Poor Location
From what I can tell, the only reason to stay at this hotel is to be positioned for an extremely early flight out of Houston Hobby airport (my reason) or because you missed a flight (as seemed to be the case with others in the check-in line). This is not a particularly bad Courtyard Hotel. I have stayed at better, but the interiors are relatively well maintained and clean. Parking in a surface lot is free. The front desk staff was not rude, but was not as courteous or helpful as I normally encounter in Marriotts and JW Marriotts (there is a Marriott right next door). The hotel has a cafe and lounge area which seemed to be fairly busy. The room itself was utilitarian but roomy. There is a pool, which judging by the number of people in swimsuits running up and down the hallways get a fair amount of use. The problem is the location. It is along I-45 in a "gritty" area of south Houston, near Hobby. The neighboring businesses are a jumble of pawn shops, instant-loan store fronts, half-abandoned strip malls, used car lots, discount motels, and strip clubs. I didn't see anywhere close by to have dinner, other than a donut shop and a BBQ restaurant a mile or so away -- but I could have missed the others because I honestly did not feel like exploring the neighborhood. My colleagues in the local office raised their eyebrows questioningly when I told them where I was staying and I later understood. Next time I am taking an early flight out of Hobby, I will just stay downtown (or elsewhere) and leave the hotel a little early.