Proposed W Hotel In Uptown

[Fortune]

With business booming, the population exploding, and money flowing, I find it really hard to believe that someone hasn't taken a chance on a W Hotel, Mandarin Oriental, Ritz-Carlton, Taj, or Fairmont type of hotel/condo venture.

I agree. The 50 story Fairmont hotel Austin is getting is pretty nice. I'd love to see something like that go up on the the east side of downtown.

[ArchFan]

I find it kinda bizarre that a city as big as Houston with such a booming economy (and lots of national press mentioning it) has not had a new high-end hotel built for so long.  I'm starting to feel that developers and investors are drawn more to places that have a mystique of being more trendy and sexy than Houston.  I think they are missing an opportunity, but I also think that if someone did build a Mandarin Oriental (or the like), it would behoove them to know the market well and not scrimp needlessly.

[ArchFan]

The only high-endish new hotels I can think of are the Hotel Sorella and the Memorial City Westin.  They are nice, but I don't think they can compare with the other brands people have mentioned.   Am I overlooking an other new places?

[KinkaidAlum]

Nope, you are not.

 

Hard to imagine that a city than can lure Singapore, Emirates, Qatar, and Turkish Airlines over the last few years, can't get another high end hotel brand in town. 

 

For awhile, there were several proposed but none made it out of the ground. Meanwhile, Dallas and Austin landed quite a few...

[Hugh Stone]

Will the new convention center Marriott across the street from Discovery Green be high end? 

[cloud713]

^ good question. i tried looking up Marquis on the Marriotts site and couldnt find anything listing that brand. i know there are only a few Marriott Marquis and they seem to be in more high end cities, so you would assume it would be..? when i was looking at their site i noticed they list the JW Marriott brand as "luxury" (ive never stayed at a JW and all i know about them is that one is coming to Houston).

i just did some more googling and the description for the Marriott Marquis in other cities like San Francisco, Atlanta, and NYC all describe it at "luxury/premier/ect", so i guess it will be considered high end?

[Montrose1100]

^ good question. i tried looking up Marquis on the Marriotts site and couldnt find anything listing that brand. i know there are only a few Marriott Marquis and they seem to be in more high end cities, so you would assume it would be..? when i was looking at their site i noticed they list the JW Marriott brand as "luxury" (ive never stayed at a JW and all i know about them is that one is coming to Houston), so i guess we will at least have that when they finish it.

i just did some more googling and the description for the Marriott Marquis in other cities like San Francisco, Atlanta, and NYC all describe it at "luxury/premier/ect", so i guess it will be considered high end?

The JW Marriott by the Galleria is pretty nice. By price and amenities the Houstonian is about as top drawer as we get (if you don't count the botiques downtown).

[jt16]

With business booming, the population exploding, and money flowing, I find it really hard to believe that someone hasn't taken a chance on a W Hotel, Mandarin Oriental, Ritz-Carlton, Taj, or Fairmont type of hotel/condo venture.

Those are all different hotels. The W isn't even in the same league as those others

[bobruss]

Has anyone contacted The W, or I believe they are actually part of the Starwood group.

I sent an email just last week to a contact address and had a response from one of their representatives who said it is

Something they are considering but was vague about a time frame. I think the more who contact them will make them more aware of the interest. I mentioned the friends who plan visits here always ask if we have a W, yet? Those kinds of things peek interest.

Perhaps others will follow.

[shasta]

Has anyone contacted The W, or I believe they are actually part of the Starwood group.

I sent an email just last week to a contact address and had a response from one of their representatives who said it is

Something they are considering but was vague about a time frame. I think the more who contact them will make them more aware of the interest. I mentioned the friends who plan visits here always ask if we have a W, yet? Those kinds of things peek interest.

Perhaps others will follow.

 

Can you share the email address?

[LTAWACS]

Whar makes this hotel so special?

[nativehoustonion]

I stayed at the one in Barcelona. The building was nice, blue glass near the port. It looks like the Essex/Linbeck proposed town off Market Square but not as tall. There service was ok, I don't see big deal about the W Hotel. I prefer Hyatt is always get over the top service.

[Hugh Stone]

If its special, it's only because we don't have one yet. Just like In N Out Burgers or H&M, the instant one is built in Houston the W won't seem so special anymore. 

[nativehoustonion]

We have H&M I went there yesterday. It is too far in Baybrook Mall. It is the only place that has my sizes. I always had to go to the boys department and Macys to find my size. Maybe the W Hotel would a good thing for Houston. I was not impressed with it in Barcelona. As far as burgers. We have too many already. I hope we never get White Castle yuk!

[Hugh Stone]

Did H&M seem as special as it did before they built one in Houston?

[bobruss]

Can you share the email address?

 

whotels@starwoodhotels.com

 

Sure here it is along with a copy of the message I received. I know its a very generic kind of answer but it does mention several times that one is coming sometime.

 

Thank you for your email to Whotels.com.
 
W Hotels is one of the fastest upcoming hotel brands and is looking to expand our locations. We have several hotels opening soon all over the world. We currently do not have one listed for Houston opening yet. Please keep checking our site for a location coming soon near you.
 
Mr. R. , thank you again for your interest and we hope to bring a W hotel to Houston soon. Should you require additional assistance, simply reply to this email. If you prefer, you may chat with us online or we can call you.
 
Please fill out our customer service feedback survey and let me know if the customer service you received today met your expectations.

Best Regards,

Heidi Pearse
Specialist, eCommunications Department
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
 

[nativehoustonion]

I like H&M here. I use to fly to DCA that was the nearest one. I'm a Starwood Preferred Guest so I get 3 miles per dollar. That is why I stayed at the W in Barcelona. I also like Westin they were better. Hopefully we will get one. With 6.5 million people metro area and we are number 2 with Fortune 500 companies after New York. I think they are stupid that they are avoiding Houston.

[monarch]

As a government contractor, for whom has had the privilege of working within the confines of Afghanistan as per several years, I have had the opportunity to patronize the H&M within the Mall of the Emirates, as well as the Dubai Mall, Dubai, UAE, respectively.  I for one, just could never understand the "allure" of this particular brand other than maybe it is just quite trendy as per some of it's growing list of patrons.

 

The very youthful merchandise within H&M is really nothing to write home about...as per my taste.....and trust me, I have visited some really nice and high end stores and boutiques during my worldly travels.

 

Additionally, in regards to the concepts of Houston acquiring the ultra trendy W Hotel vs a new and very luxurious Ritz Carlton Houston, I for one, am just like all of you....knowing full well that a power house city like Houston, surely will someday witness the revealing of one if not a few of these hotels patronizing our fair city.  Just how on earth can they continue to patronize both Austin as well as Dallas....and totally just ignore the fourth largest....as well as most dynamic city in the United States......talk about compelling. Lastly, I just wanted to finally send a BIG HELLO to all of the mighty HAIFERS!  I have been dutifully "trolling" basically every night....upon whether I am at my office on my base within the Theater of Afghanistan, vs traveling upon one of my vacations due to being exhausted as per some seriously hard work....working and taking good care of our magnificent military.  I just wanted to say please....group / friends.....continue to love our great and fair City of Houston the way that all of you seem to do.  It has become quite evident to myself throughout the few years of "trolling" that a good many of you Haifers really do indeed love our fair City of Houston, and you certainly do not mind defending it ....no matter what.  Therefore, please know, that no matter what you decide to comment upon....how you decide to comment upon it......whenever you decide to comment upon it......as well as the length for which you decide to reveal your comment.......please bare in mind, that we are looking and learning, and taking it all in......thanks to the sheer generosity your post.  

 

I go by the user name "Monarch".  And I am more than proud to call myself a HAIFER.  WM 

 
    

 

[Golyadkin]

Just weighing in on the topic of comparing the W to other luxury hotel brands:

I travel a lot, and have stayed in a LOT of hotels, including the Raffles in Singapore, the W Taipei, The Manila Hotel, and the Dukes' Palace in Bruges. I also lived for a month in the Mandarin Oriental in Manila and have stayed at the Shangri-La in Cebu more than a dozen times. I'm actually writing this from a room in the New World Hotel in Makati. Without a doubt the W (Taipei) is the best hotel I've ever stayed in by a mile. Nothing else even comes close. I will be staying in the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong this weekend, so I may have to update this statement depending on how that is, but even though I'm expecting that stay to be incredible, I don't see how much they could possibly do to make it significantly better in any way than the W.

[Montrose1100]

If its special, it's only because we don't have one yet. Just like In N Out Burgers or H&M, the instant one is built in Houston the W won't seem so special anymore.

H&M is in Willowbrook Mall, and we have Carl's Jr., so we probably won't get an In & Out Burger. But that last part is word of mouth.

[lockmat]

What kind of travelers stay in the high end hotels everyone is craving? Business people?

[Howard Huge]

The JW Marriott by the Galleria is pretty nice. By price and amenities the Houstonian is about as top drawer as we get (if you don't count the botiques downtown).

Hmmm, Ive heard Hotel Zaza was the most high end/expensive hotel in houston, can anyone confirm/deny this?

[Howard Huge]

Also, isnt Hotel Derek 4/5 star?

Just weighing in on the topic of comparing the W to other luxury hotel brands:

I travel a lot, and have stayed in a LOT of hotels, including the Raffles in Singapore, the W Taipei, The Manila Hotel, and the Dukes' Palace in Bruges. I also lived for a month in the Mandarin Oriental in Manila and have stayed at the Shangri-La in Cebu more than a dozen times. I'm actually writing this from a room in the New World Hotel in Makati. Without a doubt the W (Taipei) is the best hotel I've ever stayed in by a mile. Nothing else even comes close. I will be staying in the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong this weekend, so I may have to update this statement depending on how that is, but even though I'm expecting that stay to be incredible, I don't see how much they could possibly do to make it significantly better in any way than the W.

Jesus Christ man, what do you do??

[Houston19514]

The only high-endish new hotels I can think of are the Hotel Sorella and the Memorial City Westin.  They are nice, but I don't think they can compare with the other brands people have mentioned.   Am I overlooking an other new places?

 

Hyatt Market Street

JW Marriott downtown

Marriott Marquis downtown

[bobruss]

Jesus Christ man, what do you do??

 

Good Question, and do you need a valet?

[Howard Huge]

Good Question, and do you need a valet?

Damn you! That was my next question for him!

If you get hired as his valet, put in a good word for me as a personal assistant?

[fatesdisastr]

H&M is in Willowbrook Mall, and we have Carl's Jr., so we probably won't get an In & Out Burger. But that last part is word of mouth.

 

I have an inside source who is an electrician for In & Out. He told me a few weeks back that Houston will get an In & Out Burger in 2014.

[Golyadkin]

Jesus Christ man, what do you do??

My family just likes to travel a lot. My dad is a Chevron executive in the Philippines, so a lot of our travel is around Southeast Asia. I'm here visiting my parents right now.

 

Good Question, and do you need a valet?

 

Damn you! That was my next question for him!

If you get hired as his valet, put in a good word for me as a personal assistant?

  This string of comments made me laugh so hard. I love you guys.

 

I have an inside source who is an electrician for In & Out. He told me a few weeks back that Houston will get an In & Out Burger in 2014.

I've talked with some people at In n Out up in Dallas, and the higher ups have been asking for people who are willing to move down to Houston to help open the new stores. 2014 is what I've been hearing as well. The rumor is that the first location will be near the new baseball park in Sugarland.

[Montrose1100]

Hmmm, Ive heard Hotel Zaza was the most high end/expensive hotel in houston, can anyone confirm/deny this?

The most expensive suite in Houston is in the St. Regis, followed by ZaZa. Handy google... I guess I was basing it on over all Stars rated, and perhaps a few years ago when the Houstonian and Omni were the top two followed by 4 Seasons. So perhaps my info I dated.

[monarch]

What kind of travelers stay in the high end hotels everyone is craving? Business people?

 

lockmat,

 

Well, I think that I may have a bit of an answer as per your aforementioned query.  I am not a wealthy person by any means.  However thanks to my great position with my firm "Fluor Daniel Government Projects" within the confines of the Theater of Afghanistan.  My position allows for me to accept a substantial compensation...for which in turn, allows for me to patronize establishments such as the W Qatar, Hotel Kempinski, Mall of Emirates, St. Regis Bali, Indonesia, Victoria & Albert Hotel, South Africa....to name a few.

 

I patronize these reputable and yet highly notable establishments due to the sheer quality, service, and attention to any and every detail as per their many clientele.....as per any race, creed, lifestyle, religion imaginable....

 

I work extremely hard upon my job as a top level administrative contractor as per the US Military.  This shall include extremely long hours....enduring extremely difficult elements.....all of the while based in extreme and yet highly austere environments.  Trust me my good pal....when it is time for a vacation....I am purely exhausted.

 

Therefore, these are the reasons.....as stated above....for which people like myself (in my line of business) choose to patronize such luxury establishments.  

 

These particular luxury establishments.....tend to bring back the HUMAN in humankind.....trust me on this one......