Four Seasons Houston

The preferred lodging for visiting performers, professional athletes, business execs, and couples in the know, the Four Seasons Houston delivers the seamless, sophisticated experience that fans of the brand have come to expect. In 2011 it was elevated to the AAA Five Diamond Hotels list.

Streamlined contemporary decor is designed for comfort and utility. Standard rooms feature a king-size bed and oversize upholstered chair with a matching ottoman that provides an ideal spot to read or watch TV (HBO is among the channel selections). Those who need to work can do it at a glass-topped wooden desk with an ergonomic white leather chair. Thoughtful touches incude a closet with both a standard-height clothes rack as well as an extra-tall one to hold ballgowns brought to attend a Houston gala or formal affair on the premises. Although standard rooms are perfectly fine, it's only $50 more to upgrade to a spacious executive suite that has a separate spacious sitting area.

Quattro, on the hotel's third floor, serves casual Italian fare including pizzas, lasagna, risotto, and other favorites in a sophisticated setting. Banquettes along the windows allow for cozy tete-a-tetes. Too bad we weren't there with a group, though: Quattro has four appealing private dining rooms. "Tuscany" has modern-Italian decor; "Il Rosso" has flattering red-lacquer walls; "Cucina" provides a window on the spotless kitchen; and the intimate wine room is surrounded by racks of bottles. Quattro is adjacent to the hotel's wine bar, which pours some 50 wines by the glass.

Not only does the Four Seasons Houston host wedding receptions in event spaces fronted by tall, carved wooden doors; it also has the Fairfield Room, where a ceremony can take place. The largest ballroom can accommodate 350 guests at a sit-down dinner, and it has an adjacent foyer for cocktails and another for the wedding cake and dessert presentation. If you're interested in knowing more, contact the hotel and ask to speak to the social catering manager. In the spa, a "Blushing Bride" regimen consists of a facial, massage, aromatic body polish, hand and foot "rituals," (aka mani-pedi), and a poolside lunch.

Many well-heeled area couples spend their wedding night at the Four Seasons Houston before jetting off to a dreamy tropical location at, say, the Four Seasons Bora Bora or the Four Seasons Maldives. For some, it becomes a tradition to return to the hotel to celebrate an anniversary in Texas. The hotel provides a nice amenity plate for honeymooners and others who check in on a special occasion.

An oasis in the city, the hotel's oval outdoor pool is surrounded by loungers backed by private cabanas. There's also a hot tub, bar/snack bar, and a firepit for couples to snuggle near late into the night. A fitness room and Clarins spa with a couples suite are available. Tyes of massages for two include deep- tissue, aromatherapy, relaxing/energizing, and hot-stone. The hotel's lobby lounge is also a popular gathering place. Mondays through Fridays, a sushi bar aka "Wasabi in the Lobby" is set up, and on Thursdays a pianist serenades.

There's not much within walking distance of the hotel (this is sprawling Houston after all). But the city's light rail is just three blocks away, and stops include the museum district and venues where all of Houston's the professional sports teams play. The house car is a BMW, and it can drop a couple in the downtown area. And Houston has a "Six in the City" policy, where taxi rides from one downtown point to another are a flat $6. If you can't imagine a trip to Houston without a visit to its famous Galleria shopping mall, that's about a $15 ride from the hotel.

The Four Seasons Houston gets just about everything right. If you travel as much as I do and stay in so many different hotels, checking into a Four Seasons usually feels like returning to the mother ship, where the staff is gracious and helpful and everything works the way it should. That said, we find the fact that the hotel charges for in-room wi-fi indefensible. And those "one-size-fits-all" terry robes in the bathroom? They don't.

Four Seasons takes pride in its people and its property, and it shows. Travelers who appreciate quiet, discretion, quality furnishings, and an amenable staff find all that and more. The Four Seasons Houston is certainly not the cheapest hotel in Houston, but for a honeymoon couple or other romantics, it's nonpareil.

Four Seasons Houston
1300 Lamar Street
Houston, Texas 77010-3017
Phone: 713-652-6220
Official Hotel Web Site

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As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary accommodations and a meal for the purpose of reviewing those services. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.