Best Western Premier Houston Downtown/Convention Center Hotel

The staff were friendly and helpful, and I have no complaints about the onsite team. They were great. My stay itself was horrendous, though. When I entered the first room, a strong musty smell made my eyes and throat itch within about 15 minutes. I called the front desk, and the attendant was kind, apologetic, and helpful. He didn’t sound surprised by what I described and moved me to another room. That one seemed better at first, though it still smelled musty. I checked in Sunday night and was very ill by Wednesday morning, with dizziness, brain fog, and allergy symptoms. On Tuesday evening I looked more closely and found mold throughout the room: heavy growth around the window, plus mold on the curtain, in the shower, and on the bathroom ceiling. The hotel seemed to be undergoing renovations, but it looked like it badly needed full mold remediation. I was in town for a conference and couldn’t move to another hotel, so I checked out a day early because I no longer felt safe staying there. Other conference attendees staying on the floor above me also reported musty odors, so I think this may be a building-wide problem. The staff apologized, but management’s lack of responsibility was very disappointing. They called it an “inconvenience” and refunded two of my four nights, which I appreciate, but this was a health hazard, not just an inconvenience. I was fortunate to have the means to leave early. I worry about guests who can’t leave and may have other health conditions that mold exposure could worsen, as well as staff who work in these conditions every day. This hotel shouldn’t be open in this state, especially at over $200 per night. Ownership and management should be ashamed to operate it this way. Please avoid staying here, especially if you have other health issues, since mold exposure can make them much worse.

The hot tub was colder than the pool, and the room stayed hot even with its old wall AC unit. The shower had barely any pressure, and the water never got very hot. There was a sewer smell in the room, too. This run-down hotel badly needs renovation. I also don't understand putting the breakfast area on the third floor across from occupied rooms. It was noisy outside mine at 6 a.m. Thanks a lot.

The Toyota Center and convention center are conveniently close, but that was the only real plus for me. The building feels outdated and smells unpleasant, with machines around it that seem intended to deal with the odor. The smell hit me as soon as I entered my room. Maintenance hadn't kept the room in good shape: the toilet seat was loose, the toilet paper holder was barely attached, and the TV was tiny and outdated. The pool wasn't well maintained either. This place needs a serious renovation from top to bottom.

The worst thing was the mildew smell in our room. It made my girlfriend nauseous. She's more sensitive than I am, but my throat got scratchy and my eyes itched too. We stayed October 4-6, 2025, and the building is surrounded by major construction. It was quiet over the weekend, but the work woke us at 7:30 Monday morning. Parking was another problem: the lot only fits maybe 20 cars, and street spots were hard to find with so many areas blocked off. There's a paid lot across the street. Once we found a spot, we left the car there and walked or took a Lyft. The room door was extremely hard to use. Opening it took a couple of shoulder and hip bumps; closing it meant pulling so hard the handle bent. The room also had a 24-inch TV sitting on the desk where it looked like a much larger flat screen had been mounted. It wasn't a smart TV and had only six local channels. I travel quite a bit every year and don't post reviews often. I will not stay here again. Hope this helps 🙏