RESORT FEATURE
Golf is near, but Houstonian's health club real draw for meetings
By Tim McDonald,
Contributor
HOUSTON, Texas (Nov. 23, 2004) - The Houstonian Hotel looks like something a big-spending, Texas oil baron might have built in the old days. In fact, it was built in 1980, but even in the nearly quarter century it's been in existence, the hotel has left behind more than its share of history.
A G-7 summit signing was held there in the Manor House Restaurant, which in fact used to be a residence where George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara lived briefly.
The elder Bush is still a member of the hotel's exclusive health club and gets his hair cut at the spa.
Jack Nicholson and Shirley MacClaine stayed there during the filming of Terms of Endearment, and Arnold Schwarzennegger has gawked at the hotel's massive lobby, with its giant, stone gas fireplace. Andre Agassi has played tennis there.
Other celebrities have passed through, as well as most of Houston's social elite, since the hotel sits hidden away in one of the more exclusive areas of the city.
"It's like a Who's Who of Houston," said Mark Lupton, the hotel's director of sales.
The history helps, but it is the hotel's location, next to the shopping mecca of the Galleria, and minutes from downtown, that have made it a favorite destination of meetings, big and small. Tucked away in a concrete jungle, the hotel sits back off the 610-loop in a wooded oasis.
You might think the lack of a golf course on the premises would detract from its allure for meeting planners, but its nationally known health club makes up the difference.
"While it would be nice to have a golf course on the premises, people don't seem to mind," Lupton said, noting the hotel's affiliation with Redstone Golf Club, where the Houston Shell Open is held. "They love the location, and they can hop on 610 (Loop) to (Highway) 59 and scoot over to Redstone. I don't think if we were sitting over at Redstone, we'd be as successful (in the meetings industry) as we are now."
The hotel can arrange group transportation to Redstone, and if you get the chance to go, take it.
It's
a free-swinging golfer's dream: no gimmicks like misplaced waterfalls,
pot bunkers, railroad ties, split fairways, bizarre bunker complexes,
greens that fall off into oblivion or the like. It's just 7,508 yards
of mano a mano - a man and his driver.
"There's no tricks, no goofy holes where you can hit good shots and be penalized," Redston head pro Derek Crouse said. "You sort of get what you see. It's not easy at all, but you don't have to hit miracle shots. If you hit good shots out here, you're going to have a good round."
There is nothing girly about the greens either.
"Other than No. 7, there's not a lot of tricky undulation," Crouse said. "There are curves and subtle movement, but you're not going to have three or four breaks on a 30-foot put or where the pin is going to be in an unfair place to get to."
With no golf course on the grounds, the big draw is the hotel's fitness club and spa. The fitness club is 125,000 square feet and offers everything from rock climbing to volleyball. It has three swimming pool, a boxing ring, eight tennis courts and a full-court gymnasium.
"It's like joining a country club except the game is fitness instead of golf," Lupton said.
It's where Houston's elite go to pump up, and it is said to be one of the most expensive in the country to join, with initiation fees ranging from $10-$21,000, plus monthly membership fees. Hotel guests have full access.
About half of the hotel's business comes from meetings, and it is set up to accommodate them.
The Houstonian has 288 gues rooms and 32,000 square feet of meeting space. Hotels of a similar size typically have about half that amount of meeting space.
"The Houstonian is a little different than normal places," Lupton said. "We're kind of like halfway between a luxury hotel and a full-fledged conference center."
The hotel offers day meeting packages, for example, that cost around $89 per person, per day, that is all inclusive, including meeting space, meals, breaks and other odds and ends.
Hotel officials say it is the little touches that set them apart, like real windows in the meeting rooms and padded conference chairs.
"I can tell you that makes all the difference in the world," Lupton said. "You can look outside and see all the greenery, versus staring at the wallpaper or the freeway. We call it an urban resort in its own little oasis. You pull out of here and a quarter mile, you're back among all the tall buildings."
Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management. The information in this story was accurate at the time of publication. All contact information, directions and prices should be confirmed directly with the golf course or resort before making reservations and/or travel plans.
