As far as airport hotels go, the Marriott IAH (Houston Intercontinental Airport) is one of the best – at least in terms of overall location. As you will see below, I don’t recommend staying here for the vibe. It’s all about convenience and easy access to the airport. Nothing more.
A full review of my 1 night stay at the Marriott IAH Hotel
So what’s the deal with the cheesy decor in airport Marriott hotels? I’ve stayed in many of their airport properties over the years, and the vibe in each and ever one of them has been very “1970s” – right down to the orange and brown accents against dull beige walls.
I always thought that it was because they were trying to keep things on a budget. However, I think my stay at the one at IAH has led me to believe that they are doing this on purpose. The decor was exactly the same as all the rest, and I’m sorry, but everything just looked so dated.
FYI, this hotel is located adjacent to the terminal buildings, and is easily accessible from any of them via an underground walkway and tram (very similar to ATL).
Arriving at the hotel
The underground tram at IAH with a convenient stop at this hotel
The registration desk (it wasn’t fancy). I was basically getting pumpkin spice vibes right off the bat.
The view of the main lobby from the front desk looking the other way
The main lobby seemed overly dark, dreary, and…orange! For what it’s worth, I got the exact same vibes at the Courtyard Marriott at the Calgary Airport as well.
Every singe staff member I encountered was very welcoming and friendly – everyone seemed to put on a pretty good act that led me to believe that they truly loved their jobs. Even the staff of the restaurant on the top floor was on thier best behavior – it was a very cheerful environment.
Getting to my room
So let’s continue with the pics, shall we? For reference, my room was in the south tower – not the north (where the registration desk is located).
More orange accents in the hallway leading to my room
The door to room 5160 (my room for the night)
Inside the room
The decor of the room wasn’t as bad as the rest of the hotel – it was big, bright, and open.
Well, I guess things wouldn’t be complete without an orange chair, right?
The desk was nice and big – looked like a good place to get some work done.
The bed. Standard issue Marriott. I’m going to refrain from saying anything worse, since I have stayed in dumpier-looking airport hotels than this before. If you’re curious to see something worse, check out my Miami International Airport Hotel review (if you dare).
Night stand next to the bed
I like the “boob” light. Nice touch.
The bathroom
Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything special about the bathroom. Not much better than what you’d find at many lower quality hotels.
This vanity is in dire need of an update. It was clean, but very dated. BTW, what is it about Marriott and their dated bathrooms? The Dulles Airport Marriott isn’t any better.
Standard-issue shower – nothing fancy! Despite how plain this is, I’m glad that some of my more recent Marriott stays have given me hope that they care more about bathroom design these days. Check out my San Francisco Waterfront Marriott review to see what I mean…
Complimentary Thann amenities in the bathroom.
The view of the airport
One of the best things about this hotel was how close it is to the terminals. For aviation geeks like me, it doesn’t get much better. This is a very good spotting and photography hotel, provided you get a top floor room in the south tower. I guess I just got lucky, because I didn’t even ask for a room with a view.
Awesome view of the terminals from my room. Even better than the view I had at the Marriott connected to the Calgary Airport!
The food
And no worries if you aren’t interested in airplanes – the windows are very well soundproofed, and aircraft noise was not an issue for this light sleeper.
Dinner in the hotel restaurant was pretty good. I started out with some fresh chips and salsa…
…and then I finished it off with some grilled salmon. Pricey, but good (and a weird combination, I know).
Going back to the airport
The next morning, getting back to the terminal was easy – the train stops right at the hotel.
I have to admit that this train was a bit creepy – it was small and cramped, and only about 4 people could fit comfortably in each car. Good thing it was empty this morning.
Final thoughts
Aesthetics aside, I enjoyed my stay here quite a bit. The location just can’t be beat if you’ve arrived on a late flight or you’re departing early in the morning. Would I stay here again? Absolutely!
