If you’re visiting Houston you have a few options for places in which to situate yourself. One of the most popular locations is in Uptown near The Galleria where you’ll be close to plenty of dining and entertainment venues in the evenings. The neighborhood is also close to the Museum and Theater districts and a short drive to Downtown. But where to stay exactly? Options abound in this area but a fabulous hotel is the Royal Sonesta, which unveiled their $25 million renovations last month.
John and I attended the Royal Sonesta’s marvelous Grand Re-Opening party on November 20 where the hotel opened up much of their 50,000 sq ft of function space. Featuring a variety of different food and beverage themes, each room presented different delights. Tasty tapas-sized nibbles were on offer in the “Food Is Art” live action stations of the Legends Ballroom, along with wines from around the world.
Upstairs on the Champions Balcony were beautiful handcrafted chocolates served with sparkling wines and an espresso bar while guests were serenaded with live jazz music. The Axis Lounge featured “Liquid Art” in the form of craft beer and signature martinis while Launch presented PJ’s Coffee and frozen drinks and in the Discovery Center one could find a techno experience and cocktails. This thoughtful event really showcased the Royal Sonesta Hotel’s new offerings.
The premium renovations revamped the hotel’s lobby, rooms, interior spaces and dining outlets. The Royal Sonesta offers 485 rooms and suites with all the modern amenities like high-speed internet access, in-room movies and video games, dual line phones, electronic safes, Keurig coffee makers and a smoke-free environment. Guests can enjoy 24-hour services like in-room dining, a health club and a business center plus concierge services, a free local shuttle and an outdoor pool. Small pets are welcome with a fee. Our room was lovely with a comfortable bed and great views. It was delightful to be the first people to sleep in these new rooms.
One of my favorite things about this hotel is their friendly, professional staff who really went out of their way to make us feel welcome during our time on the property. The location is also perfect. Aside from the famous Galleria shopping district, the Royal Sonesta is close to attractions like the Houston Zoo, Memorial Park, the Williams Tower Water Wall, Hermann Park, Sam Houston Park and Uptown Park. Personally I prefer this area over downtown because it’s a little more central to everything that most visitors want to see and with Houston traffic location is everything.
