Stayed at the Hilton with my spouse for a conference at one of the nearby hospitals. Arrived at the front desk at around 11 AM and was initially told that my room was not yet ready and was told by the lady at the front desk to return after 4 hours (!!!). This despite my being a member of the HHonors. Strike 1.
We decide to place our bags at the concierge and see where we can go. Since we decided against renting a car as the hotel informed us of a shuttle service to the nearby Rice Village and Galleria (HUGE mistake), we decided to try our luck with the former since it was closer. Before leaving, I attempted to push my luck with the front desk again, this time with a different person (Maria, bless her heart). THIS time she gave us an upgrade to a King Suite on the 18th floor, which was really nice and spacious. Two toilets also enhanced the convenience despite the fairly small ensuite bathroom. The bed was too soft for my preference, but comfortable nonetheless.
After settling in, we decided to check out the nearby Rice Village, which was quaint enough, for lunch and some window shopping. The lunch was forgettable (but that's for another review). Apparently, public phones are non-existent in the Medical Center district and I had to make an international roaming call from my mobile to the hotel for the shuttle pick up since they don't do regular rounds of the place.
Here's strike 2: We were informed (rather late) that the shuttle to the Galleria (singular) leaves ONLY if there are 3 or more people leaving so my wife had to take the cab. Looking at the signboard, nothing there states the 3 or more people condition.
During the conference, we also had to call from the Medical Center to the hotel since the shuttle apparently doesn't make regular rounds (unlike the Holiday Inn - Should have used my Priority Privilege). Myself and a delegation from Norway and India had to wait 3HOURS for the shuttle and only after a terse call to the manager!
Would I stay at the Hilton Medical Plaza again? Maybe, but only if I plan to rent a car!