Crystal Ballroom At the Rice Hotel

DO NOT HAVE YOUR RECEPTION OR EVENT AT THE CRYSTAL BALLROOM! We recently had our wedding reception there and it was an awful experience that we are still having to deal with to this day.
1) The event coordinator of the venue whom we had been working with very closely for the 10 months leading up to the wedding DESERTED US AT THE LAST MINUTE and handed over the ENTIRE to a NEW and INEXPERIENCED coordinator who had only been working there for six weeks and admitted that it was her very first event BY HERSELF. The original coordinator was there for the first twenty minutes then left (though she will try and tell you otherwise so she won’t get in trouble with her bosses). The new coordinator had NO CLUE what she was doing, and it was far too late once we figured that out.
2) THE STAFF STOLE THE REST OF OUR CAKE. They sent us a sample slice of each flavor in a small to-​go box at the end of the night and that was it. The whole rest of the cake was missing (including ALL of the delicate handmade sugar orchids). My sister overheard two employees talking to each other about how much of the extra cake to pack up but it did not dawn on my sister until the next day when we realized that they didn’t give us our cake that the employees were talking about packing up our cake to take home for themselves!
3) THE VENUE (OR STAFF) STOLE THE REST OF OUR FOOD. We were told from the beginning by the lead coordinator when we were still deciding on venues that the leftover food from the buffet reception would be boxed up and would be ours to keep. There were two whole GIANT unsliced slabs of roast beef (probably 10 – 15 pounds each) sitting untouched under heat lamps near the end of the evening, with no staff there to carve them even if our guests did indeed want to eat some as a late night snack at the end of the reception – which was another issue since we also paid the venue SEPARATELY for carvers that were supposed to be carving the beef for the entire evening. Were the guests just supposed to carve off chunks of beef themselves with butter knives? NONE of the extra food was packaged and given to us. When questioned later, the coordinator recited an INCORRECT health code and RENEGED on our original agreement.
4) The top tier of the wedding cake was returned to us HALF EATEN and cut into and with most of the icing missing. There was a lot that I was willing to overlook and chalk up to «the craziness of the evening» but the state in which the top tier was boxed up and sent home with us with NO MENTION of how they «accidentally» cut/​ate into it and left out any of the flowers or decorations was downright DISRESPECTFUL.
When we met with the event coordinator in person (the same one that bailed on us 20 minutes into the reception) to address our concerns, she just sat there with a blank legal pad with nothing written. She shot down each issue with, «I talked to each of my employees from that evening, and they said they didn’t take anything. They have no reason to lie to me.» She simply could not grasp the point that we were trying to make that OF COURSE her employees are going to tell her what she wants to hear because she is their boss, and they’d be fired immediately if they admit to any of the events of that night. Even the documents and inventory were probably falsified to back up the story they are telling.
5) On top of that, the cake stand (on loan from bakery) did not get sent home with us at the end of the evening. I spent the rest of the weekend and the first part of my honeymoon frantically trying to track it down along with the rest of the cake, leftover food, and loose ends all via email and phone calls. This wasn’t something that I expected to have to worry about WHILE ON OUR HONEYMOON!
There were so many other issues that just wouldn’t fit into to character limit of this review such as serving watered down gumbo to skimp on serving more food, running out of many side items and sauces, and a poorly coordinated send off that resulted in both sets of our parents completely missing us walking out of the reception at the end of the night.
I understand that this is a lengthy review, but we feel very strongly about no one else having to go through what we went through with Sambuca Catering and the Crystal Ballroom. As a physician and nurse practitioner, we have no ulterior motives in poorly reviewing this venue. It is not about money, but rather, it is about respect. We expected a certain level of service equal to not just the amount of time/​money we invested in our wedding, but also equal to the reputation of the Houston tradition that is the Crystal Ballroom. It is sad that these are the people that are now entrusted to run such a treasured part of Houston history.
We feel so strongly about this that if you have any other questions or concerns about this review or just want to know more about our experience and dealings with this venue, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Came here for a friend’s wedding and was totally floored with the entire experience. The quality of food, service from the catering staff and beautiful venue were all top-​notch. The bartenders, all though swamped, were still friendly courteous and quick to keep the lines down and the party going. Although a historic venue, I believe it was recently updated with new carpeting and drapes so that was a plus. Thanks for giving my newly married friends and all the guests an unforgettable night!

Just went to a wedding reception at the Crystal ballroom. While the ballroom is a lovely architectural room, I was underwhelmed by other aspects of the experience. First the cocktail hour location was cramped, hot, loud, and the cocktail hour food offered was pitiful! Do they have their own caterers here? If so, then Rice you need to make some serious changes. The wine was not drinkable. Tried a margarita which was also not drinkable and watered, and everyone was commenting on the watery drinks and particularly the strange tasting rose wine. Also tried a Cosmo which was even more watery and not drinkable. The steak at dinner was very good, but my portion was tiny compared to others at the table. The chicken was equally tiny and dry. Potatoes were cold and mushy. Campaign was good. Tried the wine again, but not good at all and I am not picky. Couldn’t drink this at all. The room was decorated very beautifully, but I imagine if you didn’t have a big floral budget, then the room would look tired and old. Servers were taking away people’s beverages before they were finished which required the guest to get up to go to locate another beverage – running up a higher bar bill I imagine than should have happened. I asked for iced tea, but the server NEVER returned with sweetener or lemon as I requested so wasn’t able to drink the tea either. Bride’s cake was good but over the top too sweet. Groom’s chocolate cake was awful. No one at our table ate the grooms cake. Don’t know if the Rice makes their own cakes but I’ve had delicious cake at other weddings.

Approaching our daughter’s 5^th wedding anniversary and guests are still raving about the beautiful reception, stunning room, beautiful food, gracious service and brilliant staff. Glad to see nothing has changed!

I had my wedding at the Crystal ballroom. Jamie is the coordinator there and is drop dead AMAZING! She’s quick to answer emails, set up appointments to meet you — just a bubbly personality. I really enjoyed working with her. She was always on top of her emails and answer our questions (even as dumb as I thought some of them may have been). She’s upfront, responsive, and is amiable! A win-​win! The day of we had Alexandra help us! TOP NOTCH, she was always there to get us drinks, keep me on track, and just an all around great girl! We had several one-​off conversations and you can tell she loves her job. We had a little trouble with the DJ and she handled it! The servers are so gregarious and offering to help or get something at the drop of the hat.
We did the all inclusive package, so we had a photographer (Jessi Marri Photography) who is awesome and takes the most beautiful pictures. Edible Designs by Jessie made our cake (you have to try the vanilla and italian cream cake. to die for). Our cake was beautiful and delicious. The DJ was the only thing I would change — he sent someone to ask me what songs were what (which we had a meeting about and he sent me our songs, etc list following that meeting), he didn’t play my «walking down the aisle» song, and during toasts was up there talking (to someone he was training or a friend/​not sure) so I had to walk across the ballroom to ask him to turn off the music and bring a mic. He did apologize, but he just seemed a little unprofessionaly. BUT he is just one of the DJ’s, and the company that they hire has SEVERAL, so you shouldn’t have to worry b/​c he did still have everyone on the dance floor! :D
The food was off the charts amazing! I’ve had several people come up and tell me how beautiful the venue was and how amazing the food was. Literally you cannot, and I mean cannot, go wrong with Jamie and her team. Professional, proficient, and attentive, not to mention personable and helpful! I cannot give them enough praise on how easy they made my day — wouldn’t change anything!
Jamie, Alexandra, and staff — thank you all so very much for making my day special and as stress free as possible!

I can’t say enough good about the Crystal Ballroom at The Rice. We sent out inquiries to every single wedding venue in proper downtown Houston, and Crystal Ballroom was the only one who was in our budget. I’ve heard from brides on The Knot, etc. that if they had the budget, they’d choose the Crystal Ballroom. It was also recently ranked the top place to get married in Houston.
We did not have the budget most people who get married at CB did. By having our wedding on a Sunday or Friday in the offseason, the food and beverage minimum you normally encounter on Saturdays was waived. At our first inquiry, Jamie sent us a very detailed spreadsheet that had answers to 95% of our questions. We chose to meet with her to see the venue for the first time, and my first thought was just WOW. When we realized just how good of a deal we could get, for a place LIKE THIS, we were sold.
Once we booked, we met with Jamie two additional times over the course of the next year and a half (long engagement, we plan ahead) and she was super quick to respond and amazingly helpful, even as we changed and re-​changed some of the food and beverage, etc. items that affected our contract and bottom line. At every step of the way, she was advocating for us and looking for ways to save us money. This is true even until the day before the wedding. We decided to not spend $ 500 to book the adjacent Empire Room for our cocktail hour, instead opting for the downstairs lobby, but when my then-​fiancé had a change of heart and insisted we inquire about it, in the middle of setting up things for our wedding herself, Jamie told us that because no one had booked it, it wasn’t a big deal and we’d be okay to use it for free.
The day of, we had a different Jamie who seemed to be overseeing catering, and then a woman named Minette (sp?) who was just helping us out every step of the way, literally bringing my groom and I, and our parents/​grandparents drinks each time ours got near empty. (That helped a few family members get a little more tipsy than usual!) She even offered to get me a bandaid when I cut my finger cutting the cake (don’t worry, no blood got on the cake.)
I was blown away at the deal we got for the price and just so impressed with how together and professional everyone at CB was. If you consider yourself a «budget bride» — do not rule CB out. Give it a try, it might just surprise you!

We recently had both our wedding ceremony and reception at The Crystal Ballroom at The Rice. The venue is absolutely gorgeous with its beautiful crystal chandeliers, hand painted mural ceilings, french doors and wrap around terrace. We worked directly with Jamie, the catering and event manager of Sambuca Catering, the company that manages the Crystal Ballroom and Empire Room. Jamie impressed me from day 1! She is beyond professional and is a true expert in her field. Jamie was very helpful throughout the planning process, answering any question I had whether it be about the menu selections or logistics of how the evening will progress.
Fast forward to the evening of our wedding – the food and service was excellent! We had appetizers passed during the cocktail reception while the ballroom was being flipped for our reception. The appetizers were superb! For dinner, each guest was served a dual entrée with Filet and Mahi Mahi. Again the Sambuca Catering team performed beautifully, cooking everything to perfection. Our guests continuously shared their compliments of the catering and venue team. The food was more than delicious and perfectly portioned!
We want to give an excellent rating to the entire team from The Crystal Ballroom at The Rice & Sambuca Catering. We highly recommend this beautiful venue for your wedding or event. We only hope our paths will again cross with Jamie and her team – they are amazing!

Jamie and Paula were amazing throughout our 10 month planning process for our daughters wedding. They never missed a beat. They kept us calm and unstressed, simply took care of everything. I expected to do a lot of the small touches for ceremony/​reception myself, and they graciously took my labeled boxes, and got it all done! As a caterer, Sambuca was amazing. We had guests from all over the country, and as far away as India. Everyone raved about the food. The servings were generously sized, and they never ran short of anything. We have had tons of unsolicited compliments on the food.
Their attention to detail, and the attention to the bride/​groom and immediate family was wonderful. I bet thru the evening I was asked no less than 15 times if I needed anything at all. If something to drink wasn’t in my hand, it magically appeared. From the set up thru the tear down, to the loading of our vehicles… they were wonderful, courteous, and took care of everything. We are so happy that we chose the ballroom for its beauty, but Sambuca and the staff is what made the event what it was. We would choose the venue, and caterer, all over again!

I went here for my niece’s wedding reception. The place is absolutely gorgeous with beautiful plaster work and huge murals on the walls. There is s nice upstairs porch as well. A great venue for a party.

I had an appointment scheduled to view the room for my wedding last month. My mother in law, husband, and Maid of Honor all came with me to tour venues (I am already married but haven’t had my official ceremony yet). Upon arriving I thought the place was going to be super extravagant bc the rice loft waiting area was nicely decorated. The lady who was in charge of the tour came to greet us hastily and rushed us up to the room. She seemed very annoyed and busy so was talking super fast and rushed us in and out of the place. The room was okay, a bit run down and dirty looking so it was okay that we didnt even get to spend 25 mins there. The carpet is really old. I am sure you could spend alot of money on decorations in order to spruce up the place but it just wasnt worth it for me.

I went here for the second time for another Shecky’s Girls’ Night out event. The servers are always friendly, the rooms are lovely with outdoor patios, and the bathrooms are ample. All a girl could ask for really. Too bad parking can be a bit of a pain, but that is Houston for you.

Best venue in town.
I was the organizer for an MBA gala for 400 people and we chose the Rice Hotel as our venue based on other reviews and previous experience at events there. Paula was a great help through the entire process. She was responsive to my emails and gave me suggestions for bands and entertainment. We booked our band and rented casino tables through her contacts and loved both! On the day of the event, Jamie executed everything briliantly — I gave her a list of vendors and contact info and did not have to worry about anything going wrong because I knew she was there to solve any problems.
While the room rental fee is on the high side, the catering offered through Sambuca is so cheap that the Rice Hotel was surprisingly cheaper than other similar large event spaces in town. The food was delicious and there were plenty of drinks flowing all night.
Lastly, the space is just beautiful. We used no decorations and the place looked great just the way it was. The terrace is a great place for attendees to hang out and cool down after dancing all night. I highly recommend hosting your event here!

Great historic venue in a perfect downtown setting. Would love to use this some day.

Save me a seat on the Jamie love train!
As a resident of the building, I have a unique perspective on event planning at the ballroom, as I get to watch delivery, set up, food prep, break down & the event itself. It’s like The Wedding Crashers, every weekend! (But I don’t do it. Though sometimes it’s tempting!)
Having worked in catering myself, I can relate to how stressful a job it is. The care & effort that the staff puts into these events is obvious when watching behind the scenes. Which I do. I’m «curious» like that. That it looks so seemless is testimony to how well they do their jobs.
Note: In fairness, other caterers do hold events here, but as Sambuca is in house, they seem to hold the bulk of the events.(And the only events that I have attended as a real guest were theirs).
The facility is comprised of several rooms, any, or all of which are in use at any given time. The restoration is beautiful. Epecially during the Christmas holidays– I felt like Eloise at the Plaza all winter long!

Held an event here for work recently and was very pleased with the room, with the service (before event, during and after), with the prices and my guests liked it too. Highly recommend. We were actually in the smaller room adjacent, but it was amazing, the out door patio was great, food was quite good. Yea!

Sambuca caters, manages and books the ballroom. I worked with Jaime at Sambuca and she the most courteous and professional coordinator I had the pleasure of dealing with.
The room is AMAZING High ceilings, 6 large chandeliers, a stage for a band, wrap around balcony, side room for buffet, bridal suite for the bride and groom to sneak away.
The service leading to the day was exceptional, and the day of was nothing less. Jaime is amazing to work with, no matter how many questions I had or changes; she never made me feel like I was bothering her. The food was great according to our guests, but more than anything they commented on the service being top notch. If anyone has Crystal Ballroom on their maybe list, just book with them. The venue is gorgeous and very old Houston.
I loved them and they made us truly fell like we spent a million dollars. When we exited our car Jaime was outside with our personal waitress holding a glass of Champagne with a strawberries (for me) and a red bull and vodka for my groom, we were greeted with Congratulations Mr and Mrs Ruiz =)
Honestly Jaime and the Crystal Ballroom is too great for words, I never worried about my venue and catering.

I have been to two very different types of events at the Crystal Ballroom of the Historic Rice Hotel. The first was Shecky’s Girls Night out and the second was the Thurgood Marshall School of Law HSA Scholarship Banquet, both were great. I am very impressed with the hotel and the Ballroom, and could only imagine what a wedding would be like in that beautiful space.
The Hotel is very beautiful in it’s vintage splendor. It makes me curious as to what it would have been like to stay there in the old days. I am glad it was kept as a historic landmark rather than tearing it down. The hotel is located downtown in a block occupied mostly by restaurants (see Sambuca Jazz Café). I can understand why the Rice Hotel could not survive in today’s Luxury hotel market, as the Hiltons of the world have taken luxury to another level.
Now, the Crysta Ballroom has very high ceilings and beautiful chandeliers. Also, the mural on the ceiling is fantastic, it displays women playing instruments or maybe in a chorus? (see the picture I uploaded). The ballroom has very lavish space. The outdoor Patio is very spacious as well. From there, one could see the beauty of downtown Houston while enjoying the weather.
The Hotel has been converted to Lofts (per the sign outside), wonder how much it costs to live there… Probably more than most Houstonians care to pay. I hear it is very hard to reserve the room as the wait is very long. But, whatever you may need that beautiful room for, it will most definitely be an impressive event.

Apparently the historic Rice Hotel in downtown Houston is now used as loft space… but he Crystal Ballroom has been lavishly restored to it’s original design from 1913… it has a 30-​foot ceiling, a restored mural, a plethora of crystal chandeliers and an outdoor terrace to take your breath away with views of downtown.
If you’re planning on having a wedding, a reception or a grand event here… the shortest wait is about 6 months with up to 2 years for a wedding! Crazy…
We were here for the most extravagant and stunning of weddings… I’ve never seen so many flowers! There was a full service bar both inside and out on the terrace as well as a dance floor set up, a stage on which a pianist could sit, and an indoor gazebo under which sat a beautifully lit cake.
The food was served up in an adjoining room and in a buffet setting… delish!
The staff was marvelous and truly made everyone, not just the bride, feel like royalty! And I’m sure that they were oh so happy cleaning up all of the rose petals strewn about upstairs, in the lobby and out front… but if they were annoyed… it didn’t show!
Best wedding ever… if you want to have the most memorable of days… I suggest you give the Crystal Ballroom a looksy.