Review – Hilton Americas Houston

If you are looking for a family friendly hotel in Houston, then it’s well worth taking a look at the Hilton Americas Houston.

Not surprisingly as America’s fourth biggest city there are plenty of hotels to choose from, but we were really happy with our choice of hotel for our visit to Houston.

This is our review of the Hilton Americas Houston and why it’s a great option for families when visiting the city.

On arrival at the hotel you are struck by the sheer scale of the hotel. The hotel is huge and the largest in Houston with over 1,200 rooms yet the personal service we received during our stay would rival that of a small intimate hotel.

We left our car with valet parking at the main entrance to the hotel, our luggage was whisked away by the bellman and we had a warm welcome to the hotel. For parking there are two options for guests – you can self park at $27 per night or valet at $40 per night.

We have stayed at many Hilton hotels around the world but the lobby of the Hilton Americas Houston is one of the most impressive that we have set foot in with its Italian marble floors, rich hardwoods and backlit fountains.

It really provides a striking first impression in particular the visually stunning piece of artwork depicting the world map and the stunning flame art glass chandelier which catches your eye as you enter the hotel.

As Hilton Gold members we used the dedicated check-in for Diamond/Gold guests and after a warm welcome we were so excited to check out our room for the next few days.

The hotel is divided into two towers: the East Tower and The West Tower. We stayed in the West Tower which also had the Skyline Spa & Health Club which more importantly contained the girls favourite part of any hotel stay – the pool on the 24th floor.

Our Room

Our two bedroom suite on the 19th floor was apartment size, it was so large in fact that you could literally get lost here. It was truly stunning and luxurious offering the space and amenities that you would find in an apartment but with the service and facilities offered by a 4 diamond hotel – once we checked in we never wanted to checkout.

We were kindly welcomed to our sumptuous suite with drinks and Tex-Mex nachos which was a lovely touch and much appreciated.

Like an apartment, our suite offered a large living room with comfortable sofas, a dining area with table to seat eight, small kitchenette and two bedrooms – a king room and a double double room.

Newly refurbished, I loved the modern, contemporary and stylish feel to the interiors with a slate blue and taupe colour scheme. One element of the rooms that we really liked were the cool “art walls” next to our beds in keeping with the Houston art mural movement and gave the rooms their own personality – I really liked this design feature.

Another bonus of choosing a family suite is that we didn’t have to go to bed the same time as the kids which typically is what happens when you all share a room.

The three extremely comfortable beds in our rooms had the highest quality bedding for the perfect night’s sleep, just what we needed each night after busy days exploring Houston.

The girls in particular were more than happy to relax in their own room of our suite, using the free high speed wifi for their iPads or watching their favourite programmes on their super-size TV. There were three huge TVs to choose from in our suite so there were no arguments, the girls had Disney, my husband had NFL and I could catch up on American Idol.

We had three great bathrooms in our suite, all of which were new, spotless, sparkly and featured marble counter-top sinks and large back-lit mirrors. Two of the three bathrooms had large walk-in showers complete with the best waterfall drench style showers we have used. The other bathroom had a powerful shower over a bath.

I lost count just how many windows our suite had but all of them offered the most amazing views of downtown Houston and beyond.

One of my favourite things during our stay at the Hilton Americas Houston was opening the curtains each morning to see the sweeping views over the city below, I could never get tired of it and is one of the lasting impressions we have of our stay.

Executive Lounge

After busy days exploring the sights of Houston, the executive lounge was a lovely family friendly area to call back to relax (you have access if you are staying in an Executive Room or have status with Hilton Honours.). Along with breakfast we could use the lounge for all day refreshments and evening canapes and non-alcoholic drinks.

The views are really the big feature of the executive lounge and they’ve made the most of it with floor to ceiling windows integrated in the design, I doubt that there are very few Hilton lounges that could rival these views.

Whilst my husband and I relaxed Chloe and Holly would be happy designing away on the Apple Macs in the lounge or watching a movie on one of the many TVs here.

Facilities

There were lots of beautiful communal areas and artwork throughout the hotel that we enjoyed exploring during our stay. We had great fun exploring the vast public spaces and the amenities of the hotel which included a bar, two restaurants, gift shop, starbucks and restaurant all located off the lobby area.

I need to mention the Skyline Spa and Health Club which was amazing with some of the best views of Houston as you work out and swim especially as it offered an infinity edge.

The 75ft heated indoor pool here was one of the many highlights of our stay especially for the girls who would always make a beeline here for a night time swim after a busy day sightseeing.

The hotel offers some of the best views of Houston especially from its outdoor rooftop terrace on the 24th floor which provides panoramic city views. I loved coming out here with a hot drink from the executive lounge at night taking in the views of the city skyline. The views are wonderful during the day, but even more spectacular at night!

I thought the complimentary minibus service that the hotel offers guests was an amazing perk. This takes guests to locations in the downtown area, and we used it to get to the Aquarium and dinner one evening.

We only found out that this service existed from the friendly and helpful concierge at the hotel, but it’s something that I think the hotel should be telling guests on check-in as it’s such a great service for guests.

Dining

There are so many restaurants to choose from in Houston that we only dined at one of the hotel’s restaurants Pappasito’s Cantina once. This was a little disappointing and based on our experience I wouldn’t recommend it – there are far better restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.

We had breakfast each morning during our stay at 1600 Bar + Grille the hotel’s restaurant. We were greeted upon arrival and the breakfast service offered everything you would expect from a typical Hilton breakfast offering, with omelettes and eggs being made to order.

The breakfast is served as buffet style but could also be cooked fresh to your requirements from a separate menu. Meanwhile hot drinks are served to your table.

Once more the level of service received during breakfast was exceptional and this high level of customer service is a credit to the hotel management because it really does make a difference to your stay.

Location

Before our holiday to Houston Texas we spent countless hours researching which area to stay at but nothing can prepare you for just how vast this city is.

We looked at hotels in the Galleria and Museum District areas where lots of the cities hotels are located, but we felt that the downtown location of the Hilton offered the best location to experience all that the city had to offer and was close to the tram system which allowed you to get to many parts of the city easily if you don’t want to drive.

Opposite the hotel was Discovery Green a 12 acre park full of cool artwork and lots of green space for kids to run and have fun and downtown attractions like the aquarium were close by, although I would recommend that you use the hotels complimentary shuttle service to get here.

The museum district and Hermann Park, home of Houston Zoo was just a 10 minute drive away. For shopping the best place in Houston is at the Galleria which was less than 15 minutes by car whilst further afield the NASA Space Centre Houston and Kemah Boardwalk could be reached by car within 30 minutes depending on traffic.

For sports fans the hotel really is in the perfect location – next to the hotel was the Toyota Centre, home to the NBA Houston Rockets, Minute Maid park home of Major League Baseball team the Astros was a five minute walk and the Reliant Stadium, home of the NFL Houston Texans, was also a short drive away.

Overall and is it family friendly?

Definitely, the Hilton Americas Houston is an excellent family friendly hotel and is highly recommended.

We had such a wonderful stay here and it was the perfect location for us to explore the great family attractions that Houston has to offer.

Prices at the Hilton Americas Houston start from a very reasonable £102 per night or 37,000 Hilton points per night for a family room when booking direct at www.hilton.com as part of the Hilton Honours Advance Discount Purchase rate.

 

 

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