Heights House Hotel - Houston Heights Downtown, an Ascend Collection Hotel

We were worn out on our last night, and Jean let us check out late at no cost because she knew our flight home wasn’t until 4:30 p.m. She and the rest of the staff made us feel like family throughout our stay for the NCA championship last weekend. They kept checking whether we needed anything, and told us the girls could run around and have fun in the tabled area by the pool. The food and drinks were amazing. There was free breakfast each morning, plus a grab-and-go lunch for our cheerleaders since the kids and parents would be so busy. We’ll definitely keep booking here whenever we come to Houston. Also, that polaroid toilet paper holder in the bathroom was cool, lol. Loved it.

My family and I were here for a national competition, and Jean, Michael, and the Heights House Hotel staff were wonderful and accommodating. The place looks like an old motel that’s been nicely updated, with art walls and a modern feel. I liked the phone-free rooms and the dedicated number you can text or call from your own phone. A water leak meant we stayed in two double queen rooms. They weren’t laid out the same: some had more space or worked better depending on whether there was a desk or dresser under the TV. The first room lacked a small fridge, while the second had one. I was fine without a microwave in the room since there was one on the first floor by the vending machines. With two young kids, I preferred having extra space and less clutter. One concern: the property is listed as non-smoking and has signs in the courtyard and at the front desk, but I saw a large ashtray near the covered stage and picnic area. I don’t know whether staff or guests used it, but it seemed at odds with the posted policy. I also noticed a few cigarette butts on the ground near the pool. Even so, the good experience outweighed the smoking issue. If I’m back in Houston, Heights House will be on my list.

Less than a day before my son’s competition, the hotel manager called to say they were canceling my reservation and wouldn’t honor it. I’d booked two weeks earlier and the hotel had confirmed, but suddenly I was left scrambling. The only rooms I could find then cost more than double, and I couldn’t attend the competition. That meant a lot to me because work keeps me from going to most of his events. I’m a single mother, and my job approved my time off at the last minute so I could go. My son was staying with another athlete at an approved competition hotel booked through a required link, so I needed somewhere nearby. This could have been avoided with better planning. Confirming a reservation and canceling at the last minute is unacceptable and extremely unprofessional. I hope the hotel improves its management so another family doesn’t have to go through this.

The front desk man was friendly and seemed to care, but the stay just wasn’t good. We came to Houston for a concert less than two miles away, and the venue’s website listed this hotel under accommodations. The photos looked charming, so my friend and I were excited to stay. They put us in a standard room instead of the suite we’d booked, and there were stains on the bedding. After we moved, our room was at the back, facing boarded-up homes. My friend got a migraine while we were out and came back. We were catcalled in a way that really unsettled us. We’re from Baltimore, so catcalling isn’t unusual to us, but this felt different. Then we saw that the deadbolt didn’t work and the door bowed inward instead of closing flush with the frame. We realized the property also operates as a hostel under a different website, Google bposhtels Houston, and decided to leave for another hotel. They wouldn’t refund us, so we’ll probably have to dispute the charge with the credit card company. This property has a lot of work to do.