Hotel Icon Signature Collection - Houston, TX

Hotel Icon

I had the opportunity to travel to Houston for work. As soon as I found out, I started researching flight and hotel options. I typically prefer Starwood hotels, but my work travels lately haven't had many Starwood options. Plus, my wife registered me for the Marriott summer promotion where every two stays yields one free night for future redemption, up to 3 free nights. I had already earned one free night for two stays in So Cal (for work) in June. And we already had booked a paid Marriott weekend stay next month, so it made a lot of sense to also book Marriott for this trip. I would earn a second free night, and this would give me enough nights to qualify for Silver status. Not super awesome, but might as well, right? Hit two birds with one stone, or as my wife would say, two islands with one paddle stroke.  :D

Lobby Lounge

Initially I researched two options in downtown: the Residence Inn and Courtyard Marriott. The location was good--only a few blocks to walk to the office--but both were highly priced. After a little more digging, I ran into Hotel Icon Autograph Collection which happened to be a Marriott. I had no idea. The location was still good (within a few blocks), and the price was more reasonable with good reviews on TripAdvisor. So I booked a standard room with king bed.

King size Bed

Hotel Icon was located in the North-Northeast edge of downtown on Main Street. The decor was definitely more old school and not the modern/new/minimalist-like style that my wife (and now I) typically prefer. But it all appeared to be in very good, clean quality condition.

The room was pretty spacious with a huge king bed. There's also a seating area and flat screen TV.

Bedroom sitting area and TV

The bathroom area was very large, elegant, and surprisingly modern with some classic touches.

Bathroom counter

Full size tub w/ rubber ducky (for purchase)

The hotel included complimentary wifi and wired internet in the room, which was great, and free shuttle service within a ~3 mile radius in downtown.

The in-hotel restaurant, Line & Lariat, located on the lobby floor was nice.  They specialize in "modern Texan cuisine."  Food was decent quality, a bit overpriced, but not bad for a hotel.

On the lower floor was the Spa and Fitness Center. The Fitness Center was a very good size with a handful of cardio machines, weight machines, and free weights--a very well equipped gym for a hotel.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay here and would definitely consider Hotel Icon if I needed a Marriott stay in the future.

- Dan