Hotel ICON, Autograph Collection Review

Tldr; Hotel Icon is a scheming company, billing was a nightmare, staff is uncaring, building is overhyped and moldy.

I had my wedding here on the balcony in the penthouse suite and it was beautiful. Gilberto and his team did great at setting up for the ceremony and serving my guests for dinner. Those were the only good parts.

Upon arrival, I had to wait in my car for 15 minutes for valet to move all the cars so we could be assisted. Then, it took another 15 minutes to get a luggage cart to move our items to our room. Upon entering the hotel, it smells of mildew, and messed with my allergies. We ordered bottled water and for 12 bottles it came out to $48. When it was time to leave the hotel the bellhop dropped our stuff when loading it onto the cart and damaged some of our belongings. The front desk staff charged the wrong card even though they were told to put it on a particular card. Hotel Icon added so many pending charges to my account that drew us into the negative. The charges fell off but still messed us up for a couple of days.

Just when I thought it was all over, we were charged, on the wrong card, again. I spoke with Kia, who is very unprofessional, smug, and had no intentions of helping me. Turns out, she quoted me a price lower than what it should have been. So, they ended up charging us for services I was already told that I paid for in the initial quote. It is not my fault that she can't add right but they still made me pay. Hotel Icon is very deceptive and ultimately stole money from me.

Stayed for 4th of july, was told multiple times the balcony was open for fireworks gazing. Checking in, was told the balcony is private and can only be sold via sales and is off limits. The rest of the hotel is good

Beautifully decorated. The lobby is very welcoming and the bar area has a lot of seating to enjoy a drink or food. The location is perfect. Tons of bars and restaurants surrounding it. Parking is valet only. The views from the rooms make for great pictures. The hallways and elevators are all very unique with the original charm still shining through.

Great location, good starting point to explore the city. The building is a former bank!

Wonderful as always. Beautiful hotel, great bar and lovely drinks

Nice hotel. We got an executive suite for the weekend. Room had 1 bathrooms and a 1/2 bath nice large stand up shower garden style tub. View of downtown Houston and a nice staff

I was expecting better from this hotel. Its an old hotel, they should do better with the upkeep of the rooms etc and service in restaurant.

Wonderful hotel in older but updated building. Wifi in room is excellent. Staff has been very helpful. Close to Metro.

Unique hotel with a little charm. Rooms are fantastic and each room has a jetted spa. Love staying here when I come to Houston for work.

Worst hotel I ve ever stayed in by far! Got in lastnight and wanted to take a Luke warm bath.. said no one ever apparently hotel icon has never heard of hot water! Couldn t even shave my legs for fear of razor burn! I then go to get in bed and I like to have pitch black darkness which is again something this hotel couldn t provide with four uncovered circle windows above the other windows. Did I mention I was in a penthouse suite with these problems? Want to do the breakfast buffet? $20 per person to have pancakes so hard you could chip a tooth? Then stay at the hotel icon. These are problems I ve had in a matter of 12 hrs I ve got another night here stay tuned.

Vallet service when we left was atrocious. Vallets and bellman watched us as we loaded our car and didnt once offer help. The room was disappointing considering it was a penthouse suite. The mattress was like sleeping on a rock and was really creaky. I could feel the springs in my ribcage. Wallpaper was peeling, whirlpool tub faucets need maintenance, and general musty smell. Stephanie with room service was excellent, though!

This magnificent hotel is perfectly located in the Downtown area with many eateries at walking distance. The long history certainly makes this an interesting stay BUT this hotel is not without flaws.

The first thing we experienced was difficulty at connecting to the internet and it required several calls and maintenance guy to show up.
The shower was another problem, the temperature would fluctuate every 30 seconds without adjusting any knobs.

There is also a lack of self parking as the hotel only offers valet parking.

The night was certainly interesting as we experienced several noises that were out of place which is understandable due to the buildings extensive age and troubled history.

Hotel icon is definitely a place to stay if you're looking to experience a bit of classic Houston but not if you're looking for modern amenities.

Beautiful hotel!!! I would definitely stay here again. They were friendly and helpful. The breakfast isn't free but it was delicious.

Parking was easy with valet. Hotel desk and staff were all courteous and polite. The lobby and general feel of the hotel was very welcoming. Room was in excellent condition and very clean. 5 stars. Would definitely stay again.

An absolutely gorgeous hotel built upon what once was a large bank. As an autograph hotel it meets high standards for service and quality accommodations.

You will not regret having chosen to stay here for business or pleasure.

Used their valet parking. Great guys and nice service!

This is "The Hotel" to impress that special someone in Your life...with access to nice bars and restaurants in downtown Houston...right near the hotel...and don't miss the Sunday Brunch...it's worth the price!

A beautiful boutique hotel.. One of my favorite hotels in Houston

Nice, boutique hotel. Could use some improvement on restaurant and bar service, notably being open when advertised as open.

Always good to be in presence of their extremely professional environment.

Amazingly beautiful hotel, definitely aesthetically pleasing! The vintage look, decor and ambiance are wonderful. My views from both the room and even bathroom windows were fabulous! I was also very pleased with the short wait time for valet to retrieve my vehicle throughout my week-long stay. Housekeeping left much to be desired and the valet customer service was blah except at departure. My check-in experience was dissatisfying as I wasn't told anything about the hotel, such as the Happy Hour and Spa information. This was my first stay, so that would have been helpful. I was at the Magnolia for two weeks and loved their service, although I prefer the rooms here. This is steps above Le Meridien though. I was greeted by staff each time I passed the front desk, so that was a plus. I will return for sure. UPDATE: Second week-long stay and valet service was great. I was able to go green and get extra perks for it. At check-in I was welcomed as an elite member and they accommodated me despite an issue with the corporate card I was using. The views from my 11th floor room were stellar. The only downside was the day I actually wanted housekeeping service, I did not get it. After 3 days of collecting food and sleeping on the same linens (which, yes, I do at home but that's the benefit of not being at home), I needed a change. That little slight is what cost this hotel a star.

An excellent place, high quality and a relaxed atmosphere.

This hotel still has all the charm from when it was built as a bank in the early 1900s. The rooms are surprisingly spacious for a building of its age and the in room hot tubs are a nice touch.

Love the Autograph collection hotels. There's a feeling of nostalgia for the way things were with a hint of glamor and elegance. It's not for anyone who likes all new and modern but it you have an appreciation for old school you will love it. The staff and management team are great and understand service.

Junior suites did not have robes in room as website stated
The beds are very hard had to sleep on couch. There are no extra throws or blankets in room no vending machines so a snack or soda late night

Comfortable hotel right next to market square park. Convenient access to the rail. Free wifi. However, rooms sometimes feel dates and with my room right next to the rail I could hear the trains go by at night.

Stayed here for the Houston half-marathon and loved it! I'll be back!
Overall summary: Valet, check-in, restaurant wait staff, and housekeeping were all fantastic. Hotel ICON is keeping customer service alive and well.
The location is fantastic, nearby great restaurants and bars, Metro rail is right outside the door, and the hotel offers a FREE shuttle to anywhere in downtown Houston.

Only negatives: walls were slightly thin, as I could hear neighbor's TV, and no microwave in the room.

No idea why other folks rate this property so high.

Hugely disappointing experience. I am in Room 702. First and foremost, the front desk refused to acknowledge that I had a kind bedroom booked. Secondly they kept trying to oversell so that I upgrade to a better room with more money. Third despite my only request for a quiet room, they gave me a room right next to elevators. The door has big gap underneath (picture attached) and you can hear everyone passing by and talking while waiting for the elevator. The walls are also thin and you can hear next door guests.

The worst : at 1:20am, I was woken up by a loud noise, most likely coming through plumbing. This can t be a one time feature and I can bet this is a recurring feature. I wish I could attach the voice file because I recorded it. The noise continued for 15 minutes. Given I was startled and woken up from deep sleep, I couldn t go back to sleep. The front desk was impolite and told me they will have it checked next morning.

A terrible experience. This is old run down building. DONT STAY HERE! Find a better property.

Definitely one of the better Marriott properties here in downtown Houston. I really enjoyed their breakfast buffet ($19 per person), and their rooms are very nice, but the bathroom is amazing. It s literally half the size of the room but it has a very Parisian feel to it. Excellent water pressure, comfy beds, not much else needed

We've stayed here numerous times. Great location for walking to bars and restaurants.

It is a cute idea, but everything feels a bit dated, and not in the nostalgic way. Also the internet didn't work for the entire time if my stay.

It looks really fancy and pretty I would love to live in that hotel!

We visit once or twice a year. Our favorite downtown spot. Walking distance to downtown nightlife.

Very nice hotel! The rooms are decorated with charm and filled with character. We stayed in a king room. The bed was very comfortable. The shower had too notch water pressure. We enjoyed breakfast on Saturday and Sunday. As a Marriott Platinum member, the breakfast was free. There was a nice omelette bar and great options in the buffet. I'm not sure I would've paid $20 for it, but as a free perk it was nice. The gym downstairs is better than your average hotel gym. There was a Smith rack which was a big plus.

It was a pretty nice boutique hotel. Loved the historic modern feel yet still luxurious. I was there to set up for our annual company chrismas party and the service was great. THE event coordinator was easystem to work with and they were very accommodating. The ballroom where the party was held was decorated perfectly and as requested and more. The food was hot and just the options we dicussed and previously chose. The valet was very helpful and prompt to help. THE staff was great. All and all it was a beautifully put together event and all was well. We even have some people who stayed overnight and check in was excellent. Only thing I could say are the elevators were very small probably older so there was very slow elevator call times. Only two elevators and a nice antique moder winding stair case leading to the 2nd floor.

BED BUGS

We attended the World Robotics Championship during the week of April 17 - April 23, 2017. We had rented a total of five different rooms to have four kids per room. . I shared a room with two additional mothers and the morning after the first night in hotel room #302 we discovered was infested with bed bugs. Both beds were full of them. They immediately sent a repair man up who had claimed they never had bed bugs (not true). He then tried to tell us we had only one and that was not a problem. I showed him multiple ones in the bed and then he finally agreed that there was a problem. Next, the manager of housekeeping came up. During this horrific experience she was the only one who went above and beyond. She was amazing. She took all of our clothes, shoes & suitcases to have them dry cleaned and fumigated. They moved us rooms and put us into a smaller room which at that point I requested at least a comparable or larger room They did NO upgrade. Over the next two days the manager of the hotel did not reach out to us one time. We finally approached him in a manner to keep this under wraps. We requested an incident report which they agreed. After a couple of days Mitchell said that they would comp us two nights and the most ridiculous part of the situation is they were willing to comp us the two cheapest nights of the stay. After saying that was not acceptable they finally refunded only the one room but were still required to pay the ridiculous parking fees. Since the incident I have taken many precautions to not bring these home with me and I am now covered in bites. Not sure if it is coincidence but the manager will not call us back and they will not provide the report. Keep in mind that we had four additional rooms that cost us approximately $9000.00 for the stay. We were trying not report this but because the hotel is not willing to provide us a simple incident report I will share our experience on social media. Horrible experience and horrible unacceptable follow up.

Love the bathtub in the suite, spacious room, comfy bed, sofa bed in the living room, beautiful room setting, reminds me of an Italian style, may not be a style of someone prefer a modern look, but I enjoyed my stay.

The staffs took measures to make sure guests felt safe here and super clean in our room. The Marriott Bonvoy standard, no less.

Thank you for the upgrade! A nice gym too...

On the down side this was a busier hotel, especially the lobby, I guess quite a few evacuees staying here too... So the lobby got crowded to navigate... it once in our suite, it s safe and quiet.

Room was not as advertised. Pics are decieving. Prolly cuz I bought on hotel tonight. Also 35 for parking. Go somewhere else

The hotel at large was nice enough, but the bed was bad. It was an innerspring with at least one broken spring and was just generally not what you expect from a hotel at this price point especially considering how many options are in the area.

Stayed here for Thanksgiving. The hotel is beautiful and located near a bunch of fun bars in downtown. However, I was not overly impressed with this place, which is disappointing considering it was a 4 star. We stayed in one of their 4 executive suites, room 1202, and were very disappointed by the housekeeping services, but more so with the fact that we could hear the hum of the elevator all day and all night long. It seriously was very bad. I used ear plugs, headphones, and even resorted to downloading a white noise app at like 3 am, but could still hear it. It got less annoying around midnight when people stopped using it. But it picked right up at 6 am on the dot. No sleep. Horrible. Housekeeping took our towels the first night but failed to replace them. When I called down to the front desk they assured me they would be brought up...an hour later, I couldn't wait any longer and ended up using hand towels to dry myself off....not fun. Plus, they didn't replace our coffee or change out our glasses. These are pretty basic housekeeping things....not impressed for the money we paid for a "suite." We had family in another room on the 6th floor and they noticed a moldy smell in their room. To be fair, Houston is very humid, so I can't really comment on whether this is normal or not. Their king size room was nice when we visited them. The bar closes at 11 PM, but the bartender, Elizabeth, was awesome. The breakfast is totally not worth $19, as there is a cute cafe across the street for less money. So, all in all, some good and some bad. But ultimately, if you can avoid staying in room 1202, you should enjoy your stay.

This hotel is gorgeous! Friendly staff and the rooms are comfortable. Close to everything. Loved our stay!

We had a great stay, the staff was more than accommodating to all of our requests. Beautiful hotel, stylish decor. Hotel was very clean and following sanitation and social distancing policies. Our bed was comfortable and the room was nice and cold, the blackout drapes were a plus! The bathroom was beautiful, awesome jet tub and large glass walk in shower. Great views from our room. Top notch bars and restaurants within walking distance all around. Valet service was top notch and they had our vehicle ready quickly. We will definitely visit again! Looking forward to trying the lobby bar since it was closed for covid.

The Valet and Baggage guys really were the highlight of the experience for my Bride & myself. They were prompt, professional, sincere & were willing to go that extra mile without being solicited to do so. The rooms were clean, but lacked some of the things you'd expect out of a 4 star hotel. (i.e. Microwave & extended hour room service) Nevertheless, the place was cleaner than average and overall it was a pretty good stay.

Easy to get to. Very clean room. Felt very luxurious. We would definitely stay here again on a future visit to Houston.

Beautiful, unique hotel with comfortable rooms and courteous service.

It's a cool old bank building that's been converted to a hotel. The corner room I was in was spacious and the bathroom was nice with dual heads, a rainfall shower overhead and the normal fixture; good water pressure. The one downside was a musty smell and that just comes with the territory of older buildings in a high humidity environment like Houston. I'd stay here again.

The Hotel ICON is one of the friendliest places I have ever been from the beginning to the end. The staff is always smiling and always looking forward to helping me with everything.

This hotel is one of a kinda from the classic styling of the early 1900's to the helpful staff. I would have expected much less quality for such an awesome hotel. It had the most satisfying shower I had ever been in, the room was tip top clean and well outfitted and laid out. The only downside as the restaurant attached was nothing special at all but had so much potential. I will certainly stay there EVERYTIME I visit Houston!

Entire place had a professional feel to it. Valet was respectful and prompt, employees were kind and helpful, rooms were a suitable size. Would definitely return.

Photos are deceiving. I was very excited to stay at this hotel but it has been a nightmare. It is an older building so it has a ghostly vibe to it. It smells like mildew. Staff has tried multiple times to break into our room even though our do not disturb sign is on door and we have talked to multiple front desk members about not needing housekeeping. Staff makes up little sayings to cover for their actions like "oh, I thought it would be nice to bring you fresh towels." Why that would make sense after 1 night stay to bring a guest 3 new towels is beyond me.

Bathtub in the first room didn't work. Shower in the second only had scolding hot water.

Talked to a few other guests and they are stories are similar.

Everything was well cleaned and the employees were very friendly.

Fancy downtown hotel. All staff was very friendly and rooms were nice and clean.

Had dinner with a party of 5 and Stephanie was awesome. She gave the best service.

I swear this place felt haunted. I had two friends who stayed here and said it's haunted. I tried staying there brushing off first friend's comment.. and I couldn't. After going around bars in downtown, I thought it would just be convenient to stay there(where my friend was staying). I couldn't sleep there, my thoughts were like.. getting depressed and moody. And I don't drink or anything. So I left at like 4am because I couldn't sleep there. I was still so moody for few hours but felt better later on while at home and went to sleep at home. Then I had a terrible nightmares. I am not going to publish it but.. the first nightmare was bad.. worse than the second one. And I had no reasons to have nightmares like that. Sometimes when I sleep on my left side I have nightmares. I wasn't spooked by the hotel or anything at that time and nothing is stressing me out but that was my experience then the next day I googled and found that this hotel is in fact haunted and I wasn't the only or first one to have experienced something weird.

Beautiful hotel....... rooms are mesmerizing and trip to past days.......... even the restroom downstairs is iconic......... perfect name for the perfect hotel

Update: Spoke to Regina today. Apparently, I was getting transferred to the 1-800 line, not the correct people to speak to you. Today I had success and was able to get through to the right people, and they were very helpful.

I've been having an incredibly difficult time getting through to the appropriate group sales/reservations contact to discuss wedding blocks. I've called three times, been on hold for up to 30 minutes, and even have emailed twice over the past month. I keep getting transferred and transferred and transferred, but never end up speaking to the right person somehow. Quite frustrating! I'm thinking I will have to go in person to figure it out.

Just had my wedding here and it went fantastic! Michael McVey was outstanding in helping us put everything together! It was an amazing price for the value and quality of all that you are getting. I highly recommend that you at least check this place out. Here is a picture of how our evening looked! 10/10 Hotel Icon is our number 1 stop for any future events!

I haven't even stayed the full. Night yet, but I am blown away by the service, and spirit of the team here. I have worked with Marriott for 5+ years. This team should be made the model of Marriott's Service. Don't change a thing about your staff. I've never felt more at home.

Very nice bartender, good drink's, a little pricy but hotel in downtown.

Wonderful adaptive reuse. Very friendly staff. Quite an experience

Rooms are small and very clean and well maintained. HOWEVER the parking fee for guests is $33 a night! Wasn't expecting such a steep fee. Buffett for breakfast was average and $20 a person with a beverage deff not worth it.....

Great atmosphere. Walking distance from tons of entertainment and food.

Close to everything downtown, huge tubs and showers, good prices and good views!

The staff were friendly and helpful. The decor was nicely done, however the bed was extremely hard and uncomfortable. For a 4 star hotel, I would expect a comfortable bed. Be aware that there is no self-parking and parking costs $33 per day.

Beautiful and close to everything. Spent anniversary here head a great time.

My first time here, for a wedding and I will definitely come back for a "staycation." The location downtown makes for challenging parking, so I used the valet. The ambiance is classic 1920-1950ish and I loved every aspect of it! There were fresh cookies and water/coffee to snack on and drink and the hotel staff went above and beyond to make you feel welcomed and help you find your event. The ride on the elevator felt like a step back into the 20's. There was a host to push the button for you and call your floor, then the decor once you stepped off the elevator, was to die for! All I know is from beginning to end, my experience was AMAZING and I am definitely coming back!

Very good service, breakfast buffett had little selection and wasn't as good as the price for it might suggest

Super friendly and helpful staff. Very patient while addressing an issue we had with hotwire. The room was gorgeous and the lobby is fun to look at.

Loved it! The bathroom size, shower space, the tub felt relaxing. All the room space as well. Room service was good too. You can go out across the street to the bars and not worry about drinking and driving. Nice staff. Loved the environment and how everything is decorated. It smells really good after getting off the elevator on your room floor. Got the breakfast package vouchers and breakfast was good, really liked how it lasted till 11 unlike other hotels that only serve it until 9 or earlier. Did not disappoint me at all. My boyfriend loved it as well.

Hotel Icon is one of the most beautiful hotels in Houston. It is very unique and definitely matched our personality. We had our reception here and we couldn't have chose a better venue! Not only is it gorgeous, but the Vendors-Front desk, to chef, to coordinators, they are all so amazing. Each person I spoke with through the whole process of planning was so helpful, and kind. We were very pleased at Hotel Icon, and highly recommend it for events, weddings, and even for a nice weekend getaway!