Embassy Suites by Hilton The Woodlands at Hughes Landing in Texas [In-Depth Review]

I stayed a night at Embassy Suites by Hilton The Woodlands at Hughes Landing in April 2024 with my husband. We were in The Woodlands, Texas, for a concert, and this hotel offered a good balance of value, location, and amenities.

Read this review to see what we liked about this hotel, from its concert convenience to the impressive breakfast buffet.

Booking Embassy Suites by Hilton The Woodlands at Hughes Landing

Embassy Suites by Hilton The Woodlands at Hughes Landing isn’t the closest hotel to the Cynthia Woods Michell Pavilion, but it was the best choice when I booked it somewhat last minute about a week before a concert. The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center and Hyatt Centric The Woodlands are both practically across the street from the Pavilion. Still, by the time I booked our stay, both were either sold out or far more costly than I wanted to pay.

I booked a 2 Room Suite-1 King Bed room for 1 night for $308, totaling $354.34 with taxes and fees. I used my Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, which earns 12x Hilton Honors points at Hilton properties.

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Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

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An excellent high-earning Hilton credit card that comes with perks like Hilton Honors Gold status and up to $200 in Hilton credits every year.

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Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

An excellent high-earning Hilton credit card that comes with perks like Hilton Honors Gold status and up to $200 in Hilton credits every year.

Welcome Offer

Earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.

165,000 points

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$825

Annual Fee

$150

APR

19.99%-28.99% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

If you’re someone who loves traveling and loves staying in Hilton hotels, adding a co-branded Hilton hotel card to your wallet is almost a no-brainer. From automatic Hilton elite status to up to $200 in Hilton credits every year, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card can be a great fit for Hilton loyalists looking to up their travel game.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 12x points per $1 at Hilton hotels
• 6x points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. restaurants
• 4x points per $1 at U.S. online retail purchases

Cons

• Annual fee of $150 (rates & fees)

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Card Highlights

• Earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.
• Get up to $200 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases after you use your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card.
• Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.
• Earn 6X Points for each dollar of purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
• Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases.
• Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
• Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
• Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card.
• Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status through the end of the next calendar year.
• Enjoy complimentary National Car Rental^® Emerald Club Executive^® status. Enrollment in the complimentary Emerald Club^® program is required. Terms apply.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
• $150 annual fee.
• Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.99%-28.99% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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Hilton Honors

Had I booked with points, it would have cost me about 60,000 Hilton Honors points. That redemption would have been about 0.51 cents per point, which is on par with our 0.5 cents per point valuation of Hilton Honors points.

I paid cash for this stay because I’d prefer to get an above-average value, and I don’t generally use points for 1-night stays without a resort fee. I like to save my Hilton Honors points for longer stays at luxury properties where I can get the resort fee waived or take advantage of the fifth-night-free benefit on award stays.

When we arrived, we were upgraded to a lake view room, which goes for about 115,000 points per night or $337 plus taxes.

I earned a hefty amount of points for this 1-night stay, earning 9,568 points between base points, the Hilton Honors Diamond elite bonus, a Points Plus promotion bonus, and MyWay preferences. After my statement closed, I earned another 4,248 points on my Hilton Surpass card, for a total of 13,816 points earned in 1 night.

Embassy Suites by Hilton The Woodlands at Hughes Landing Location

I chose Embassy Suites by Hilton The Woodlands at Hughes Landing for its location on Lake Woodlands.

I had plans to attend a concert at Cynthia Woods Michell Pavilion and wanted to stay nearby. After many years of sitting in late-night post-concert traffic with a lengthy drive home, a quick ride-share back to a comfy hotel was much more appealing.

Embassy Suites by Hilton The Woodlands at Hughes Landing is one of the closest hotels to the Pavilion — just over 1 mile with a 3-minute drive or 24-minute walk. On our way to the concert, a free Town Center Trolley picked us up right in front of the hotel and dropped us directly in front of the Pavilion. It couldn’t have been more convenient.

Hot Tip:

The trolley service ended before the show ended, so we caught a ride-share back. It was just a 3-minute ride. The $15 monthly Uber Cash I get with The Platinum Card^® from American Express covered the cost.

With a location on Lake Woodlands in the middle of Woodlands Town Center, the hotel is convenient for dining, shopping, recreation, and entertainment. After checking in, we took a quick walk to eat dinner at The Stand — a nearby burger shop — and picked up drinks and snacks at the Whole Foods around the corner.

The Lakes Edge Boat House is just a 6-minute walk from the hotel’s front door and offers kayak and paddleboard rentals.

Getting There

I drove to Embassy Suites by Hilton The Woodlands at Hughes Landing from my home in the Houston area.

With a far-north location, most people in the Houston area take I-45 North to get to The Woodlands, often via the Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8) or TX-99 (Grand Parkway).

The hotel is a 25-minute drive from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) or a 45-minute drive from William P. Hobby Airport (HOU).

Checking In

We arrived around 2 p.m., slightly ahead of the hotel’s 3 p.m. check-in time. A circle drive at the front door made it easy to hop out and check in before parking my car.

Inside, I was greeted at the front desk and quickly checked in. Though we’d arrived a bit early, our room was ready. The front desk agent didn’t explicitly mention an upgrade, but she thanked me for my Hilton Honors Diamond status and said she had a great room with my name on it. She also told me about the evening reception, breakfast hours, parking information, and how to get a ride at the trolley stop outside the front door.

Elite Benefits

As a Hilton Honors Diamond member staying at an Embassy Suites, my elite benefits included:

• 100% points-earning bonus
• Space-available room upgrade
• Premium Wi-Fi

I have MyWay Benefits set to earn 1,000 bonus points at Embassy Suites instead of receiving in-room snacks and beverages.

After we arrived in our room, I got a welcome text from the hotel. I later used the text to ask for a late checkout and was granted a 1 p.m. checkout.

The Lobby

The lobby was large, with plenty of seating, a business lounge, and a lobby sundries shop.

Large windows offered a view of the walkway outside, and there was a nice water feature inside near the lobby bar.

A small, shady patio with a fire pit was just outside the lobby doors.

A drink stand with water and lemonade was between the front door and the elevators.

Amenities

Embassy Suites by Hilton The Woodlands at Hughes Landing had several amenities, including a pool, a fitness center, parking, a business center, and pet-friendly features.

Pool

The hotel has an inviting rooftop pool that was open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

It had a great view of the lake. Unfortunately, pool time didn’t work out for us. The pool was nice and sunny the day we arrived, but we didn’t have time to swim before the concert.

I’d looked forward to swimming the next morning before checking out, but the rest of the building provided too much shade, and it was way too cold to swim before we had to leave.

Still, the pool deck was a nice place to hang out with fans and lounge seating.

Hot Tip:

The pool is open year-round but not heated. A shady swim might be fine in the summertime, but it was too chilly in mid-April with the building blocking out the morning sun — though the pool looked perfect in the afternoon with the sun on it.

Fitness Center

The fitness center was open 24 hours a day and had various workout equipment. Each of the cardio machines — treadmills, elliptical, and bikes — had an individual TV screen.

Weight machines and a weight bench were in another corner.

A Peloton bike was near the free weights rack.

A water and towel station provided bottled water or a water fountain to fill your own container.

Parking

There was a circle drive for checking in and out and a parking garage for overnight parking.

The circle drive had a 10-minute limit.

I paid $22 for overnight parking in the garage. My Hilton Surpass card has a $50 quarterly statement credit at Hilton hotels and resorts, so the $22 came back to me as a credit. Valet parking was available for $30.

We could walk from the parking garage under a short, covered walkway to the hotel’s back entrance.

Pet-Friendly

The hotel is pet-friendly for pets up to 75 pounds. There’s a $125 nonrefundable pet fee. The drink station near the front desk and elevators had dog treats available.

Relaxation Garden

A spot to the left of the front door was reserved as a relaxation garden. This was nice in theory but fell flat for me as it felt like manufactured nature and not the type of place where I would seek relaxation.

It was along a main road in the shopping center, next to the busy circle drive, and had synthetic turf instead of real grass. A sign offered instructions for calming breathing and smelling a flower to make a wish — without a single flower in the garden. It could be much better if closed in with much taller hedges, real grass, and flowers.

Business Center

A business center near the front door offered a few copy and print machines.

The Room

I booked a 2 Room Suite-1 King Bed and was upgraded to the same room type with a lake view. This room was more than we needed, considering all I really wanted to do was hide out from concert traffic and have a nice breakfast, but all of the smaller rooms were sold out, and we nonetheless enjoyed this spacious room.

Our room had a separate living room with a dining table and kitchenette.

The bedroom with a king-size bed and bathroom was on the other side of the wall.

Living Room

The living room featured a dining table that doubled as a desk. When we arrived, a couple of water bottles were available on the table.

The living room seating area had a sleeper sofa, an ottoman, and a couple of tables. Had we brought our kids, they could have easily slept in this room.

Across from the sofa was a TV and a full-length mirror, which was nice for getting ready.

Inside the room entrance was a small kitchen area with a minifridge, microwave, sink, coffee maker, ice bucket, and storage cabinets.

On the counter, we found a coffee maker with coffee, cream, and sugar and an ice bucket with plastic cups next to it on a tray.

Under the counter was a small microwave. There was a drawer under the microwave for storage.

Next to the microwave was a minifridge and additional storage under the sink.

Bedroom

Opposite the living room was the bedroom, which featured a comfy king-size bed with all-white bedding. The entire wall behind the bed was framed with wood.

The nightstand on the right featured a lamp, phone, remote, and deep drawer.

The left-side nightstand featured an alarm clock with 2 regular outlets and 2 USB outlets.

Next to the bed was a small dresser that doubled as a work desk. It had an ottoman seat, lamp, and mirror.

At the foot of the bed was a large TV above a wall-mounted shelf.

Next to the TV was a closet with a safe, hangers, and a luggage rack.

Extra bedding, an iron, and an ironing board were on another side of the closet.

Bathroom

The bathroom was next to the bedroom, featuring a large vanity, a lit mirror, and a glass shower.

I liked that it had a lighted mirror, which turned on with the room’s light switch.

There was Zero% lotion in a wall-mounted pump at the vanity.

Under the counter, open storage shelves held towels, a hair dryer in a bag, extra toilet paper, and extra tissues.

The walk-in shower had a glass enclosure and all-white tile on the walls. Though we weren’t in an accessible room, a grab bar was on the back wall.

The showerhead had good pressure and hot water, and a nicely arranged washcloth was prepared inside the shower.

On the back wall were wall-mounted Zero% amenities featuring shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel.

The View

The living room and bedroom had large windows with a view. The living room had a nice lake view.

The nighttime view was nice, too.

The bedroom view offered a similar lake view, but had a better view of the pool.

Food and Beverage

Embassy Suites by Hilton The Woodlands at Hughes Landing has a lobby bar, restaurant, an evening reception, and buffet breakfast.

E’terie Bar & Grill

The lobby bar and grill featured a bar with beer, cocktails, and wine. The food menu offered appetizers, including a giant pretzel, truffle fries, soups, salads, bowls, sandwiches, and burgers.

The dining area had tons of well-lit seating.

Evening Reception

Embassy Suites by Hilton The Woodlands at Hughes Landing offered a nightly reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. with 2 complimentary drinks and a selection of snacks.

The snacks had a few options, with fresh crudites and hummus, hot popcorn, and chips and salsa. We could also grab-and-go some bagged chips and pretzels or fill a cup with trail mix.

We grabbed a couple of drinks and some snacks. The popcorn was hot and buttery and the veggies were fresh, but the salsa was disappointing. The orange-hued salsa was watery and bland, like someone pureed a tomato and dumped it in a jar — not at all the kind of salsa I’d expect to eat in Texas. But the rest of the snacks and drinks were a nice refresher before heading out to the show.

Room Service

Embassy Suites by Hilton The Woodlands at Hughes Landing had room service available daily from 5 to 10 p.m.

Breakfast Buffet

I love a good breakfast buffet, and this buffet was great, with a wide variety of hot items, made-to-order omelets, and even a soda machine for fizzy drinks on tap.

At the back of the buffet was an omelet station where we ordered omelets to our liking. We could choose from regular eggs, egg whites, and a cholesterol-free egg substitute. Omelet ingredients included spinach, peppers, jalapenos, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, cheese, bacon, sausage, and ham. The signage offered omelet ideas, including a classic cheese, garden veggie, and Denver omelet.

The hot breakfast station was in the middle of the buffet. It featured a large tray of fluffy scrambled eggs.

Next to the eggs were the breakfast meats, starting with applewood smoked bacon. My husband was happy to see a stack of bacon piled high! These strips were a little thicker than what we usually see on breakfast buffets.

Pork sausage was also available, though it was less appetizing sitting in a greasy pool. I grabbed a couple from the top.

Next up was breakfast potatoes with bits of onion and pepper. These were lightly seasoned and great with a little hot sauce.

Then, there were 2 kinds of pancakes stacked high. We could choose between regular and chocolate chip pancakes.

There were a bunch of chocolate chip pancakes, too.

A waffle station in the corner featured Texas-shaped waffle makers.

Near the waffles was a cold bar with yogurts, butter, and cream cheese.

On the other side was a selection of fresh-cut fruits (pineapple and melons) and whole apples and oranges.

The bakery area had bagels, English muffins, toast, and various muffins, with 2 large toasters available.

On the opposite side were more muffins, some yogurt toppings, peanut butter, and bananas.

A cereal station near the drinks had individual-sized cereal boxes and milk on tap.

Numerous coffee pots had fresh coffee, decaf, and hot water. There was creamer on tap.

A few teas and juices were available, as well as a soda fountain.

We had a great breakfast. I started with a hot omelet featuring Swiss cheese, spinach, and mushrooms.

I also had a plate of breakfast potatoes, fruit, sausage, and English muffin.

My husband had a bacon fiesta with a smoky bacon and Swiss omelet, bacon, and breakfast potatoes.

Service

Service was good at Embassy Suites by Hilton The Woodlands at Hughes Landing. I was greeted warmly at check-in and felt well-informed about all the amenities available during our short stay. Our room and the entire hotel were spotless.

Service was fast at the evening reception, so we were quickly on our way to the concert. The plentiful breakfast buffet was constantly refilled with everything readily available, and our omelets were delivered almost as soon as we set down. I felt well taken care of at this hotel.

Final Thoughts

Embassy Suites by Hilton The Woodlands at Hughes Landing was a solid choice for staying near the Woodlands Pavilion. Though the room rate was a little pricey, it was reasonable compared to other hotels in the area.

I found this hotel comfortable, exceptionally convenient, and a nice place to rest after a concert — way better than sitting in late-night traffic. The evening reception was a nice perk, and the breakfast buffet was an excellent way to start our day before returning home.