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I was provided with a complimentary stay at the Hotel Icon All opinions are my own.
I love the ambiance and décor found in boutique hotels so I was excited to visit the Hotel Icon, located in the former Union National Bank Building, in downtown Houston. Being an antique lover, I was taken in immediately by the classic, period details they had managed to preserve.
We were greeted immediately as we walked into the hotel by the perky desk clerk who allowed us to check in three hours earlier than the normal check in time. While I was checking in my son was wondering over to the yummy looking cookies and tea sampler available to guests. When we entered the elevator to go to our 11th floor room, I noticed that we had to insert our room key into the elevator as a safety feature. As a woman traveling with one child, I appreciated this concern for our welfare.
Our guest room had all the features I expected to find in a luxury hotel; comfortable beds, charming décor that boasted a touch of Texas, a mini bar and a 42” inch flatscreen television, but it was the bathroom that impressed me the most. It featured an oversized whirlpool tub with an adorable Texas rubber duckie, a rain shower, granite countertops and thick, fluffy towels.
We used the Valet Parking service, which is the only service available at this hotel, although I did see a self parking garage across the street. Once we parked the car, I decided we were not moving it again. We were able to take the Metro, located in front of the hotel, to the art district and Herman Park, which houses the Zoo and Natural History Museum. Hotel Icon offers complementary shuttle service to locations within three miles of the hotel so we took advantage of this service to ride to the aquarium ½ mile away. A quick phone call to the hotel was all that was needed for them to send someone to pick us up.
While the hotel did not have a pool, it did have a fitness center located in the basement and spa services, which, unfortunately, I did not have time to try. The hotel lobby provided a lovely place to sit and people watch as well as play games. My son and I enjoyed playing a game of tic-tac-toe that he feels he “almost won.” We were tired and retired early for the night. The beds were extremely comfy and, even though we were in a room beside the elevator, extremely quiet. My son wanted to use the free wi-fi, but we found it was spotty and hard to connect. The room did include a desk and a cord to connect to the internet that allowed us to stay online.
We finished our stay with breakfast in the hotel restaurant, the Line and Lariat. The buffet breakfast included smoothies and omelets made to order, fruit, yogurt, Texas eggs (prepared with cheese), Sausage, bacon, fried potatoes and cereal.
I was especially impressed with the service. We had an extra charge on our bill and when I brought it to the attention of the desk clerk she apologized and immediately took it off. If you are planning a stay in Houston, be sure to check out the Hotel Icon.
Wow, Hotel Icon looks amazing! How awesome is the rubber duck? lol It really is so beautiful, and I love that it has such a history!
Now that I’ve read about their breakfast buffet, I wish I had eaten in the restaurant instead of having room service. Mine was delicious, but not as healthy as a smoothie.
This hotel looks amazing. I have to say that the beds look really comfortable. Beautiful pictures you got!
That looks like a wonderful place to stay at! Wish my hotel that I will be staying in the next two weeks would look like that 🙂
Wow this hotel is really nice.
what a beautiful place to stay; the food sounded wonderful, too… thanks for sharing, always love to hear about your travels
This sounds like a great place to stay. I love the outside of the building and your description of the hotel was great!
What a beautiful place to stay! The food sounds good, too.
WOW! Simply gorgeous hotel! I can’t believe how amazing everything looks!
I need a vacation for some R&R! This hotel looks amazing.
I would love to stay here! We still haven’t done our summer vacation and need to plan one. This is about a half day drive from our house which is perfect.
I love the decor in this hotel. It is like old school elegant and very fancy. It’s always a pleasure to be on vacation in such an opulent hotel.
This is a beautiful hotel full of wonderful amenities. I would love to stay there a night or two
This is gorgeous – I live in Dallas and would love to check this place out!
What a gorgeous looking hotel! That must have been such a wonderful time, I am so jealous! If I am ever in the area, you can bet I will be booking a stay there! Love the little rubber ducky, what a cute touch!
Now that looks like my kind of hotel!! I love the bathroom and the bedding, absolutely stunning!! THanks for sharing, if I am ever near this I will HAVE to stay at it :-)!
I love valet parking, makes life so much easier when traveling in a unfamiliar city, and a lot of the time the parking lots are packed.
It looks like a beautiful place to stay! We hope to make it to TX before the end of the year!
Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll keep this in mind for my next trip to Houston.
I honestly don’t think I have ever said this about a hotel but I LOVE the color scheme and decor in the room! There is so much to do but that decor would so help me relax.
Looks like a gorgeous hotel! Love the rubber ducky, hehe.
Looks like a gorgeous hotel. I love the decor!
It’s hard to find a hotel with good wifi. I’ve yet to find one that didn’t take forever to connect.
What a beautiful hotel I think I would feel like I was a princess visiting there your pictures are amazing x
That staircase is awesome! And I love that it has a BATHTUB! The last few hotels I have stayed in have only had stand up showers. What up with that!?
wow! the place looks amazing.. i wouldn’t mind leaving for a few days n that place if I have the financial capabilities. 🙂
What a magnificent hotel! If I ever get to Houston I will definitely stay there. I love that they have bus service to get you around so you do not need to move your car.
What a gorgeous hotel. I love the old look to the hotel as well. I will have to check it out when I visit Huston next year. Thanks so much for sharing your stay.
That’s a really beautiful place. Looks so clean and elegant! I would stay there any day. 😉
Beautiful pictures. They really give you a feel for the place. Looks like a fantastic place to stay and who really needs a pool! I love the lobby.