Last night, my husband and I enjoyed the Romance package. The package included champagne and cheesecake, late checkout, roses on the bed and breakfast for $269. The valet were very attentive and quick. Check in was easy. The room was nice with a sitting area and two bathrooms. Although it was some areas that needed attention. The batteries in the remote were dead, the phone was dead, the toilet kept running and the breakfast was cold. However, the bed was so comfortable. We stayed in nice hotels in Houston such as Hotel Icon, Hotel Zaza and the like, but I feel the Alden is the middleman between the chain hotels and the luxury hotels. I was here on romantic stay, so I didn't want to spend my time complaining on the phone. But it was a little annoying. It wasn't an awful hotel experience, but it wasn't the most excellent I've ever had. At checkout, I told the lady that the breakfast was cold and she took off $30 which was nice. Will I come here again? Probably not.

I scheduled a weekend at the Alden to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Overall, the experience was excellent. The room was intimate and included a work desk, television and cd/dvd players. The bathroom was very nicely appointed. There was a hotel car service that was available to take us all over downtown. We ate dinner at the 17 located inside the hotel. The food and service were excellent. There was a great variety of uniquely presented food choices and everything we had was prepared perfectly. There was a wedding reception in the lobby on Saturday evening and there was a celebratory buzz with noise, but once in the restaurant it was quiet and intimate.

My girlfriend suprised me with an overnight stay for my birthday. We found the hotel staff nice and friendly. Valet parking is $25 a day with unlimited in/out privileges each day. They have a shuttle service available for area venues. My girlfriend purchased the "Romance package" to add to the occasion. The room had silk rose petals spread from the door and on top of the bed. A chilled bottle of champagne and a small plate of sweet treats awaited us upon arrival. The room was nice and comfortable. Only drawback was "street noise". Room service was prompt.

I just arrived at the Alden hotel. I have 30 minutes before I have to meet friends at Ginger Man in the village, and then dinner reservations at Spindletop. When we arrived at the Alden, the room's phone, refrigerator, shower, and iron were all broken. As I'm writing this, I'm still waiting for a new iron to be brought to the room so I can look presentable for my engagements this evening. As I've been waiting for a while for the iron, I may be forced to reschedule some of my plans. When I called and asked for an iron that worked, the person at the desk was extremely short and made it very obvious that she didn't like the fact that we called for a new iron. This is a "boutique, luxury hotel?"

I guess boutique and luxury are analogous to smug and rude.