Hilton Americas-Houston, the largest convention center hotel in downtown Houston, is undergoing a major renovation to its guest rooms and public spaces, led by Wilson Associates’ Dallas studio. Connected to the George R. Brown Convention Center—via sky bridges on two levels, Hilton Americas-Houston offers 1,207 guest rooms and 91,500 square feet of flexible meeting space. The design team was tasked with providing a modern guest experience that caters to business travelers visiting Houston.
To better meet the needs of today’s business travelers, guest rooms have been refreshed to provide a relaxing ambiance and efficiency. Ideal for meeting attendees, the guest rooms will feature a lounge chair, ottoman and large granite desk with an oversized work surface and enough space for in-room dining. Allowing easy access for charging mobile devices, nightstands and dressers will be equipped with a duplex outlet and USB ports. Following a long day of meetings, guests will enjoy sleeping on the Suite Dreams II by Hilton mattress and in-room entertainment from the overscaled flat screen TVs. Guests also have the option of filling up a beverage station and refrigerator with their own selection of beverages and snacks.
The renovated guest rooms feature a soothing color scheme and warm, inviting materials and textures to create a calming presence away from the hustle and bustle of the convention center and meeting spaces.
A color palette of slate blue mixed with taupe complements the textures of tweeds and linen-like materials throughout the space. Finishes consist of mahogany wood combined with a blend of stainless steel and bronze metal finishes. The guest rooms will also showcase a contemporary look and a tribute to Houston arts and culture with custom wall graphics designed by local Houston artists that will be printed and applied as a wall covering on the side wall near the bed. The guest rooms will also include wall murals created by Houston-based artists such as Justin Garcia, Nicola Paremta, Jonathan Paul Jackson and Melinda Laszczynski. Each mural measures 6 feet by 4 feet.
The guest bathrooms will undergo a transformation to create more space for travelers to unwind. The renovation starts with the removal of the traditional bathroom door and the addition of a wall-mounted, sliding door. The traditional shower and bathtub space will be replaced with a modern experience with new materials and additional space. It will consist of a frameless glass, three-foot by five-foot enclosure and the addition of high-end materials such as Botticino marble mixed with a glass mosaic. Guests will enjoy a large, backlit mirror—measuring 42 inches by 54 inches—with a dimmable function and nightlight as well as an electric magnified makeup and shaving mirror located above the granite top vanity. Also inside the bathroom, artwork—created by Houston’s Mabry Campbell—will showcase various images of Houston.
In addition to the guest room renovation, the guest corridors will be reimagined to provide a more functional and stylish experience. The corridors will include a textured cut-and-loop carpet conceived in a transitional pattern, energy efficient LED 2700 K lamps and artwork from local Houston artists.
Guests will be greeted by unique carpeting patterns throughout the hotel. The lobby features endless geometric slants and circular shapes—inspired by the basket weave pattern on the building’s facade. This carpeting pattern continues to the meeting and event space, which spans three levels with each extending over one city block. The 26,000-square-foot Junior Ballroom and pre-function area on the second level have recently been renovated while the 40,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom and pre-function area on the fourth level will be completed later this year. The three boardrooms, 25 meeting rooms and pre-function area on the third level will be finalized in 2020. Throughout the three levels, the design team maintained the ornate glass chandeliers and conceived a warm, inviting color palette of blues and taupes with touches of terra cotta.
Renovations to Hilton Americas-Houston, owned by the City of Houston, is expected to becompleted in 2020.
About Wilson Associates
At Wilson Associates, we seek to redefine the creative industry by inspiring, enriching, and engaging the human experience. For nearly 50 years, our dynamic talent and collaborative spirit have inspired and created some of the world’s most iconic, avant-garde spaces, among them the Conrad Koh Samui; The Venetian Las Vegas; Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve; and the Armani Hotel Dubai. Wilson Associates has a strong international footprint, with more than 300 team members and design hubs in 10 cities: Bangkok, Dallas, Dubai, London, Los Angeles, New York City, Paris, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo.