Marriott Texas Medical Center - Big Bucks for Convenience (Great Hotel W/O)
Written: Aug 20 '03
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Pros: location, access to Medecail Center, Rice, and Museum District
Cons: average lodging at premium price; expensive parking
The Bottom Line: You'll need "major-medical center insurance" to pay for parking at this, an average hotel in a great location.
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| scmrak's Full Review: Marriott Houston Medical Center |
Over the past few years I apparently spent about a third of my life in Houston, sampling many of the Bayou City's hotels in the process. If you've ever visited downtown Houston on business or for a convention at the George R. Brown Center, you may have noticed that the city's core doesn't have many hotels, at least when compared to other cities of its size. Over the years I've stayed at the Doubletree Allen Center, the Downtown Hyatt, and the Downtown Crowne Plaza; though I've never had the urge to shell out big bucks to stay at the Lancaster. Until the Hilton (at the moment under construction) is finished, though, downtown Houston will continue to have a paucity of hotel rooms. That doesn't mean there isn't any place to stay, though - the medical center is only about four miles away.
Featuring world-class medical care (Houston Methodist Hospital, M D Anderson Cancer Center, Baylor Medical School, the U of Texas Health Sciences Center, and the VA Hospital, among others), the Medical Center is best reached by following south Main or Fannin Street south out of downtown, past the Southwest and Gulf Freeways (US 59 and I-45) but inside the inner loop (I-610). On your way, you'll pass through the Museum District and skirt Hermann Park and Rice University. The University of Houston is but a few exits further from downtown (along I-45).
A cluster of hotels sits nestled among all those medical facilities, serving both the patient and university communities. Among them are a Holiday Inn, a Hilton, the Crowne Plaza Medical Center, and the Marriott Medical Center - my most recent abode in the neighborhood, although I've stayed at all four at one time or another.
The Marriott Complex
The Marriott is part of a complex of interconnected buildings sited between Fannin and Main Streets just south of University Boulevard; a traffic light on the south end of the complex is at Dryden Steet. A street-level entrance is located at Fannin and Dryden, or drivers may enter from the Scurlock Building's parking garage (more on that later). The two buildings are connected to Methodist Hospital by a walkway high above Fannin Street.
A modern lobby opens off the street entrance, done in brass and wood, with copious plantings. Elevators at the Main Street end of the lobby give access to the guest floors, restaurants, and meeting rooms; an escalator rises to the second floor where the Marriott's three restaurants are located. There's a fairly large gift shop opening off the lobby near the elevators.
Rooms
The twenty-eight story hotel has about 385 rooms, of which 21 are suites. My room was on the 26th floor - one of the two concierge floors. Concierge floor guest have keycard access to a lounge with coffee, business machines, and a large television; weekday afternoons the guests are treated to a happy hour with beer, wine, and hors d'ouevres - cheese, fruit, and a daily dessert. Concierge floor rooms are considerably more expensive than the rack rate - I only ended up there because all the near-downtown hotels were booked solid.
Given the small fortune I was paying for lodgings, the room wasn't particularly special. The usual amenities were supplied - hair dryer, board and iron, coffeemaker, a trio of telephones (two with dataport), clock radio and television. Besides the usual array of cable stations and on-demand movies, the television also offered a premium channel and a number of foreign-language channels (Univision, a French-language station, and an Arabic-language channel) - an international flavor one might expect for a hotel in this world-class medical center. Although not available in this property, some Marriotts now have high-speed internet access.
I found the quality of the furnishings sub-par for an expensive motel: besides the obligatory armoie/entertainment center, king-size bed with nightstands, and work area, there was also a rather cheap recliner, one that looked an awful lot like the one my Dad bought in about 1972. The room was, nevertheless quite clean, and always quiet, even though the hotel was full.
Guests have access to a small health club on the premises that includes a swimming pool and whirlpool; a full-line health club/spa in nearby. Golfers are within a long par five of the Hermann Park course (OK, more like half a mile), and runners will be pleased by the gravel path that surrounds Rice University, just two blocks away. They may not like the summer heat and humidity, though. Three restaurants take up much of the space on the second floor - a fancy-schmancy restaurant called Deerfields, an "American Grille" called Choron's, and Fannin's, the bar/lounge. I only ate at Fannin's, which serves a subset of the grill menu. Service was acceptable (though my waitress needs pronunciation help with "ciabatta"), but the room is rather small and smokier than I'd prefer for eating. Keep an eye out for scrub s-clad medical professionals on their lunch hour... Room service is available until the wee hours, at the usual suspect prices.
The Neighborhood
Besides the hospital complex, which covers a couple of square miles, the Marriott's near the museum district. Several art museums, IMAX, the Zoo, the Planetarium, and museums of health and science are clustered along Main and Fannin towards downtown. Rice, the University of Houston, Texas Southern University, and St. Thomas University are all nearby. The Compaq Center, Reliant Stadium, Minute Maid (formerly Enron) Field, and the Astrodome are all within striking distance. Most business conducted from this location is related to the medical profession, however there are some office buildings within a few blocks. Downtown offices are a ten-minute drive (depending on time of day).
For those of you who - like me - prefer to leave your hotel to eat, there are dozens of restaurants in Rice Village. This enclave of bars, shops, and restaurants runs several blocks east and north of the intersection of University and Kirby, less than a mile from the hotel. For a fun time, visit the Gingerman (on Morningside) or catch "really hard trivia night" at the Kelvin Arms. Groceries can be found west on Holcombe (Rice, Randalls, and Kroger). Closer to the hotel you'll find a Chipotle immediately across the street, and a Burger King and a Pizza Hut within two blocks at Main and Holcombe.
Driving?
I usually take surface streets to the area, but you can reach the Medical Center from US 59 or I-45 on the north or from I-610 on the south by taking TX 288, the South Freeway, to Holcombe Boulevard and then heading west. From downtown, just follow Main or Fannin southwest out of downtown. Streets in the hotel's immediate area, specifically Fannin, have been torn up for several years to construct a light rail line connecting downtown to the Reliant Park area. Traffic on that street has been nightmarish.
Parking's at a premium in the Medical Center area - many employees take a parking shuttle in from a lot that seems closer to the Astrodome than to the hotel. Guests may park in the attached garage, but unless they fork over $17 for valet parking, have no in-and-out privileges. My first night in the hotel I checked in at five and left for dinner at 7:30, spending $5 in the process - and another $10 to get my car out of hock the next morning. Since the hotel doesn't own the garage, you can't put the parking on your bill... After my first night, I parked in the surface lot across Main Street (behind the Hilton) for $3 overnight; daytime fees are considerably higher.
Since the Medical Center is only a few miles from Hobby Airport, the hotel has a shuttle service. Don't expect a shuttle to appear to pick you up at Bush Intercontinental, though - the 30-plus mile trip will have to be in a rental, by taxi, or in one of those "super-shuttles."
The Next-to-Bottom Line
At about $150 per night plus tax, my room was 'way overpriced - and I still had to pay to park my car. The typical room rate is less - but not that much less. Then again, all the hotels in the neighborhood are pretty pricey - even the nearby Holiday Inn (which is getting long in the tooth) is above average in price - though it does have free parking.
Overpriced, expensive parking, and just an average room are only barely offset by convenience and location. An average venue...
Fun Side Trip
Take University Boulevard west to Edloe Street (a few lights past Kirby and Rice Village), then turn right. Follow Edloe north to where it ends at Westheimer, where the River Oaks Nursery has its "zoo" of topiary animals spread across their front lawn and out into the median. Gigantic chia pets! You're also at the edge of Houston's "old money" neighborhood, with a Rolls Royce dealer and Roche Bobois Furniture...
note: This review is a submission in the Great Hotel Write-Off sponsored by the travel Category Leads lyagushka and SurgRN911, with an assist on the original concept by tombarnes. For more info, visit any of their profile pages. It ain't necessarily the hotel that's great, it's the writeoff!
Recommended:
Yes
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