The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston

Everyone at the Post Oak is kind, attentive and goes beyond the call of duty to make me feel at home when I stay there. The facilities are gorgeous and all of the staff is friendly. The restaurants and cafés are all delicious, inviting, and so conveniently located either in, or adjacent to, the hotel. I recommend this hotel wholeheartedly!

We were discriminated against and I will never step foot here again unless major corrective actions are taken.

Where do I begin... Our group of four ladies planned to have our Galentines 2024 dinner here. Unfortunately, the night was essentially ruined after being started on a completely sour note. We were all dressed in color coordinated attire and wanted to take some group photos prior to being seated for our dinner reservation. My son has a camera and came to take our photos. As soon as he got out of the car at valet, we were stopped by someone who identified himself at the manager Terrance. My son's camera could fit in a medium sized purse. There was no tripod or large pieces of equipment. Terrance explained that there was no flash photography and no photo shoots allowed, we could only "take a few photos with your cell phones". His excuse was because they didn't want it to "get out of hand" and "disturb the other guests".

I told him that we were here for dinner and just wanted to get a few pictures prior to being seated. We were NOT doing a photo shoot and we wouldn't take more than a couple minutes. He wouldn't budge. I then tried to compromise and told my son to REMOVE the flash attachment from his camera and leave it in the car. That way, there would be no flash going off to disturb any guests. He still refused. Next he says to me "It doesn't matter, I'm pretty sure the hostess still wouldn't allow it". At that point I requested that we walk inside and speak to the hostess, so that I could explain to them and see if they would just let us get a couple pictures. Realizing his mistake, he then quickly changed what he said and now told me that he didn't want to waste my time speaking to the hostess because the answer would be no. Again, trying to compromise, I asked if we could at least just take some photos OUTSIDE of the hotel before going in, again so as not to disturb the guests. He still refused! I was appalled. I've never been treated this way and met with such unyielding, cold, and uninviting service at a place that poses themselves to be a 5-star establishment. Dejected, I went in to have dinner in a less than half full restaurant. (So where were all the guests to be disturbed?!) But lo and behold, while sitting at our table, there was a group of four white women who had a camera, and were taking pictures, INSIDE of the restaurant and WITH A FLASH. Not only that, but there were crying babies while we were dinning on a Saturday night and loud outbursts of groups singing happy birthday at the top of their lungs. All groups who were of a lighter complexion than we were, might I mention. Where was the outrage for flash photography and cameras then? Where was the attention to not disturbing other guests then? I immediately felt racially profiled and discriminated against. I was disgusted with Terrance, his behavior, and his representation of the brand and the company. Unfortunately, we could not get last minute dinner reservations anywhere else so we did dine and spent over $600 for our group. I hate that we gave them a penny of our money or a second of our time, as they showed us immediately upon arrival that we were not welcome and not wanted.

After dinner, our waiter was kind enough to take our photos in different locations of the restaurant, with multiple phones, WITH A FLASH. I guess after we spent our money and proved our worthiness the "rule" about flash photography went out of the window. I wonder how that was less disturbing than the group photos we would have taken with no flash and outside of the hotel? Didn't seem at all like this was about the "rules". Oh, and the kicker? After dinner, I did ask the hostess if we could have taken photos with our camera. She kindly told me YES. That their rules about photography are because they don't want any photo shoots, but if we wanted to take a few group photos that would have been fine. Terrance clearly does not belong in the hospitality industry. Either that, or his job is to only be hospitable to certain complexions of guests.

This review is for the Houston Chef Series 2023 Grand Finale Dinner in the Post Oak Hotel Grand Ballroom. The event was off to a nice start when we arrived to find several friendly valets, which meant no long valet lines. Excellent!

However, when we entered the cocktail reception, the scene was a bit frenzied. This meant we had to burn too much time standing in lines and did not get to try all of the courses promised. One highlight of the evening was that amazing chicken mousse tart. The bacon wrapped brisket was tasty, but not particularly special. I wish I could opine on the other 4 or 5 bites. Alas, we missed them due to wasting time standing in lines.

We entered the ballroom, and the live band was playing on the stage. While they were talented, the music was VERY LOUD, and I had to yell just to converse with those seated right next to me... forget any attempts to speak to anyone else at the table. I was actually starting to lose my voice towards the end of the meal from having to yell.

As for the remaining courses, the lobster and cod roulade was absolutely outstanding. My sister's favorite course was the bacon wrapped quail... she said it tasted like Thanksgiving

The main course, however was... well, it was laughable. Have you seen the movie, The Menu? It would have fit right in as another satirical course, taunting the arrogant patrons, and it played out quite humorously IRL. It started with the servers passing out packets of scissors and mini tongs. Then they placed the plates in front of us, on which labeled souvide packets, a tin of veggies, and tube of demiglace were placed. Humor ensued as some at the table couldn't get their scissors to cut properly. Another's powdered substance was accidentally flung across the table. Someone squirted demiglace on her dress, trying to squeeze it onto her steak. I am meticulous, so I managed just fine, but that kitschy presentation (with discarded props that will definitely be taking up too much space in a landfill) was a comedic scene from a pretentious foodie film.

Fortunately, the showstopper dessert course provided a happy ending with its magnificent presentation and stunning components. That dish was a glorious work of art both visually and texturally. And each bit, bite, and spoonful was sinfully divine!

Overall, I was disappointed with the event. It really was too loud. And, at $200 per person, all patrons should actually be offered all of the courses promised rather than having to hunt them down or choose between them and a taste of the cocktails, which were also promised. That reception setup was simply a chaotic, disastrous miss, not the relaxed, elegant experience i'd expected. And while the "make your own plate" filet course was unbelievably ridiculous, we agreed we'll be able to laugh about it and share the amusing anecdote with others who won't likely believe it. Glad I took pics ;).

Man I'm sorry. This is an awesome awesome place. But if you rely on internet don't come here. It's horrible. I didn't know my phone had a hot spot until my stay here. (Thank God). Industry have mad 12 calls to get it resolved. But I just lost interest. So in short this is one of the greatest hotels in the country for sure......unless you need internet.

Take away the frills and this place sits on lack luster service and overall a very average experience! Truly disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm and urgency I felt from the staff. Maybe I won't pre-announce that I'm only going there to have dessert.

Reservation was for 3pm but we were already in the area and requested to be bumped up to 2:45pm, but we arrived around 2:20-ish...decided to sit at the bar and order some dessert wine. Apparently the one we wanted wasn't even available at the bar and the bartender had to run to the cellar or another bar in the hotel to retrieve it and took forever to come back...by the time she arrived, we took one sip and it was time to move to our table already...the other bartenders completely ignored us and seemed less than enthused to strike up a conversation or keep us "entertained" while a fellow bartender ran to grab what we wanted to sample before drinking...

After stumbling upon Bloom & Bee awhile back, I had been dying to get the full dessert experience and try the Hive! Well looks can be deceiving because what I ordered was much different than what was advertised on social media. While the server did say that it's "seasonal" and changes or varies slightly, I still think I got the short end of the stick. No bee design, no florals and sloppy creative design on the plate. If I'm coming for dessert and paying $15-16 for it, I expect to get what I paid for... it was so disappointing to say the least...

The Hive is a dried meringue with some sort of ice cream like filling which I assume is a cinnamon and almond flavor...
My hubs ordered the Uptown Grind with espresso mouse and hazelnut meringue cake and it was interesting but not $15 worth in my book...

The dessert wine we ordered was phenomenal though! We absolutely loved it and had really distinct fruity notes...and it was good by itself actually... it was the Royal Tokaji: flavors of white peach and ripe plums with a perfect balance of richness, crisp acidity. So apparently this is not requested often, because the bottle that the bartender brought was from the cellar and not even chilled. Nor did she offer it to us as an option, I had to ask... another minus in the brownie points!!

All in all, service and experience was sub par. I really felt that Bloom & Bee fell short of my expectations and that it was all hype...

Decadent & luxe. The lobby is dramatic.

The view to the pool is the stunning backdrop. The bars are lovely, fun and well frequented.

The room has high end features that remind me of the latest hotel in Vegas. There's luxury vehicles on display and an excellent patisserie onsite that has great coffee

The location in the Galleria is convenient albeit unwalkable. You have to drive from here to visit other restaurants etc.

If you want the highest end hotel experience in Houston, this is the correct spot to visit as it is superb, comfortable, exquisitely clean (Thank you!) although the check in staff COULD be quite a bit nicer... but snobbery is often confused for luxury. They're still learning (;

10/10! I absolutely enjoyed my experience here. They hotel takes convenience to the next level with their cocktail bars, wine bar, walkability to restaurants, pool, concierge service. You should expect no less from a 5 star hotel!

The drinks at every restaurant were made very well. The sushi was very fresh and tasty. I can tell locals adore the hotel because it was extremely busy with bridal showers and birthday gatherings while I was here.

Honorable mention- You absolutely have to check out the spa on the 5th floor. I had a 60 min deep tissue massage and it was amazing. The masseuse educated me on areas where I needed to focus on stretching in the future. I will be back in the near future!

Upscale hotel with all the amenities. Valet parking only, unless you're super lucky and find one of the three parking spaces open. Bouchee Bakery, H Bar, Craft F&B, Wine Bar and Bloom & Bee are all inside this hotel. You can find high end cars on display in the hallway on the first floor - there's also a car dealership on this hotel vicinity. Get your hair done and the glamourous salon, lounge around near the pool. Mastros and Willy G's is a few steps outside of the hotel.

The staff was amazing! This is truly the best luxury hotel in Houston. I have had the pleasure of staying at domestic and international 5 star resorts such as Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, Sofitel, and so much more. The Post Oak hotel is absolutely 5 star all around! Absolutely luxurious and upscale. They invested in decor and overall experience. The staff from the bellman, receptionist, concierge, was accommodating and the definition of outstanding customer service. They truly made our 14th wedding anniversary a special one. I will highly recommend this hotel to all of my friends and loved ones! They upgraded us to an Executive Suite Room, the concierge gave us champagne upon check in, then in the room they had complimentary chocolate covered strawberries with gold flakes, and a whole bottle of Prosecco on ice as an anniversary gift. Exceptional service, opulent, and 5 star luxury describes this hotel for me.

Best place in the world I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'nn