Champions Club and Hotel, Houston Westchase

This hotel offers a unique experience, primarily defined by its integrated poker club, which serves as a central hub for entertainment and activity. Guests consistently highlight the hotel's commitment to security, ensuring a safe environment, though this involves regular checks upon entry. The accommodations are frequently praised for their cleanliness and modern aesthetic, reflecting recent renovations. The staff receives widespread acclaim for their exceptional friendliness and helpfulness, contributing significantly to a positive stay. The on-site dining options are also a notable feature, with many guests commending the quality of the food and beverages. This hotel is particularly well-suited for poker enthusiasts who appreciate the convenience of having gaming facilities within the same building. It also appeals to cruisers seeking a comfortable pre-voyage stay due to its convenient location near Galveston, and foodies who can explore the nearby culinary scene or enjoy the hotel's highly-rated restaurant. To ensure a smooth experience, guests should be prepared for the security screening process upon each entry and consider requesting a room away from the main poker area if sensitive to noise.

Facilities & Amenities
The hotel's most prominent amenity is its integrated poker club, which provides a lively atmosphere and is a major draw for many guests. While there is a pool available, some visitors have noted it can be small or appear less maintained, though others found it a memorable highlight. A fitness center is on-site, described as decent for guest use. Connectivity is provided through Wi-Fi, though feedback on its reliability is mixed, with some experiencing poor signals. The bar and lounge area are frequently praised for their pleasant ambiance and quality drinks, offering a relaxing space. Guests can also enjoy chess and other board games in the lobby. However, several guests reported issues with the elevators, noting they can be slow or out of service, requiring the use of stairs. Parking can be challenging, with limited space often leading to guests using a gravel lot, and some finding the valet service expensive or inconvenient due to poker player priority. A common complaint is the absence of a microwave in the rooms, and the televisions are often cited for freezing or having limited channels.

Cleanliness & Room Comfort
Guests consistently commend the hotel for its exceptional cleanliness, frequently describing rooms as spotless, modern, and recently renovated, contributing to a fresh and welcoming atmosphere. The beds are widely praised for their comfort, ensuring a restful night's sleep, complemented by soft linens. However, feedback on bathroom conditions is mixed; while some find them clean, others report issues such as mold, chipping paint, clogged tubs, or dated fixtures, and occasional unpleasant odors. Room ventilation can be a concern, with some guests noting rooms feel stuffy. Noise levels vary, with some visitors mentioning sounds from the poker tournament announcements, street traffic, or even barking dogs, which can occasionally disturb rest. The lack of a microwave in the rooms is a recurring point of inconvenience for many. Additionally, the in-room televisions are frequently cited for technical issues, including freezing screens and limited channel selection, impacting the entertainment experience.

Dining & Food Quality
The hotel's on-site dining options receive widespread acclaim for their exceptional quality and variety. Guests frequently describe the food as awesome, excellent, and delicious, highlighting a gourmet culinary experience. Specific dishes such as chicken egg rolls, New York strip steak, bah mi burgers, Brussels sprouts, salmon, and crab cakes are singled out for their outstanding taste and presentation. The bar and lounge area are also highly rated, offering a pleasant ambiance and well-crafted drinks, including popular cocktails like the Old Fashioned. While room service is available, some guests have noted minor inconveniences with the ordering process or the delivery of food in styrofoam containers rather than traditional plating. The overall consensus, however, points to a high standard of food preparation and a satisfying culinary experience, making the hotel's restaurant a notable highlight for many visitors.

Location & Accessibility
The hotel boasts a highly convenient location, particularly for those interested in exploring the local culinary scene, as it is situated very close to Chinatown and Vietnamese Town, offering numerous dining opportunities. Its proximity to the Beltway feeder and easy access to major highways make it a practical choice for navigating the city and reaching various destinations. Many guests find it an ideal stopover for trips to Galveston, being less than an hour's drive away, which is especially beneficial for cruise travelers. While the hotel's immediate surroundings are generally considered safe due to robust security, some guests have noted the area can appear a little sketchy. There are also mentions of significant traffic during peak afternoon hours and ongoing construction nearby, which can occasionally impact accessibility. Additionally, the lack of dedicated sidewalk access can make walking to nearby restaurants challenging.

Staff & Service
The hotel staff consistently receives high praise for their exceptional friendliness and professionalism, significantly enhancing the guest experience. Many visitors highlight the attentiveness and helpfulness of the front desk team, ensuring a smooth and welcoming check-in and check-out process. The security staff are also frequently commended for their polite demeanor and efficiency, contributing to a strong sense of safety. While most interactions are positive, some guests have reported communication issues among staff, leading to minor inconveniences such as housekeeping disturbing guests who had arranged for late check-outs. Housekeeping services are generally good, though a few instances of missed cleanings or inconsistent towel changes have been noted. Despite these occasional lapses, the staff's overall commitment to providing excellent service and their willingness to resolve issues, such as adjusting late check-out fees, are recurring themes in guest feedback.

Additional Information
A distinctive aspect of this hotel is the mandatory security check process upon every entry, involving metal detectors and bag inspections, which, while ensuring a very safe environment, some guests find intrusive or inconvenient. This rigorous security is largely due to the integrated poker club on the ground floor, which appears to be the primary focus of the establishment, attracting a specific clientele. The hotel is pet-friendly, accommodating guests traveling with animals. Some visitors have noted issues with in-room phone service, making it difficult to reach hotel staff directly from the room. The property itself is a renovated older building, previously a different hotel, which has been updated to a modern aesthetic. Isolated incidents of a large deposit hold on accounts without prior notification and temporary power outages have also been reported by a few guests.