Home2 Suites By Hilton Galveston

Our only real gripe was that the elliptical was broken and one treadmill wasn’t working. Apart from that, it was a great stay, maybe a 9 out of 10, and I’d highly recommend it for a family vacation or a weekend away. We had a spacious, nice room with a balcony overlooking the pool, where we could relax and watch the Gulf waves. Staff were friendly, breakfast had two buffets, one with pancakes and the other with waffles, and there was plenty of parking. The hotel sits right on the Galveston Sea Wall, next to a Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Shop and a pizza and wings place. You’ll hear road noise anywhere along the seawall.

For a longer visit or a family trip, I’d go with Home2 Suites. The rooms are bigger, there’s a little kitchen, and it’s quieter, almost like a small apartment. For a quick beach getaway, Tru is my pick: it feels newer and more modern, the room was super clean, the water view was great, and breakfast was good. I’ve stayed at both Tru by Hilton and Home2 Suites in the same building, with the same reception on Seawall Blvd. They’re both comfortable and right by the beach, just good for different kinds of stays.

Vanessa Sánchez made our two-week stay at Home2 Suites feel special and stress-free. We were traveling with our dogs, and she was patient and kind with them as well as with us. She clearly takes pride in her work and cares about guests being comfortable. Every day she left our room spotless, organized, and welcoming. She noticed the small things, like making sure we had fresh towels and checking whether we needed anything. She’s friendly, hardworking, and thoughtful, and Home2 Suites is lucky to have her.

We arrived for the second night of a two-night booking and learned the hotel had checked us out for the whole stay because we were marked as no-shows the first night. Nobody called or emailed to warn me. After a lot of discussion, they said they could refund the second night since we were there and needed a room, but the card on file was no longer valid. I asked if they could send the refund to another card or give us the room we’d paid for. They refused. We had to pay for a third night, and the hotel isn’t willing to do anything for us. I’ll never come back. I’d booked both nights five months ahead. A couple of months before the trip, we changed our flight and planned to stay only the second night. I checked the cancellation policy, saw I wouldn’t get the first night refunded, and accepted that loss since it’s standard at most hotels now. The customer service was the worst I’ve ever experienced.