Even though there’s bad news, read down to the good news as well. The bad news: Whenever someone above my room, #307, used the shower, the pipes made a really loud noise -- like the sound of 3 or 4 washing machines filling up with water. Luckily, this happened only when I was awake! The $11 buffet breakfast was disappointing and there wasn’t another restaurant nearby. (I bought juice and packaged muffins at the big-store pharmacy up the street and didn’t regret it). The curtains in my room were gapped at the edges so the sun shined in early in the morning, awakening me. Starting on the second day, I pulled the curtain across the gap, and onto the wall and secured it there by propping the desk chair against it. Problem solved! The hotel location, though central -- see “the good news” -- is in an uninteresting part of downtown surrounded by an old department store, vacant lots, old characterless buildings and modern high-rises which have nothing but barren lobbies (no shops or restaurants). Accordingly, the neighborhood has the perpetual feeling of a large city at 7 o’clock on a Sunday morning: there’s virtually no pedestrian traffic, no street vendors, etc. The only people you’ll come across are those waiting for buses and an occasional homeless person. The front desk personnel, though friendly, weren’t terribly resourceful. None could tell me which terminal building at Hobby airport my airline left from and there was no listing on the hotel’s computer of airline phone numbers or airport layouts. They did not have a “business” phone book so they couldn’t look up my airline and they didn’t call directory assistance for me. One clerk said the terminal was #2, another said “A” and a third said “A” or “C”. (As it turned out, Hobby has only one terminal building -- and one entrance. The airlines are on different concourses within the one terminal. Mine was on “A”). It seemed odd that the desk clerks didn’t know this.

Now, the good news... The location is right in the middle of EVERYTHING. I had no car and was able to get to and from the airport (express bus #101 for Hobby and #102 for Bush), to the Nasa Space Center (Bus #246), and to Westheimer/Montrose and the Galleria (Bus #82), These buses picked up and dropped off within 3 blocks of the hotel. I also went to the Museum district -- don’t miss the natural science museum -- (5 stops south on the ‘above ground’ Metro train that you pick up diagonally across the street (at the intersection of Main Street) from the hotel and get off of (in the northbound direction) 2 blocks up Main Street. The teeth-rattling downtown nightlife area (clubs, restaurants, theatres, etc) was the diametric opposite to the feel of the neighborhood around the hotel and is accessible via the same train going north 1 stop (pick it up 2 blocks up Main Street). Riding all of these routes costs a total of $2/day by buying a ‘day pass’ from any bus driver or from the metro train station platform. (The passes run a full 24 hours from the minute you buy them). There are no maps to navigate, no parking fees to pay, no gasoline to buy and no hassle picking up and dropping off a rental car. The entire cost of transportation for my 5-day trip: $10 ! Note: print out the schedules at Houston’s “ridemetro” website (along with a route map that shows where the bus lands near the hotel). The hotel had some nice amenities: nice rooms, each with a loveseat and desk, a 3rd-floor pool and sun deck for relaxing, swimming, sunning and snacking, a small fitness center, new business center with 24-hour internet access, complimentary in-room high-speed hookup for your laptop, 24-hour mini food mart adjacent to the front desk with snacks and drinks at reasonable prices. The room had an ironing board and iron as well as a hair dryer. I was able to get a late checkout (2 pm) and that was handy. All in all, I would return to the Marriot Suites Downtown but maybe pick a room without the possibility of loud “shower noises”, My rate which I booked with Marriot directly was $66 when I mentioned the “AAA card”. Some suggestions, if you go to the Natural Science Museum (don’t miss it!), don’t forget to show your “AAA card” and save more. Also, skip the museum’s MacDonalds and walk the 2 blocks to the Fine Arts Museum and take the steps down to the “Cafe Express” -- affordable, gourmet fast food and well worth the walk.