recognized my Titanium Elite status and thanked me for my loyalty. Yet, she did not address some amenities such as gym location or breakfast hours. She was friendly and kind; nevertheless, it was disappointing that she left out some of the crucial information that some guests may value. After receiving my card keys, I went up to the 21st floor, where my suite was located.
Living Room Review
The first impression of the living space was anticlimactic to some degree. The living room was carpeted, and all the furniture was gray or brown. It set a mature tone for the room and reminded me of a slightly outdated luxury apartment. The living space had a sectional that was that could be used for crashing a night or two, but it felt damp–perhaps due to the insane humidity level in Houston.
The living room was conservative compared to the initial impression of the hotel.
Across from the sectional, a substantial media console housed a mini-fridge as well as some drawer space for storing clothes. A flat-screen TV was sitting on top of the TV stand, but unfortunately, it was not a smart TV.
I expected to see a Smart TV in a suite, but sadly, the TV in the living space didn’t support such functions.
Adding to my further disappointment, the coffee machine was a generic coffee machine by Mr. Coffee that immediately took me back to countless nights I spent at Courtyard hotels.
I’d expect to see at least a K-cup coffee maker in a suite.
In fact, the hotel provided Starbucks coffee and Tazo teas, just like what I would receive at Courtyard properties. I would at least expect to see a Keurig machine for an executive suite, and I wish the hotel would upgrade the wet bar soon. A lounge seat and a tiny side table filled the remaining space in the corner. The upside of the living room was that the entire wall facing downtown Houston consisted of floor-to-the-ceiling windows.
The view from the living room wasn’t exceptional, but I appreciated being on a high floor.
It seemed like one of the windows used to be a sliding door so that you could step outside. I presumed that there was a balcony previously attached to my unit, but instead of installing brand-new windows, the hotel decided to glue-gun it with silicone “to seal” the door. Moreover, there were a bunch of holes left on the door frame as the hotel failed to polish it after removing a door handle.
It was unacceptable to see poorly executed finishes in a suite.
I thought the hotel did a sloppy job, and if the hotel could renovate the unit, they should install one seamless glass panel to uplift the room's aesthetics.
Bedroom Review
The bedroom was very spacious, and a king bed was the centerpiece of the bedroom, situated between oversized gold-accented night lamps.
The bedroom retained the traditional design approach from the living room.
The nightstands were oversized and had outlets and USB ports on the side, allowing me to charge my phone on either side of the bed.
You could also use the aromatherapy balm when taking a bath or a shower to enhance its relaxing effects.
The hotel supplied a petite aromatherapy balm, which contained essential oils of lavender and chamomile to ease tension and soothe the senses. I later learned that the toiletries in the bathroom also had a robust jasmine scent, and the aromatherapy balm was a lovely continuation of relaxing aromatherapy right up to the moment you’d fall asleep. Speaking of continuation, some disappointing living room features carried on in the bedroom. The bedroom wall facing downtown Houston comprised the same floor-to-ceiling windows that spanned the entire wall. The identical unpolished frames and messy silicone glue were present, and the floor was carpeted with a dull brown color that matched most of the furniture in the room.
The view from the bedroom remained the same as the living space.
Because of the enormous windows, the bedroom was drenched with natural light, and I enjoyed views of downtown Houston during the day and at night. Even though the sun was intense, the AC system operated diligently to keep the temperature down. The bedroom had a long couch that would comfortably seat three to four adults at once.
Even with the substantial couch in the room, the bedroom space remained generous.
The work desk was a long slender piece with a decently sized drawer attached at the end. The leather desk chair was comfortable, and the desk had plenty of USB ports and outlets to keep your devices charged, though some weren’t functional.
The outlets on the desk were not functional, so I had to charge my laptop elsewhere.
Across from the bed was a wall-mounted TV in a dedicated wooden frame that added another layer of elegance to the space; however, it was not a smart TV like the TV in the living room. In this day and age, I think all suites should have a smart TV, as it would extensively broaden guests’ choices for entertainment. Besides the TV and the windows, the bedroom was faultlessly practical and restful. I think the hotel could’ve stuffed more furniture or meaningless objects to fill the space in the bedroom, but in my opinion, it was perfectly balanced.
Bathroom Review—Guest Bathroom
Even though there was only one bedroom in the suite, it had two full bathrooms. The guest bathroom was tucked in at the deep end of the living room. Right by the bathroom entrance was a separate closet space with a safe and a bathrobe—great for a guest staying in the living room.
The suite had an extra closet space for guests staying in the suite.
The guest bathroom had a single sink vanity and a step-in shower/tub combo with both rainfall and handheld shower heads.
The guest bathroom was a full bathroom with a single-sink vanity and shower.
The water pressure was decent, and I appreciated that the hotel didn’t neglect to furnish the guest bathroom. The toiletries by Heavenly Spa by Westin were communal and used white tea fragrance as a base.
It’s rare to have two full bathrooms, especially in a Westin hotel.
I had used them before when I stayed at the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW). The toiletries gave delightful jasmine and Rosewood notes and didn’t excessively dry out my skin.
The toiletries paired well with the aromatherapy balm in the bedroom.
The lighting in the bathroom was fantastic, and a recessed light above the shower made the space inviting. Nonetheless, I noticed some shower faucet finishes were not professionally executed. Also, the toilet took a long time for the water to fill up for some reason, and it made loud noises. The guest bathroom’s decor was traditional and conserved, with lots of brown colors, but the master bathroom was entirely different.
Bathroom Review—Master Bathroom
The master bathroom was connected to the bedroom. The bathroom door was a sliding door, and there was a huge gap when the door was fully closed.
The door gap was fairly significant, and the door didn’t come with a lock.
The gap was abundantly noticeable, and I actually think it was the largest gap I’ve seen in hotel bathrooms. That raised some privacy concerns from my end, but it wasn’t an issue for me since I was alone. When I opened the bathroom door, I could see why this bathroom belonged in a suite.
The master bathroom was newly renovated and presented more welcoming colorways.
It was more impressive than the guest bathroom for sure; the space was brighter, and the finishes were outstanding—particularly the walk-in shower.
I loved the glossy oversized subway tiles in the walk-in shower.
The shower wall was made of oversized glossy dark gray piano tiles and worked beautifully with the bathroom. The walk-in shower was equipped with the same rainfall and handheld showerheads and came with identical Heavenly Spa by Westin toiletries.
The water pressure was satisfying, and the shower featured the same communal toiletries as the ones in the guest bathroom.
The water pressure was great, and a recessed light right above the shower made the shower booth more inviting. The master bath had ample closet space, and you could easily put in a week's worth of clothes for two people.
The double closet space in the master bathroom was enough to store a week's worth of clothes.
The oversized vanity mirror was bright with backlit lighting, but the vanity had only one sink, which meant additional countertop space to spread out additional toiletry items. The lack of double sink vanity was not a concern for me since there was a full-size bathroom on the other side of the room. The gap in the bathroom door was a significant concern for me, but other than that, I couldn’t complain about both bathrooms. The guest bathroom was a full-sized bathroom, and the master bathroom was a modern bathroom with newly renovated interior design elements that really wowed me.
Pool Review
After checking out my room, I went down to the fifth floor to check out the outdoor pool, which was open daily from 6 AM to 10 PM. When I got off an elevator, there wasn’t any direction to the pool. After looking around, I noticed a towel valet and assumed the pool would be right outside of the nearby door.
The entrance to the outdoor pool was unassuming, with unclear signage.
I was extremely confused when I walked outside because I saw an empty lot. I thought I was at the wrong place but realized the outdoor pool was on a raised platform about 30 yards from where I was standing.
I was pretty lost and confused until I saw an upper platform where the pool was located.
Oddly enough, I had to take a flight of short stairs to reach the pool. The hotel was surprisingly accommodating towards people with mobility issues because there was a lift for affected individuals.
After taking the stairs, you would arrive at the pool.
The outdoor pool was sadly nothing noteworthy. The water wasn’t heated, though it wasn’t necessary during the summer in Texas when the temperature usually goes over 100°F. The pool had lighting, so guests could swim late at night to cool off before going to sleep.
The pool was moderately lit up, allowing guests to swim at night.
There were only a handful of tables and sun beds, and the pool setting felt very bare. Maybe it was due to the muted color of the hotel exterior, and the walls surrounding the pool didn’t help.
The concrete walls surrounding the swimming pool hindered panoramic views of Houston.
Despite the fact that the pool was on the fifth floor, the walls enclosed it, and it didn’t feel like a rooftop pool. If the hotel could replace them with glass walls, it would transform the area into an infinitely more glamorous setting. Then, the hotel could couple the renovation by placing cabanas so that people could lounge and relax.
Only sunbeds were available for guests to lounge.
When I stayed at The Laura Hotel in Houston, the pool was also on the fifth floor, but it felt entirely different because there weren’t any barriers to enjoying the downtown cityscape. While my experience at the pool was lukewarm, I believe it has lots of potential if the hotel could invest time and money into it.
Gym Review
The gym was located on the 24th floor of the hotel and was open 24/7. To be honest, I didn’t expect much from the hotel since most gyms at typical Westin hotels had been mediocre. The gym at the Westin Galleria Houston was unlike any other Westin Hotel gym I’d been to in America. It featured hardwood floors and had a mini-fridge for cool towels by the entrance. I immediately noticed that all cardio machines were positioned in front of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking downtown Houston.
The fitness center was on the highest floor of the hotel—24th floor.
As someone who doesn’t usually enjoy cardio exercises, open and airy views of the cityscape genuinely elevated my workout experience.
There was no shortage of cardio equipment, and I didn’t have to wait for either cardio or strength machines to open up.
Alongside Life Fitness cardio gears were three Peloton bikes available for casual and serious cyclists. I’ve never seen Peloton bikes at Westin hotels, and as an avid Peloton user, it was great to see the amenity at the gym.
The gym wasn’t as fancy as the one at the St. Regis Toronto, but the view was still satisfying.
For those looking to do total body exercises, a TRX system was set up against the wall, along with abundant floor mats, kettlebells, and foam rollers.
I wish the full body workout area was padded so you could be rough with kettlebells and medicine balls.
The rest of the space was dedicated to an array of strength equipment. The free weight area featured two adjustable benches and a standard set of dumbbells, and various lifting gears were scattered on the floor.
Lift weights while enjoying the view of downtown Houston.
The gym was big enough to accommodate many guests at once, and l couldn’t complain about having modern gym equipment as well as three Peloton bikes. The hotel strategically placed the gym at the top of the hotel, and high ceilings further accentuated the open atmosphere of the gym. I hope other Westin gyms will follow suit.
The gym was designed with inclusivity in mind.
Executive Lounge Review
The Executive Lounge, also known as Westin Club, was located adjacent to the fitness center on the 24th floor. Breakfast was served on weekdays between 6:30 AM and 9 AM, and the breakfast service was closed on weekends. The lounge was open until 9 PM on weekdays, and I stopped by after working out.
The executive lounge was a great common place to have meetings or work independently.
The executive lounge was massive and resembled a mix between a Delta Sky Club and the AMEX Centurion lounge because of the various seating arrangement the space offered for guests. Do you want to enjoy views of downtown Houston while having breakfast? You can sit at the bar table. Do you want to sit with your friends and family? Choose a booth-style table or one of the bigger tables in the middle of the lounge. If you needed a workspace for your team, the lounge had a gorgeous meeting room with farm-style sliding glass doors.
The conference room in the back offered a private place to host a small meeting.
The entertainment area was curated with comfortable couches and a wall-mounted TV surrounded by decorative objects.
The entertainment area was televised without sound to minimize disturbance to other guests.
Aside from many different seat configurations, almost every table had a bouquet of flowers or some type of plant. A slight hint of greenery added a layer of vibrancy to the mix and transformed the lounge into less of a cookie-cutter space.
Every side or communal table had flowers or plants that revitalized the environment.
The lounge had a gorgeous meeting room with farm-style sliding glass doors. The entertainment area was curated with comfortable couches and a wall-mounted TV surrounded by decorative objects. Since I visited the lounge outside of its breakfast hours, only a limited selection of refreshments was available such as chips and cookies.
The executive lounge only served snacks and no alcohol.
It would’ve been nice if the lounge served complimentary alcoholic beverages, but the space alone far exceeded my imagination, and I couldn’t wait to go back for breakfast.
Breakfast Review
The next morning, I went back to the executive lounge for breakfast. The place wasn’t too crowded, and I could stay socially distant from others.
With a large number of seats, it was painless to social distance from others.
A kind attendant served the hot breakfast items, and there were two types of breakfast tacos—potato and egg tacos and egg and chorizo tacos—and typical breakfast fares such as sausage, bacon, and hashbrown. I tried both versions of tacos with house-made avocado salsa, chicken sausage, and hash browns.
The Westin Galleria Houston took extra precautions against COVID-19.
The tacos were decent; the chorizo taco had a nice smoky flavor, but the hotel didn’t use real eggs, which was disappointing.
The chicken sausage was sweeter than the typical breakfast sausage.
The avocado salsa had sizable avocado chunks and complemented the tacos very well. I was caught off guard by how sweet the chicken sausage was, but the portion size was significant, and I finished my meal with a cup of cappuccino from the Starbucks espresso machine.
The coffee machine in the corner crafted simple coffee drinks like a latte.
The executive lounge featured fresh fruits, chia puddings, and pastries for those who want lighter breakfast options.
I wish the hotel had included an ingredient list for the chia pudding, as it contained various precut fruits.
Keep in mind that the executive lounge is only for Marriott Bonvoy members with Platinum Elite status or higher. Unfortunately, you cannot pay to enter the lounge if you don't have high Marriott status.
If you are in a hurry, take one of these individually packaged bagels and pastries.
However, you can visit The Daily Grill, which is the hotel’s partner restaurant in the Galleria Mall. Visiting the restaurant will require you to leave the hotel, so don’t feel obligated to visit the restaurant, as the mall has countless dining options available.
Positives & Negatives
Positives
My suite had a separate living room, and the bedroom was very spacious, even without the extra living space. The suite featured two full bathrooms, and the master bathroom was fully renovated with an inviting walk-in shower.
The gym was located on the 24th floor of the hotel and offered great views of Houston. The fitness center was well-equipped with cardio and strength machines that you wouldn’t normally see at other Westin hotels.
Negatives
The suite’s interior design was mundane and outdated, with signs of premature finish on the windows. While I appreciated tall floor-to-ceiling windows, they were messy with silicone glue residuals.
It felt as if the outdoor pool was located in the middle of a parking lot. I wish the hotel had spent more attention to detail because the walls surrounding the pool made the environment feel more enclosed.
Summary
The Westin Galleria Houston was located adjacent to the Galleria Mall, making the giant shopping center just a hop and a skip away. I stayed at the hotel’s deluxe executive suite, and I was delightfully surprised that the suite came with two full bathrooms and a spacious master bedroom. The master bathroom had a walk-in shower with chic finishes, and the bedroom and living space had floor-to-ceiling windows that drenched the suite with natural light. Though I encountered conservative interior design elements and poorly executed finishes on the room windows, the hotel had decent amenities, such as a spacious executive lounge and a contemporary fitness center. If you value a mature yet polished lodging option close to the Galleria Mall, I recommend staying at the Westin Galleria hotel for your next visit to Houston.
