Four Seasons Hotel

Description:

• This member of the luxury hotel chain does everything right. It stands out especially in the areas of service (reliable concierge, attentive staff, and a luxury spa) and spaciousness (everything about the hotel is large -- guest rooms, suites, and all common areas). Rooms are decorated traditionally: draperies with valances, furniture with neoclassical lines, upholstery with brocades and other rich fabrics. What impresses me the most about this hotel is the ease with which services are provided. Need a fridge, a fax machine, or a VCR delivered to your room? No problem. Need your suit dry-cleaned at 2 in the morning for use later that day? No problem. The hotel can do this because it employs a large staff. The location is convenient, by the city's convention center, baseball park, and basketball arena. Connected to the hotel are a small shopping center and the Houston Center Athletic Club, whose facilities are available to guests free of charge. (The hotel has a large, well-equipped health club of its own and offers guests access to a nearby racquet club, too.) The hotel's restaurant, Quattro, is an Italian grill that has won much praise from food critics. In 2009, the hotel is undergoing a $25-million renovation. The pool, which is on the fourth floor, has been completely overhauled and now looks in size and style like a resort hotel pool, with views of the surrounding skyline. The health club is going to expand, and the guest rooms will be thoroughly remodeled. They will still be traditional in style, but with modern accents and sleeker lines.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Very Highly Recommended 2010