Sonesta Hotel Houston IAH Airport

On the third morning, we went downstairs for our event breakfast and got treated rudely again. My son and husband were getting drinks while my daughter and I started our plates. I told the employee at the buffet I was handing in four tickets for our family and pointed out the two of them at the drinks station. He looked over and said OK. When they came to get food, that same employee started harassing them. The night before, it took 20 minutes to get one mixed drink at the bar. Nobody was seated there, and one table had just closed their tab. The bartender was nice enough, just incredibly slow. At breakfast on day two, our room block included breakfast again, and neither the front desk nor our event host gave us special instructions. We went to the restaurant at 7 a.m. with our vouchers. An employee about ten feet away started yelling, “What are you doing, this breakfast isn’t for you! Your breakfast is downstairs at 8am!!” It was embarrassing and unprofessional. We were doing what we had done the previous year because nobody had told us things were different. Since I already had food and my husband and son had drinks, the restaurant manager let us stay and finish, but the same employee kept staring rudely and trying to clear our plates before we were done. During the first night, at 7 p.m., someone else was assigned to our occupied room after their AC went out. They’d even been given key cards. How does that happen? Check-in was easier this time, but my request for a low floor was ignored again. They had a room available and could easily have reassigned us, so it was just annoying. The room had no phone. The toilet kept running off and on the whole stay, and I worried it might overflow. The remote needed batteries. After I asked the front desk, maintenance came by and mansplained how to use it. I knew how; the TV only responded if you hit the back of the remote first, which usually means the batteries are dying. He left without replacing them. When the AC was on auto, the fan never came on, leaving the room hot and humid. We had to keep it on high to stay comfortable and below 76 degrees. There was nowhere to throw away trash except the small bathroom-sized bins, and there wasn’t a larger can on our floor. I left a bag outside the room, but it was never collected. I wasn’t going to walk around the hotel carrying trash to find a proper bin. We heard gunshots nearby at least ten times over three days and two nights. A whole wall in the entryway was covered in mold. Unless there are vast improvements, this was our last stay.

We paid in full online ahead of time, but when we arrived, they said they had no rooms left. Why confirm and charge a reservation, then tell guests there’s nowhere for them to stay? There was no real help, accountability, urgency, or proper customer service. They sent us to a different hotel that clearly wasn’t the same quality or value as the one we had paid for. It felt like they’d taken our money and pushed us aside. We didn’t get a refund or any compensation for the trouble. Being stranded after traveling, with a confirmed room and nowhere to stay, was frustrating and stressful. The whole thing felt unprofessional. I wouldn’t recommend this place if you expect a paid reservation to be honored.

With a 6:00 a.m. flight the next morning, the hotel situation left my wife, child, and me stressed and with little to no sleep. We waited nearly an hour with hardly any updates before anyone offered a solution. We’d arrived at Sonesta Hotel Houston IAH Airport with a confirmed reservation, booked and fully paid through the Hopper app. Confirmation: XW5KL5S8WQKX, Reservation Code: 11793922. The staff said there were no rooms available. We contacted Hopper right away, and they sent us back to the hotel for help, but the front desk was vague and unhelpful. We’re extremely confused and frustrated that our paid, confirmed room could have been given away.

Angel at the lobby was especially kind and attentive, and really went out of his way. His service made a big difference during my visit. Wendy, Gislaine, Jaime, and the rest of the restaurant team were consistently warm, professional, and welcoming too. Thanks to all of them for making my stay so pleasant and comfortable.