I am staying at the hotel as I write this. Being a little bored, I decided to see what Trip Advisor was saying about this hotel. I'm thinking this old Holiday Inn is a little stale and I am shocked to read all of the glowing reviews. I can't point to any glaring flaws but I just don't see what others are writing about other than the truly great location from many of the hospitals. The front desk people and the bell staff were very helpfully. I think the staff is used to working with an older clientele. And this speaks well of the hotel.

We are Americans who live overseas and travel very frequently for both work and vacations. (about 60 nights a year between vacations and work spent in hotels). We generally stay at Starwood and Hilton properties but chose this hotel based on is proximity to MD Anderson and the size of the 2 bedroom suites.
Pros: Very friendly staff- the couple who run the restaurant are welcoming, cheerful and kind. The breakfast was hot and simple- bacon, eggs, variety of bread and fruit, cereal etc. When the toaster didn't work, one of the waiters cheerfully toasted my english muffin in the oven. The restaurant staff were gems and during this stressful visit to MD Anderson it was wonderful to be greeted so warmly each morning! The front desk staff were also helpful and kind. The location is excellent for the Texas Medical Center area and Rice Univ. We stayed in a 2 bedroom suite, and my in-laws stayed in the one bedroom suite. The 2 bedroom suite is quite large and has a decent sized living room and dining room table. The kitchen has a full sized refrigerator (very convenient!), a dishwasher, a microwave and 4 burners, dishes etc. (but no oven). There was a washer/dryer room that was also convenient to have for a long term stay. Room service was very reasonably priced and convenient for the family members of the patient!
Cons: SMOKEY! The entire hotel is non smoking but the elevators, the hallway to our rooms, and rooms smell like smoke (my eyes burned a bit in our room). We would have happily asked for a room change but we checked in quite late and were consumed with hospital visits immediately. When I did laundry on another floor the hallway did not smell like smoke so perhaps our floor (5th) was a smoking floor at one time... just a guess on my part though. Guests are allowed to smoke just outside the hotel entrance so the lobby smells of smoke.
Room furnishings and carpet are worn and tired looking- very much in need of updating. The rooms were clean but I did feel the need to wear slippers or socks when walking on the carpet-- just old and somewhat dingy.
The one bedroom suite did not have a "living room" area... just beds, a desk, a small refrigerator and microwave.
There are grocery stores and fast food restaurants in the area but a short drive away.
If the furnishings were updated and an area provided for the smokers that was away from the lobby, I would have given this hotel 4 stars.

This was a venue hotel for an event we were attending over the week-end. The location was chosen because of its location. The building and decor seem tired and old. The rooms were clean and spacious (with full kitchen) but were in dire need of updating. A few small things just bump this rating to average. We had 2 people in our room, and we were provided 2 bath towels and 1 face cloth. We were given more upon request, but why did we have to request them in the first place? Also the linens on the beds were of poor quality and the comforter was very scratchy. In addition, being downtown, there are office buildings near with their lights on. The windows had a SHEER covering on them, and the solid curtains on the sides were decorative, not functional (could not be pulled to block the light out). This bothered us a little and would certainly bother a person whop likes it dark when they sleep.

The dining options were over priced for what was offered (even with our "discount vouchers" so we were better off choosing from the many options near the hotel. The internet service was sketchy/inconsistent.

If this were not the sponsored venue hotel, we would not have stayed here. The staff was friendly/helpful enough. No major problems, but this hotel has only one thing going for it-location. It survives because of it. We were convenient to Rice University and the museums, so that does count for something.

We've been coming to Houston, to the M. D. Anderson cancer hospital from Alabama every 2 months for almost a year now. We stayed elsewhere several times and were never completely satisfied. We tried out the Holiday Inn and Suites about 4 months ago. We will be arriving there tomorrow for our third stay with them. It is far and away the cleanest, safest, best rooms we've found yet. The manager, Tom, (almost positive that's his name), is one of the friendliest businessmen we've ever met. A lady in the restaurant, Ms. Maria, is an absolute angel. The cleaning ladies are very respectful and so eager to please. The shuttle drivers go out of their way to please you. The desk people are so accommodating. We have found our home away from home. Our next trip will be for a month. And we will be staying there the whole time!