Alden Hotel
COST: $$
An understated counterpoint to its ravishing neighbor, Hotel Icon, the Alden is an exciting player in Houston's downtown revival. Opened in 2006 and run by the Morgans Hotel Group, the Alden began life as the Sam Houston Hotel in 1917, near what was then the bustling Union-Pacific Station. Now low-slung furniture and warm browns and whites predominate, with James Turell-inspired light installations adding subtle glows of color. It's modern, yes, but it's also easily the most elegant, comfortable hotel lobby in town, where downtown office workers and new loft-dwelling residents gather at the end of the day. The low-key comfort extends to guest rooms, which, with their taupe leather headboards and black granite-walled baths, are splendid without being showy.
Room to Book: Any on the seventh floor or higher with a room number ending in 08 for a spectacular view of the roaring crowds at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros.
Tip: Near the theater district, the hotel offers complimentary transportation to shows via Lincoln Navigator.
As Featured In...
From Travel + Leisure, Jan 2006
“'So many people have jumped on the bandwagon of interesting décor, thinking it will solve their woes,' says Tim Miller, the Ian Schrager protégé who just opened the 97-room Alden hotel in Houston....” MORE>>
From Travel + Leisure, Dec 2005
“After you've spent 16 years working with Ian Schrager, what do you do for an encore? If you're Tim Miller, you head to Houston and convert a historic 10-story downtown tower into the Alden Hotel....” MORE>>
From Food & Wine, Jun 2004
“Downtown, the new boutique Sam Houston Hotel has a lobby with chic cowhide-backed seats and a restaurant called 17....” MORE>>
From Food & Wine, Mar 2003
“After being closed for 78 years, Houston's legendary Sam Houston Hotel has reopened as a downtown hot spot with 21st-century amenities....” MORE>>
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