The Westin Galleria Dallas

The elevators took 40 minutes, and getting down from a top floor meant taking the stairs whenever you wanted to go. This is a conference hotel that doesn’t seem to care about being one. Staff didn’t care, and they didn’t care about fixing the broken elevator either. Would I stay here for pleasure? Even bigger no. Do they care if you ever come back? No.

This was the worst experience I’ve ever had at a Westin or Marriott property. The whole stay was stressful and insulting, far below what I expect from a Westin. I’m a Marriott Bonvoy member and won’t return. We were snowed in and had to rely on the hotel for food. The restaurant meal was inedible, but we still had to pay half. The next morning, after we ate there, I spoke to the manager first about what had happened. He agreed we’d pay half rather than the full bill because the food was terrible. Later, when I went downstairs to deal with something else, a front desk employee accused me of trying to leave without paying and said I’d written down the wrong room number. I had only signed my name and added a tip. The staff had written the room number. Being treated as if I were committing fraud was humiliating. We could barely eat for two days, so we ordered pizza and asked for a microwave. Another guest told us they’d been offered one at check-in, but no one offered us one. Staff said they were out and gave no solution, so once again we couldn’t eat. After several problems, the General Manager agreed to comp one night, and we thought it was settled, but it wasn’t. A security guard later aggressively told us to leave a general hotel area, though we weren’t in a restricted space. The next morning, a personal item I’d left near a restroom was gone, and the hotel made no real effort to find it. At checkout they said we owed $4. After we left, they kept our $200 incidental deposit and charged another $37 for minibar items we never touched. We don’t drink alcohol and didn’t use the minibar.

Being right by the mall makes shopping and dining extremely convenient, and the woman working in the club lounge was a standout, with friendly, excellent service. The rest of our experience at The Westin Dallas was mixed. Parking was a nightmare, and the hotel should set aside spaces for guests. The rooms are spacious but very dated and need serious refurbishment. Even the gym and the rest of the property feel tired and behind current standards. Housekeeping was slow: we returned at 1:30 pm and the room still hadn’t been made. We requested extra towels from reception several times but never got them. The linens and towels look old and should be replaced or rotated. Breakfast choices were limited and didn’t meet expectations for a hotel of this standard. Better parking, refreshed rooms, faster housekeeping, and more dining options would make a real difference.

The rooms are nice for a 3.5-4 star hotel, but I’m tired of barn doors in bathrooms. Breakfast, in the classic sense, is pretty much nonexistent. Parking is free if you can find a spot out front, or you can have the valet park it 20 feet away and pay $$$. The front desk staff were horrendous, entitled, and wouldn’t listen. They kept arguing with me about a security deposit and tried to give me what seemed like a fake name for their manager, as if I wouldn’t reach out. I ended up calling corporate to file a complaint. Just insufferable. The location is subpar. If you booked this just to visit Galleria, you’ve done goofed. The real shopping is at NorthPark Center. Too bad we found that out much later, and the cherry on top is that it opens at 12 PM on Sundays.