Alden Houston

1117 Prairie St.

(877) 348-8800

Cost:

Downtown Houston is undergoing a deep revitalization, and the new Alden-Houston has played a role in the process. Formerly the Sam Houston Hotel, this 1920’s 10-story tower now has comfortable interiors, with grand leather headboards and 400-thread-count sheets, and luxe amenities, such as complimentary car service. The Alden-Houston’s lobby is dominated by a pulsing, 30-foot-long David Lander light sculpture, and the 97 rooms have Texas-size showers crafted of Russian granite. In the restaurant, executive chef Ryan Pera (formerly the chef poissonnier at New York’s Le Cirque) serves grass-fed filet mignon with wild mushrooms and buttermilk onion rings.