7 Best Hotels in Downtown/Theater District, Houston and Galveston

Easily Downtown's most glamorous hotel, Hotel ICON combines historic architecture with shabby Chinoiserie, contemporary finishes, overstuffed furniture, and attentive service. Rooms have large flat-screen TVs, Molton Brown bath products, and marble bathrooms. Right on Main Street, the former Union National Bank building also houses BANK restaurant, the ICON Bar, and the Balance Day Spa. The top-floor multilevel suites are almost unbelievably grand and gorgeous.

This small luxury boutique hotel is decidedly modern and well located near bustling Main Street and the ballpark. The guest rooms are stylish, with fine linens, granite bathrooms, high-tech workstations, and suites with plasma TVs. The hotel's restaurant, 17, is just as modern and attracts a hip international crowd of epicures hungry for contemporary American food.

This full-service business hotel is right in the middle of downtown and within walking distance of the Theater District, Bayou Place, Minute Maid Park, and the George R. Brown Convention Center. Sky bridges connect the hotel to the Allen Center office complex, as well as to Texaco Heritage Plaza. It's also connected to the downtown underground tunnel system. Guest rooms have views of the Sam Houston Park and Memorial Park greenbelt, the Downtown skyline, or the Allen Center Courtyard.

This landmark downtown hotel is a bit dated, but services and amenities are top-notch and it has a great location close to the convention center, Downtown businesses, and major sports facilities, including Minute Maid Park (home of the Astros) and Toyota Center (home of the NBA Rockets and the AHL Aeros). The hotel's restaurant, Quattro, which serves Italian-accented cuisine, is a glamorous outpost for business-lunchers and nighttime event-goers. The lobby bar is always a lively scene. The fitness center and pool area are awesome.

Finally, Houston has a great convention-center hotel right in the heart of downtown's sporting venues. Massive, ornate, and luxurious, this is the largest hotel in Houston, with 1,203 rooms. Almost a city within a city, the Hilton Americas has three restaurants and lounges, a gigantic fitness center, and a rooftop bar/grill that's not cheesy at all. The views from its 24th-floor location are pretty amazing, especially at night when the downtown skyline comes alive.

In the heart of the Theater District, this small luxury hotel has the feel of a European manor house. The Chippendale furniture, plaid upholstered chairs, oil landscapes and portraits, and brass cachepots contrast with the steel-and-glass surroundings. Power breakfasters crowd Bistro Lancaster, and the hotel's wine bar is both highly rated and highly popular.

Formerly the Houston Post-Dispatch newspaper building and the original corporate headquarters for Shell Oil Company, the chic Magnolia takes a historic property in a modern, well-designed direction. Guests enjoy a complimentary nightly cocktail reception, as well as a milk-and-cookies buffet right before bedtime. The rooftop pool offers great downtown views. Bedding and linens are amazing, some of the best we've experienced.