Alden Hotel
	Alden Hotel – 1117 Prairie Street, Houston, Texas  77002.  Toll Free:  877-348-8800 Houston’s version of the Alden chain of luxury hotels does not disappoint.  97 guestrooms offering lavish, residential style luxury.  Rooms offer sleek contemporary design and feature such amenities as full work areas, linens with 400-thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, down pillows and comforters, thick pillow-top mattresses and plush terry robes and towels.  Bathrooms are breathtakingly glitzy with granite counters and glass enclosed showers.  Suites offer oversized bathtubs. Award-winning restaurant *17 offers outstanding cuisine.  John Mariani commented in Esquire, “…one of the sexier venues in the city.  The wow factor is writ Texas-large here, and every other chef in Houston knows it.”  The Alden’s a+ bar ranks among Houston’s best. www.aldenhotels.com
Farris Hotel
	Farris Hotel – 201 North McCarty, Eagle Lake, Texas 77434. (979) 234-6500. The Farris Hotel is centrally located in Eagle Lake in Southeast Texas between IH10 and U.S.59 in the heart of the world’s largest goose concentrations.  Eagle Lake is known as “The Goose Hunting Capital of the World”.  The Farris Hotel, built in 1912 has been a destination for hunters in the South Texas and Central Texas Hunting zones, as well as bird watchers, since its opening.  The hotel has 16 rooms decorated with turn of the century antiques. Each room opens onto the “Great Room”, offering big-screen TV, card tables and comfortable armchairs and settees for relaxing and socializing.  The hotel was built on the site where the town of Eagle Lake began as a stagecoach inn and later railroad stop.  When the hotel was opened the surrounding country was comprised of rice farms, making the hotel the social and business center of the town of Eagle Lake.   During the Great Depression the hotel began to decline.  Over the next 50 years, although it continued to shelter travelers, time took a great toll on the historic building.  In the mid-1970s the grand old hotel was rescued and totally renovated, restoring it to its original condition, complete with Victorian carpets and Nottingham lace and satin draperies. The hotel offers Hunting Packages which include three meals – dinner on the day of arrival, breakfast before hunting and lunch upon returning from hunting. The hotel can also recommend outfitters, guides and bird processors in the area.  The hotel’s dining room offers casual fine dining and menu prices are reasonable.  Sunday champagne brunch. Full service bar, the Cooked Goose Saloon.  www.farrishotel.com
Granduca Hotel
	Granduca Hotel – 1080 Uptown Park Blvd., Houston, Texas 77056. (713) – GRANDUCA. Italian-born, Houston-based developer, Giorgio Borlenghi, has re-created the privilege and ambience of an Italian palace in one of Houston’s newest hotels.  Opulence is the best word to describe this property.  The six-story property offers 130 luxurious guest rooms and suites. Very spacious rooms (from 425 square feet) and suites up to 3-bedroom, are offered by the day, week, month, or year.  All rooms include separate living and dining areas and exquisite Tuscan décor.  Each room has a spectacular view.  Suites have fully-equipped kitchens with granite countertops and fine cabinetry.  Kitchens are stocked with china, glassware and cookware and include refrigerator, dishwasher, stovetop, microwave, coffee maker, and ice machines.  All rooms offer wireless internet access.  French doors lead to private balconies.  Catered in-room dining is available.  The hotel features a boutique and retail shop, heated outdoor pool and spa, a billiard room/library and complimentary shoeshine service.  Concierge, valet and housekeeping services available 24 hours and valet parking is complimentary.  Health club is equipped with state-of-the-art fitness equipment and personal trainers are available.   Complimentary continental breakfast served daily.  Cocktail lounge offers hors d’oeuvres and refreshments.  The hotel is conveniently located near The Galleria, Houston’s Theater District, The Texas medical Center and the Museum District.
Hotel Galvez
	Hotel Galvez – 2024 Seawall Boulevard, Galveston Island, Texas. 77550 (409) 765-7721. The Hotel Galvez is the grand old lady of Galveston hotels.  Built in 1911 on the Galveston Seawall with unobstructed views of the Gulf of Mexico the hotel has hosted generations of families from around the world.   The hotel was known as “The Queen of the Gulf”.  In its heyday the Galvez was host to such guests as Teddy Roosevelt, Howard Hughes and Frank Sinatra.  The hotel began to decline in the late 20th century, but a $9-million dollar restoration by John and Cynthia Mitchell restored the hotel to its original grandeur as a timeless showplace.  The hotel has 7 suites and 226 rooms featuring marble bathrooms, hand decorated walls and views of the Gulf. The hotel is the recipient of the Prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award.  One of the most unique features of the hotel is the fabulous swim-up bar.  Surrounded by lush tropical greenery the pool area is like an oasis and the pool itself is huge and it’s heated.  Jacuzzi also.  You can also dine at the outdoor grill in the pool area.  For dining,  Bernardo’s Restaurant, an elegant lobby restaurant offers upscale cuisine and impeccably fresh Gulf seafood.  The hotel is a trolley ride away from downtown Galveston featuring art galleries, museums, and the fabulous shops and restaurants of the Strand Historic District and the many attractions at Pier 21, including the Tall Ship Elissa, and “The Great Storm Theater” a multimedia presentation of the 1900 Galveston hurricane. When in Galveston check out the Moody Gardens also. www.hotelgalvez.com
Harbor House
	Harbor House – Pier 21, Galveston, Texas 77550. 1-800-874-3721 Built to resemble a working waterfront warehouse, the Harbor House has 39 casual, but luxuriously tasteful rooms decorated in a nautical style and 3 suites. The rooms feature designer fabrics, white washed oak furnishings, pickled wood floors and Berber carpets.  Each room has a sitting area, refrigerator, microwave and coffeemaker. Complimentary breakfast is included with room.  The inn-style hotel was built on the site of an early Galveston Steamship terminal.  Rooms offer great venues for shipwatching.  Nine boat slips available at the hotel.  Although the Harbor House does not have a restaurant, signing privileges are available, with established credit, at The Merchant Prince Restaurant and Toujouse Bar at the Tremont House, a short distance from the hotel and Bernardo’s at the Hotel Galvez.  The Harbor House is adjacent to the Texas Seaport Museum and the Tall Ship Elissa.  One block from the Strand Historic District with great shopping and restaurants. www.harborhousepier21.com
Lancaster Hotel
	Lancaster Hotel – 701 Texas Avenue, Houston, Texas 77002. (713) 228-9500. This 93 room luxury hotel is located within walking distance of all Houston’s downtown attractions including the Theater District, the Wortham Center for Houston Grand Opera and Ballet, the government corridor and the federal courthouse.  Tastefully elegant lobby with fresh-cut flowers and stately oil paintings.  A dramatic mezzanine level overlooks the lobby.  The rooms feature traditional décor with dark-wood two-poster beds topped with duvets and feather pillows.  The Bistro Lancaster is one of Houston’s top-rated restaurants and is very popular with the theater crowd.  The Lancaster offers top-notch personal service.  A respite from the hustle and bustle right outside the front door. www.thelancasterhouston.com
LaSalle Hotel
	La Salle Hotel – 120 South Main Street, Bryan, Texas 77803, 1-866-822-2000 Built in 1928 and considered a fine architectural work with great craftsmanship in such elements as a marble-studded lobby.  The hotel was once Bryan’s hub of activity as a destination for both rail and auto passengers.  Over the years the hotel has been refurbished and maintained to reflect modern amenities,  The guest rooms and suites are richly appointed with fine furnishings.  Suite all feature refrigerators, microwaves, Jacuzzi tubs with bath salts, separate living rooms and three televisions.  Hotel provides a complimentary continental breakfast. For full dining, Madden’s Casual Gourmet is adjacent to the hotel, offering full gourmet breakfasts featuring such specialties as Eggs Benedict and Sourdough Pancakes.  (Lunch and dinner served also.)  See hotel website for room rates and reservations. www.lasallehotel.com
St. Regis Hotel
	St. Regis Hotel – 1919 Briar Oaks lane, Houston, Texas 77027. (713) 840-7600. The St. Regis is conveniently located between River Oaks, Houston’s most exclusive residential neighborhood, and the Galleria.  Guest rooms and suites are large (starting at 500 square feet) and offer elegant furnishings and rich fabrics. All rooms feature Pratesi linens, pillow top mattresses, down comforters, sitting areas, floor to ceiling windows, terry cloth robes and full-mirrored marble bathrooms.  Fabulous dining options at the St. Regis. The Tea Lounge is so civilized, offering a proper English Tea – including teas, finger sandwiches and an array of miniature pastries.  And, of course, the harpist!  The Remington Bar and Grill offers light fare in a cosmopolitan atmosphere.  Solo pianist Monday through Friday, with upbeat bands on weekends.  The Remington Restaurant, under the direction of Chef Garret Fujieda, offers some of Houston’s finest fare in an elegant setting.   Top-notch wine list.  The Remington is a favorite of Houston diners in-the-know. www.stregishotel.com
The Tremont House
	The Tremont House – 2300 Ship’s Mechanic Row, Galveston, Texas 77550. (409) 763-0300. Located in the heart of Galveston’s Strand Historic District, the Tremont is an elegant European-style hotel with touches of the old South.  The original Tremont House was located in a square two-story brick building  and opened in 1839 on the corner of Post Office and Tremont Streets. For years the hotel was the largest and finest in the Republic of Texas.  Early guests included Sam Houston and Texas President Anson Jones plus foreign ministers from France and England.  Sam Houston delivered his last public speech at the Tremont. During the Civil War, Confederate soldiers, then Union troops were quartered in the hotel.  Sadly, on June 20, 1865 the hotel was totally destroyed by a fire that razed entire city blocks of the Strand District.  The hotel lay in ruins for five years before a group of Galveston businessmen organized a company to rebuild it. The new hotel opened in 1872 and quickly became the social center of the Texas coast.  Guests included wealthy cotton merchants, Sioux Indian Chiefs and six U.S. Presidents, plus many other famous personages of the era.  The hotel withstood the Great 1900 Hurricane and gave shelter to refugees of the storm.  The demise of Galveston’s economy after the storm sounded the death knell for the hotel and it eventually fell into ruin and was demolished in 1928.   The present Tremont Hotel opened in 1985, forty-five years after the closing of the last Tremont. The hotel is located in the 1879 Leon & H. Blum Building, an architecturally lavish Galveston landmark that once housed the South’s premiere wholesale dry goods company.  The present hotel offers 119 guest rooms and sitting room suites with soaring 14-foot ceilings, custom crafted period furnishings and hardwood floors.  Baths feature hand painted Italian tiles and European towel warmers. The Belmont Suites, served by a private elevator,  feature gracious living areas with wet bars and an additional half-bath, Jacuzzi tubs, and Italian marble tile.  The Tremont House offers superb dining in a casual setting at the Merchant Prince Restaurant.  In the airy lobby atrium you can enjoy cocktails or afternoon tea at the historically-significant 1888 Toujouse Bar.  Plush white wicker furnishings repose under tropical palms, creating the perfect setting for lounging at this great island hotel. www.tremonthouse.com