As Houston’s downtown destination, Four Seasons Hotel Houston offers much more than haute overnight accommodations. With luxe amenities and a robust calendar of unique events and activations, the five star hotel serves as a hub for both guests and locals who seek the best in cuisine, cocktails, and entertainment. Superb service and the heavenly Four Seasons bed aside, here are 10 reasons to consider Four Seasons Hotel Houston for your next R&R getaway:
1: Four Seasons Hotel Houston is home to a hidden speakeasy, Bandista. This softly illuminated, 10 seat bar lurks behind a seemingly stationary bookcase which gives way to expert bartenders crafting wildly creative libations like the Dulce Far Niente, a cocktail version of the famed Italian dessert tiramisu, and the Call Me Sambaldy, a classic tiki-style drink thrown on its head with a hint of unexpected Asian spice. Make your selection from the menu, or share your preferred flavor profiles and allow the mixologist to create something bespoke. Bandista is a lot of fun, and a little sultry.
2: A fourth floor, rooftop pool and cushy chaise lounge-filled pool deck are an ideal spot at which to spend a warm afternoon, while pool attendants fulfill your every culinary and cocktail desire. Ping pong, giant Connect Four, and cornhole games provide fun for all ages. The hot tub is especially welcoming after dark, when the city’s surrounding skyscrapers illuminate the night sky.
3: Guests at Four Seasons Hotel Houston are invited to borrow a luxe handbag during their stay. In partnership with Vivrelle, the hotel features a posh, rotating selection of new and vintage pieces from brands such as Chanel, YSL, Gucci, Prada, and more. Sample one, or try them all, and then maintain the Cinderella vibe once back at home with a Vivrelle membership that provides access to an even larger selection.
4: Step inside the hotel’s Krigler Boutique to experience the various signature scents worn by some of the world’s icons. Jackie O., Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Picasso, and many others were Krigler fans, and their favorite scents can be yours. Explore the entire fragrance library to discover your preference. Family-owned Krigler was founded in 1904 in St. Petersburg and is now run by fifth generation proprietor Ben Krigler. Only a handful of boutiques exist nationwide; the brand picks only the finest locations—wink, wink Four Seasons Hotel Houston.
5: Sample more than 200 fine whiskies and bourbons at the hotel’s lobby bar and restaurant Bayou & Bottle. This convivial, fireplace-warmed gathering spot is a favorite of both guests and locals who convene to watch their local teams on the large television screens. The first Texas venture of world-renowned celebrity chef and restaurateur Richard Sandoval, Bayou & Bottle serves lunch, dinner. In addition to expertly curated bourbon tasting flights, the restaurant serves signature Southern inspired dishes such as the popular Bayou Burger, Housemade BBQ Brisket Sandwich, Fish & Fries, and Texas Pecan Pie. Check out the personalized bourbon lockers where the regulars store their favorite bottles.
6: Pamper yourself at the Four Seasons Hotel Spa with a signature treatment. Choose from a menu of options that includes a Travertine Aromatherapy Massage, Lavender Love Body Scrub & Massage, the Plant-Assisted Detox Facial, and the Southern Scrub & Sip, the only spa treatment where you’ll be asked at check-in, “Neat, or on the rocks?” This skin softening treatment begins with a bourbon and brown sugar infused full body scrub, scented with gingersnap-pecan. An aloe milk bath follows, and the finale is a pour of limited-batch Garrison Brothers Single Barrel Cask Strength bourbon whiskey created exclusively for Bayou & Bottle. The adjacent fitness center features all the state-of-the-art equipment. Even the exercise-averse will find inspiration in the Matrix treadmills and their menu of simulated mountain and city locales that allow for virtual trekking.
7: Practice your swing at the hotel’s two Topgolf Swing Suites. The fun experience includes simulations of some of the world’s best courses, as well as golf challenges, baseball pitching, football, and zombie dodgeball. Bayou & Bottle’s waitstaff serves gamers from the restaurant’s a la carte menu, so you can chip and pitch while imbibing and dining.
8: The hotel’s signature restaurant is Toro Toro, an award winning pan-Latin steakhouse, also imagined by ChefSandoval. Toro Toro celebrates the vibrant flavors and convivial dining culture of Central and South America with a menu featuring rodízio-style churrasco steaks, seafood offerings, and creative, small, shareable plates of empanadas, specialty tacos, sushi and ceviche crafted from the open “suviche” bar. The 52-ounce Prime Tomahawk is a star item, presented tableside and finished with fragrant herbs, a splash of mezcal, and then lit afire. The spectacle is almost as entertaining as a meal-ending La Bomba dessert, a strawberry, chocolate, and dulce de leche ice cream and brownie-filled chocolate vessel, tossed in the air to crumble on the table, and followed by a pour of vanilla and berry sauces.
9: Four Seasons Hotel Houston is within walking distance of MLB and NBA action. The Astros’ Minute Maid Park and the Rockets’ Toyota Center are both within close proximity. Sports fans might even spot some of H-Town teams’ opposing players sipping their morning coffee within the hotel lobby.
10: The hotel features ongoing activations and special events that sync with the seasons, holidays, and notable happenings. Examples include bike ride picnics to nearby Discovery Green park, Academy Awards watch parties, special Mother’s Day indulgences, guest chef dinners, seasonal menus at Toro Toro, posh retailer pop-ups, and so much more. There is always something new and engaging at Four Seasons Hotel Houston, Houston’s downtown destination.
Photos courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Houston