I made a last-minute booking (for work) on Hotwire for two nights (a Thursday and a Friday) in Houston, in the Galleria area. Knowing that their "Rodeo" celebration was going on, and thusly expecting there to be little or no availability, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my inquiry returned a reservation at the Omni, easy access to 610. Upon arrival late Thursday evening, I was able to park in the garage near the entrance to the hotel, although there were only a few spaces left at that time. There is another garage available on the back side of the hotel, accessible by walking through the pool area. I actually enjoyed this walk on the two occasions that I had to park in the secondary garage - its well lit and I'm always up for a nice walk.

I checked in at the front desk with "Chris" , who was very courteous and personable. Clearly, this is an employee who enjoys his position (or at least he did on that evening, lol !). The lobby is nicely appointed, and there are several restaurants, a small gift shop, and a delightful pub.

I was assigned room 409, quite near the elevator. My room was more than adequate - very clean, two very comfortable queen beds, a television on a "movable" pedestal situated within the armoire, full mini bar, great bathroom toiletries, bathrobes, a great shower, and a great wi-fi internet connection. Several complimentary extras are available if you are a member of the Omni guest program. More than enough pillows on the bed, and for once, a thermostat that was amenable to doing my bidding ! I placed room service orders twice, and each time was great - the prices are what you'd expect for room service (it was after 11:30 pm, and I didn't feel like driving around, searching for a late night meal !).

Housekeeping was great, they checked in on me on Thursday evening, and of course, both mornings. On Saturday, I was completing some work in my room before heading to the airport, and Marya didn't even blink when I was still in the room at noon - she told me to take my time, that she would make mine the last room she did . . . She definitely deserved the extra tip that I left.

The outside grounds are nice as well - there is a multi-level pool area in the back, as well as tennis courts - great to just sit and relax, both day and night. The health club was more than adequate for quick workouts each morning - easily accessible with complimentary water.

Definitely a pleasant, if brief, stay. This is the third Omni that I've had the pleasure to visit, and wouldn't hesitate to do so again . . . .

My company based in Houston has a corporate rate here, recently changed from the Houstonian, and this was my first stay at this or any Omni. I was here for business and I had a great experience. I highly recommend joining their free Select Guest program. I did so before I arrived, and was pleased to find that gave me the ability to pick up my key from a select guest board immediately on arrival, a free beverage tray and paper delivered to me in the mornings, airline miles, etc. The room decor was comfortable and very clean and quiet. I loved the huge bathroom and the bed was as good as the heavenly beds most hotels tout these days.

My room overlooked the grounds and pool which are very nice. There is a nice pool with waterfalls and daily chair service and a black swan resides on in a the pond that is near the pool area.

I ate dinner one evening in their Cafe on the Green restaurant and enjoyed a perfect 4star quality filet mignon meal and glass of wine for $40 including tip - not a bad deal for a hotel by any means.

Most importantly, every single person I encountered at the Omni provided excellent, bend over backwards service with a smile. It was quite impressive!

The only potential negative is the parking. The self parking garage is right across from the entrance and is $9/night, which is not terrible. However on my 2nd night here, that garage was full and they directed me to another garage on the property. But after pulling in and seeing how far I would have had to walk in the dark, I decided against i, being a solo female traveler, and instead ponied up for the valet. However on review of my bill today, it does not appear I've been charged for any parking, so it would appear that you also don't have to pay for parking as a Select Guest either.

Overall, it was an excellent stay and I look forward to this being my home away from home whenever I head to Houston.

Our stay at the Omni was great. Check-in was smooth and the front desk agents were pleasant. We booked our room on Hotwire for a total of $99.00/night (including taxes, et. al.) compared to a rate of $159.00 before taxes that Omni offers on their website. Although the rooms are starting to show their age design-wise, the condition and cleanliness was excellent. The room was a standard room but it was quite spacious. The bed had about 10 pillows on it and it was super comfy.

The walls in our room provided good sound insulation. I was in the room and it was silent. I walked out into the hall way and the room had their door open and they were being quite loud. Going back in the room I could not hear anything.

The grounds at the omni were beautiful including shrubbery sculptures of swans and other things. There is a nice pool with many waterfalls and I saw one black swan on in a pond that is on site.

We didn't try any of the restaurants but we did go to the Black Swan nightclub in the hotel. It was pretty much a 30-40 crowd that night. We had a lot of fun. They let us charge the tab to our room.

My only complaint is the parking situation. Guests are charged $10/night for parking or $20/night for valet parking. There is a free parking garage, but be prepared to make about a 100 + yard walk towards the back of the hotel, where you then have to literally walk right through the middle of the pool area, up a couple of flights of stairs and in through the back entrance where you are welcomed by the gift shop. You then go through a couple of hallways and around a couple of corners to the lobby area. It is not a very welcoming feeling when you go that route. It's kind of like they are saying, "you don't really belong here if you can't pay for parking."

I try to cut corners where I can when traveling, and I didn't think that it was right that I was being charged to park even though I was a guest. However, next time I will probably just go ahead and pay for either the valet or regular parking. Especially if it is in the middle of summer. I would not want to be lugging bags in the Houston heat all that way. I would be sweating extensively by the time I made it to the hotel.

Overall, it was an excellent stay.

We enjoyed staying at the Omni. It is close to the Galleria. Rooms and bathrooms are large and comfortable. Staff was friendly and went out of their way to help us. The only problem was lack of parking.