Jesse H. Jones Rotary House International

Worst experience beside having stage three melanoma cancer. People must not need jobs in Houston. Beside the lack of professional training that most of theses employees exhibit, we tried to order room service yesterday later than 4:30 pm after 10 hours of doctors appointments, ct scans, blood draws, and chemotherapy infusions and for 30 minutes no one would answer the phone. We would dial the number and a person would pick up and then leave the phone off the hook. If you can’t talk or won’t …please find someone that will… Most of us ARE sick and not wanting to be tortured anymore than our pitiful bodies are doing to ourselves. The first night my daughter ordered the pasta carbonara and they put no sauce on the pasta.
Plain pasta with chicken and soggy mushy smelly peas. No sauce. I just love to pay for crappy food and feel bad about the experience. Don’t you. If you have to stay here, yes it’s convenient between doctors appointments. If you want what you pay for??? Good luck. This place sucks. The sicker you are the worse it gets and that’s beside the fact they have renovated the rooms. Why bother if you can’t answer the phone and accommodate you special needs guests. You should have spent the money on the training of your staff, Some colleges have a HRT program. Hotel, restaurant and tourism program. Do some in house investment. It might pay off. After six months of in and out staying here I just could not deal with this junk anymore with out venting. Good grief man. Wise up. We’re all freaking out here and we need some understanding. Six months of intermittently staying here has given me enough experience with your environment that I had to say all this. Maybe someone who is really hurting will get the opportunity to stay somewhere else and they will have a comfortable stay because I warned them.

I seriously wish there was an option for zero stars. I stay here once very 3 weeks with my mom
For her treatments at MD Anderson. We make the reservation in advance, and each time my dad has to resend all his credit card info to a fax number that is never working. It is a huge inconvenience for him, and us as well. They are never prepared. When arriving they seem to never know what I’m talking about when I say my dad attempted to send the info and their fax isn’t working
That isn’t even the worst part.
THE FOOD. it’s horrible. Beyond disgusting. Eating here 3 days in a row for 3 meals is pure torture. Especially when you are wanting to eat healthy. They do not make it easy. Even after their brand new restaurant. Still horrible. Out of every hotel I’ve ever stayed in that had room service, this is the worst one.
And– customer service. It’s non existent, don’t even ask. The stay before this one, around 8pm, my mom was suffering from a severe migraine, we had been at the hospital for a whole 12 hours– that isn’t even including our travel time that day which was another story in itself, I called the front desk asking for Advil they proceeded to tell me that they didn’t keep medicine at the desk and I needed to travel all the way to the hospital store where they had some. Exhausted, I asked if they minded fetching it for us and I would pay them when they arrived at our room, they said yes they minded. So after a horrible day, I had to get dressed and go on another 5 hour hike to get the Advil.
These things might not sound like a lot, but for advertising that you are a hotel linked to an institution such as MD Anderson, and see people going through some of the worst experiences of their lives, you would think some things would be handled better and pay attention to detail.

We stayed 2 nights for a recent visit to MD Anderson. We stayed in a newly remodeled room on the fifth floor. It was quiet, cool and well appointed. Very comfy mattress! The staff was very helpful. We ordered room service and the food arrived promptly. I had steak salad and a glass of Cabernet and both were quite tasty. We enjoyed our stay and will return.

I travel to TX twice a month and always stay at the Renaissance. Not at the Renaissance though. The rooms, the bar, the lobby, the staff, the food, the gym are all exceptional. I really like how quiet the hotel is at all times. I work late in the evening and so I sleep in until around 9:00am. I am never waken by the maid service in other rooms or hallway. The only recommendation would be to upgrade the breakfast in the concierge lounge. It is usually just OK. Frankly, Residence Inns have been breakfast choices. Other than that small detail, this hotel is home away from home. Thank you.

The only reason to stay here is if you’re here for MD Anderson. It is connected to the hospital. Otherwise I would stay at the Marriott a couple blocks away much more updated, starbucks in the lobby, shuttle to MD Anderson…
The walls and ceiling are very thin at this place. You hear everything that your neighbors are doing. I know this place says they’re going to remodel, but unless you’re going to MD Anderson I would skip it because even after they remodel the walls and ceiling are still so thin. I’ve been very stressed lately and haven’t slept well, I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night. Laying in this bed right now trying to get much needed rest in a room that I am paying to use I hear; hammers, saws, drilling and some kind of persistent maintenace sound that is keeping me from enjoying myself and actually getting a little rest. Sure I can call downstairs switch my room tell them I’m not happy, but I’m laying in bed and I don’t really want to get up and grab all my shit and move around.

Comfortable hotel rooms. Decent staff and sorroundings. Great shuttle service to Krogers. Very clean.

to update our review regarding the microwave, shower drain, and sink leak… after two attempts I was able to speak to a manager. They apologized for not addressing our concerns at the time and offered a suitable compromise which I felt was sincere. with that type of effort by them to write their wrongs, we will continue to stay there. hopefully going forward they can learn from their mistakes and these unfortunate event won’t befall any others.

Secured a room for my wife and I about a month ago for my pending surgery. When we reserved the room as well as when we got in the room, the paperwork said it came with a microwave.
With that understanding we bought/​purchased food to heat in the microwave, like for me on a liquid diet such as beef or chicken broth etc., as well as my wife. Well no microwave. We purchased food products especially for that reason.
We thought there may just have been an oversight on the part of the hotel, since it is printed on the hotel info sheet, but when we called the front desk we were told they don’t have microwaves. Uuhm… probably would have been something NOT to have on your list so customers/​cancer patients don’t count on something and then it is not delivered, especially when this ended up costing us more money which we needed to allocate elsewhere!
By the way, we called to notify that the shower didn’t drain when used. By the time you take a shower, you have 6 or 8 inches of standing water. And since we are counting… the hot water handle on the sink when used leaks water all over the counter. Reported but it was not fixed.
WOW…Poor Form…

Stay here if you are being treated at MD Anderson. Period. Call to book. ½ price for patients. We stayed there 3 times. Will never stay any where else.

If going to Md anderson this is the place to stay, you are connected to all the buildings by a bridge and if you don’t have a car the hotel offers shuttle bus to places near by.
The hotel is old, but they are in the process of remodeling. They also offer rooms with a mini kitchen.
The price of the rooms are set and they never change no matter how full the hotel is.

For a place that is supposed to cater to patients and their families they sure doesn’t seem to care much about their customer. We had 2 rooms booked one for over 2 weeks and another room booked for a week. one room we asked for wasn’t available so we were forced to get one with a kitchen which obviously cost more than the regular room. With that being said we’ve spent a pretty penny staying at this place you would think when we asked if we could extend our stay a few days when our loved one is able to leave the hospital only to be told I’m sorry were booked full now we can put you on the list. So your telling me after spending weeks and thousands of dollars at their establishment they don’t have a single room in this place. They seemed not to care about the customer they know because they are connected to MD that they will always have business and that is a terrible way to run a hotel. What iritated me the most was that ALL of the amenities (other restaraunts, food court area) were closed my entire stay I understand through the holidays being closed a few days but they have been closed the entire time. The only restaurant available was the oaks which offered a limited choices (10 items) to select from on their overpriced menu. I watched a few guest get up and leave this place while waiting for their drinks/​order to be taken due to the lack of service. When asking for a refill or napkin made me feel as if i were a hassle to them. For the amount we spent here we should’ve had much better service than what was given. this place should get people in there that make you feel welcomed and happy to be there especially after being in a gloomy hospital all day. Hope they can get their stuff together since they are always dealing with patients and their families. Just my honest opinion from my experience.

Question… does the Rotary House qualify for the Marriott Rewards program? I love the Rotary House and just joined the Rewards Program?

The rotary house is the on campus hotel for MD Anderson. If you’re here, you’re here for just one reason. They know this, and a lot of things are designed accordingly.
There are two options for parking. One is valet parking, which is $ 15 a day, and they park your car outside for quick access, but this also means your vehicle isn’t protected from the weather. Garage parking, on the other hand, is $ 7 a day. The garage is also connected to the hospital. Level 4 (the levels going up and down are sort of interleaved, so you go from level 2 to level 4 when driving up) of the garage is connected to level 2 of the hotel, which connects via skybridge to level 3 of the main building. Garage access is done via your keycard when you enter and leave.
The front desk is staffed with the nicest people. They are very helpful and accommodating. It is very difficult to get a room here since the hospital is so busy, but all the staff I talked to except one offered to call my cell if a room opened up. I only had a reservation for about 5 nights, but was able to extend it another week!
While we’re on the first floor, here are some other niceties. There’s free lotion at the front desk. Free lemonade next to the front desk. A nice lounge area with couches and a piano player. A business center where you can use the internet, make copies, and send faxes. (Go to the front desk for scans). A room (Mayfair) where they occasionally hold movie nights. Guest laundry (they sell detergent but some people are nice and leave a big thing of detergent for you to use), pool (very relaxing), and a gym are also available.
The guest rooms are very nice and spacious. Microwave and refrigerator are standard. There is also a dishwasher, but there is no stove or dishes, so I’m not sure what purpose they serve. Maybe some guests bring their own plates and portable stoves. The rest of the room is as you would expect from a hotel operated by the Marriott. They also give you a free sample of sea salt in the bathroom! (Also available in the public restrooms).
Overall, this is one of the best hotel’s I’ve ever stayed at, and I’m grateful that I didn’t have to add a bad hotel to the list of problems while I’m here.

The Rotary House is very nice and the staff is wonderful and helpful. The only thing is that their food and gift shop is way over priced. I paid almost $ 5 for a small sausage biscuit sandwich which they skimped on the meat. I can go to McDonald’s down the street and get the same thing for 99 cents!

The reason I am giving Rotary house 4 stars is not because I like it so much (I mean really, everyone staying here has cancer and is in treatment so how can you like that?) but because of the ease of use and convenience to MD Anderson. The hotel is located on the MDA campus and is actually connected to the hospital so that you do not ever even have to step outside if you don’t want to. The staff is friendly enough and the place is clean. The hotel is very dated and although there have been some minor updates (mainly just flat panel TV’s) it is severely in need of a facelift but I am not sure that will ever happen as this is not a regular hotel, it is a hotel for hospital guests and families and is subsidized to keep the cost down. There are a couple of eating options very close; a hotel restaurant that is no better than so-​so, and a couple of quick service areas just steps down the hallway. Parking is shared with the hospital, free to guests staying at Rotary and never really a problem except it is busier during the day. All in all, I only stay at Rotary House when I am at MDA sheerly for the convenience factor. Nothing beats being able to walk down the hallway when you have early morning tests.

I stayed here with my mom for one night this past Thursday and we had a wonderful experience. The hotel is located right on the same property as MD Anderson and is connected by a skybridge, which is perfect for patients and their families. We valet parked our car ($ 15 flat rate) and stored our bags with luggage storage since we arrived before check in time. On the first floor they have a patient relations office which provides a patient orientation. Mary was really nice and went over all of the services and activities they offer patients as well as directions to the clinic and the appointment schedule. You can actually rent DVD players and DVDs, there is a library of books and a large collection of board games and puzzles that you can borrow as well. The first floor also has a large TV room (with a coffee/​hot cocoa machine) and lots of arm chairs/​couches for lounging, a business center with six computers and free printing! They have free wi-​fi throughout the hotel and MD Anderson which was awesome! The hotel provides free newspapers and refreshments through out the day.
The only complaint that we had was that we came back in the afternoon after spending the whole day at the clinic to find that our room wasn’t ready! Check in was at 3pm and we got to the reception desk at 4:30pm expecting it to be ready. We were pretty disappointed but within 20 minutes our room was ready and they were kind enough to send our bags up to the room for us. We got a room on the 5^th floor that had two queen size beds and a small kitchenette (mini-​fridge, dishwasher, microwave, coffee machine and toaster) for $ 134 a night (not including taxes). The beds were super soft and very comfortable. The bathroom had complimentary sea salt scrub and some nicer toiletries than you usually get at hotels. The TV worked well and even had HBO! We had dinner in the Oaks restaurant (check out my review!) and enjoyed it, and in the evening they actually gave out free hats/​scarves for patients in the atrium followed by bingo! It was my mom’s first time playing bingo and she loved it. We didn’t win any of the prizes (gift certificates for the gift shop/​restaurant) but we had a lot of fun anyway. Overall we had a very comfortable stay. I imagine that this would be a nice place to stay for patients who are coming from out of town/​who need to stay for extended amounts of time.

So, my husband and I have been staying here for about two years now ranging from every few weeks, to every few months and at varying lengths of stay. We’ve seen a lot of things while we’ve stayed here — some good and some bad. Below is a list of what I feel everyone should know:
1. The Rotary House is attached to both MD Anderson *and* the Mays clinic via sky walkways. This means that you have access to a separate parking garage from the really busy main garages, and you can walk to and from the hospital day and night without getting lost in Houston, or navigating in traffic. Super useful and worth every penny. Just as an FYI — they are upping their parking fees from $ 5/​night to $ 7/​night this month. In addition, I believe that the Rotary House is the cheapest hotel in the Houston Medical Center area.
2. They have a gift shop, exercise center, swimming pool, salon days, many events, counselors, vending machines, a restaurant, cafes and etc. etc. around the main and 2^nd floor elevators. Really great when you don’t have the energy to do much.
3. During our stay this past weekend, we noticed a lot of great and surprising changes going on at the hotel. They updated the bedding, they updated the complimentary shampoos and soaps, they updated the lamps. They have also improved their room service a lot since the beginning of when we started coming here. It looked like they may have had our unit’s shower re-​caulked too.
4. This place is *busy* and it can sometimes be hard to get into. Book in advance if you can. There is a check-​in desk cancellation list, but nothing is better than being prepared.
5. This place is pretty comfortable. If you’re planning on staying a while, get a unit with a kitchen — it totally makes a difference. Every room has a mini-​fridge and a coffee maker which is nice. Beds are decent, pillows are decent… TV’s are alright. channels seem to be hit or miss every time we go, (meaning various channels go out all the time). Everything is clean and maintained pretty well here, it is really nice.
Anyways… you can’t beat staying in a hotel connected to the place you’re being treated. I know I’ve had some complaints in the past… but now that I’ve been staying here for two years, it has become like a second home to me and I feel super comfortable every time I come back.

We’ve stayed here several times during treatment at M. D. Anderson, and this hotel experience could not have been better. The staff is gracious and most helpful; the rooms/​property are beautiful; the location is so convenient. Staying here has made unpleasant experiences much more bearable.

When your family member is sick… or you are sick… this is the place to be. Not fancy. But really great. True story!

The best in convenience and service among hotels near the medical complex.
Most recently we stayed here as family members underwent treatment at M.D. Anderson.
The amenities were perfect and comfortable, the staff was always friendly, and almost all of your last minute needs can be met during the week since it is connected to the hospital buildings. When the weekend comes, there are some limitations to what you can get, but that is expected since most of the adjoining hospital offices are closed.
We never had a question that could not be answered, the valet parking attendants were always professional and ready to help at all hours of the day.