Reviews & Ratings for Hotel Derek - Houston Hotels

02/27/12

Although a great stay, some minor flaws

by mdsibley

I just returned yesterday from a frequent weekend in Houston. I stayed at Hotel Derek this time which was the first in about 5 years. I remember when Hotel Derek was the place to stay because of its boutique status. The customer service was outstanding, but I was a little disappointed this stay. Although I rate a very good rating for it's uniqueness, it's a little outdated. Although the furniture and some slight renovations were done, there were a couple things that could be replaced...and those are in the bathroom. The bathroom we had needed some work. The lamp shade was dirty and dusty, the fluorescent light needed to be changed and the bathtub was old for the hotel. I noticed they got rid of those old tube tv's for LCD tv's, and the view from the room was spectacular. I still can't get over the customer service, they really make you feel important.

As for other reviews about bad smells, I completely disagree. In fact, I want to know what that smell is they have in the vents in the lobby. That smell is something I would love to have at my place!

If you are looking for a very trendy hotel with modern decor that has that boutique touch to it, then Hotel Derek is the place to go. Other than the bathroom, everything else is A+!

05/25/11

Thank you for a memorable anniversary!

by pj0522

My waife and I stayed at the Hotel Derek for our fifth anniversary and our stay was great. From the time we drove up to the valet til the time we checked out and drove off the property, the entire staff was friendly and courteous. The hotel overall was very, very nice, clean, and smelled like it had just been opened. Our room was spacious and comfortable. It felt as if I was staying at my own home, although our bedroom looks nothing like it. We were able to save on cab fare since they have a complimentary shuttle that runs until 11pm, and the driver was very friendly. He even asked us if we wanted to go somewhere else when he picked us up from our dinner location. Keep in mind though that the shuttle runs roughly about 3 miles frome the hotel so be aware of where you need him to take you. All in all we enjoyed our one night get away and will definately come and stay at the Hotel Derek again.

04/07/11

Great hotel BUT..

by GeorgeEvelyn1978

It's a great hotel but if any of you are looking to save some $$ then book it at goo.gl/FPxYD They have some of the best hotel deals on the web!

07/22/09

Very over priced

Contributor

The hotel is in a nice area but the rooms are old and over priced and the bar in it atracts a really bad crowed

10/23/08

Not what I expected

by younggiftednblack08

I am someone who spoiled myself by always staying in nice, trendy, and boutique hotels and living here in Houston I was intrigued by what I heard about Hotel Derek. My girlfriend and I decided one night to spend the evening out and made reservations to stay at the Hotel Derek. The lobby was very trendy and I must say I was somewhat impressed. However, it went downhill from there. After we got into the elevator, I could tell that the hotel had done a great deal of renovating. I applaud the effort but your guests should not be able to tell when you painted over something or covered something with wallpaper. I do not know if they had not finished their renovations but some things that obviously needed replacing were still in plain view. This continued even into our room. The furniture was okay but again it seemed as if they did not finish renovating the room. The window sill looked like it needed some work and there was also a vague musty smell to the room. Overall, I did not hate the hotel but it doesn't come close to comparing to the hotels with whom it competes. I would say check it out for yourself but Hotel Derek is definitely not the leader of boutique hotels in Houston.

• Pros: Lobby
• Cons: Looks like it was renovated to the untrained eye

05/06/08

husk of what it used to be...

by barrysanders

This restaurant was sold in October, 2007 and the new management is not nearly on the same level as the old, apparently. I ordered pepper steak medium-rare. It arrived well done and so I sent it back. It arrived a little bit rare and I had difficulty cutting it with a steak knife and even worse luck chewing it. The fingerling potatoes were obviously microwaved and tasteless. The cream/cognac sauce was lukewarm, slight, and entirely lacking in cognac or flavor, but had a plethora of stale, bitter store-bought peppercorns. Instead of this place, I'd look to see where the former head chef landed.

• Pros: close to Derek hotel
• Cons: food was horrible and overpriced

05/05/08

Trendy yet highly sophisticated?

by TinaHornish

I recently spent two nights at the Hotel Derek and thoroughly enjoyed my stay. To start, the hotel is located at 'main and main' in the Galleria, just a short walk or drive from the mall. Upon arrival, I was very impressed with the level of service and attention I received from the time I stepped out of my car to the time I was finished checking in. I have been to many boutique hotels throughout the country, but there is something special to be said about the Derek lobby -- contemporary and stylish with a Texas flare to it! Although I arrived on the later side, I was very surprised by the level of activity and energy in the lobby and in the restaurant Bistro Moderne, where I dined the first night. The restaurant is French inspired with a local influence to it and I thought the food was very well-balanced and not overly priced (as many hotel restaurants typically are).

For me, I am very particular when it comes to room accommodations and unfortunately, many boutique hotels have small rooms. This was not the case with the Hotel Derek. I was very surprised at how spacious the rooms were and how well amenitized they were. The room had a great modern decor, but was very sophisticated with the quality of bath products and mini bar items. The large glass work-desk in the room was also great for me as I needed to do a few hours of work while I was in Houston. Most importantly, I had two of the best night's sleep I can remember at the hotel -- there is something to be said about how comfortable that bed was! I even went as far as asking the hotel manager what type of bed it was, but I guess its custom made and I won't be able to get the mattress in a store. Too bad!!

I have stayed at several hotels in Houston before, but this hotel really has everything I am looking for -- trendy, sophisticated, comfortable and highly amenitized. I cant wait till I return!

03/24/08

Absolutely horrible service

by WHOCARES123

This was absolutely the worst hotel I have ever stayed at! I travel for work and stay in hotels all the time. I was very disappointed in Derek. They offer valet-only parking, saupposedly at $20 a night, unfortunately I got charged $122 bucks for my two nights of parking. I have attempted to contact the hotel on multiple occassions in order to straighten this out, yet no one will return my calls and the contact email address provided on the website does not exist. Do yourself a favor and stay somewhere else. There are plenty of great hotels in the same area that are much nicer with friendlier staff.

• Pros: comfortable bed
• Cons: horrendous customer service, outrageous parking, no problem resolution

01/22/08

Solid for fun

by Travelmore1492

Overall this hotel does a decent job of balancing pricing and quality. The rooms appeared to be clean (although after reading some of the reviews you might need a black light to be sure) and the service was pretty good-smiles, but nobody going out of their way. There are some rather "eclectic" patrons of the hotel, especially the bar area later in the evening, but everyone was harmless enough. We did not experience any noise pollution at odd hours or anything along those lines. We would stay here again, but probably not before we sampled some other hotels in the area...kind of a take it or leave it experience.

01/01/08

I do not see what all the fuss is about!!!

by z_man1025

My wife and I finally dined at Bistro moderne after hearing numerous peopel rave about it over the last 12 months. Have to say, we left totally underwhelmed. What was described to us as some of the best french food anywhere in the world was far from that. We dined on an evening that wa snot busy so had expected the service to be good but it wasn't. OUr waiter was extremely arrogant adn would not deviate from the menu as offered (I had asked for dijon mustard to accompany my steak rather than the red wine reduction)!!!. The "sommelier" was almost useless and automatically defaulted to the most expensive wines on the list when I asked for a recommendation to accompany our mains - I ended up choosing a Bordeaux we'd tasted previously.

Overall, very average and does not deserve the reputation. Compared to the numerous french restaurants and bistros we've dined at in France and Europe, this is a poor imitation. I know zagats rate it highly so I assume we were there on a bad night but we won't be going back to confirm.

• Cons: Terrible service