Traveling over the Thanksgiving Holiday is always full of hustle and bustle! Security lines in Sacramento were very long, but once onboard the aircraft everything was smooth as could be. My travel companion is a large gentleman who has trouble standing and walking for any length of time. A simple word to United was all it took to be pre-boarded and on two flights we were actually upgraded to Economy Plus! For the larger folks out there, or taller ones, the extra leg-room really makes the difference. A word about the service on United, it exceeded my expectations! My travel companion was short of breath and the flight attendant offered us both water before the flight took off, asked us if there was anything he could do, and was genuinely pleasant and accommodating. It brings to mind how very easy it can be to wow a customer by anticipating his/her needs. Just the simple act of the attendant offering service really made an impression on me. We were treated to golf-cart rides in O'Hare and Denver. As a side note, there is an elevator in O'Hare that the golf-cart can fit in!

I have stayed at many Marriott's across the country and found the Houston Airport Marriott no different. Cleanliness, furnishings, and service were all good. Room service staff was very helpful and prompt. One point I failed to consider is that by staying at the airport and not renting a car, the only places to eat were in our room or in the restaurant. The cafes and quick-serve restaurants at the airport are all beyond the security checkpoint! A minor annoyance was our first night after laying down to rest and turning out the light after 12 hours of travel the fire alarm sounded. So...down we went, four flights of dusty, dirty stairs to the outside at 1:30 a.m. There was no staff in sight to guide us, no explanation offered of what the disturbance was...just a mob of cold, disgruntled guests standing outside in their Marriott robes and little else trying to wait out the situation. The fire department eventually came and determined the alarm had been tripped in the kitchen area, however no staff member addressed the guests or even let us back into the hotel. (Another guest walked around the massive structure and let us in through the back door.) Enough said.

To the credit of Marriott, they offer a great long-distance, local calls, and unlimited high speed internet access package. For $9.95 a day we took advantage of this and called every far-away relative we have, made lots of local calls and had unlimited internet to stay connected. This was a big hit with my travel companion! Read more