My girlfriend and I stayed for five nights in June at Hotel Icon. Loved the architecture, lobby decor, 'converted old bank' look, bar area, overall color scheme theme, room size and decor, bathroom size, everything. Very hip and stylish. Sophisticated but not stuffy or pretentious. Staff were always helpful. The concierge Gilbert went out of his way to give us a superior room for the cheaper deluxe rate for the last night when we realized that the deluxe room we reserved had a whirpool tub but not with the jet streamers you'd find in a jacuzzi -- the superior room had the jacuzzi.

Staff behind the bar were professional yet approachable and friendly. Breakfast was good, coffee was decent, OJ seemed fresh squeezed. Came to our room on two occasions in the afternoon and found the bed not made but 1.) we had left the room late both times and 2.) they sent someone up to take care of it when we requested it. Also, we had an issue with the toilet at one point (it wasn't flushing) but, again, they resolved it promptly. Nothing that would warrant demerits from us.

Location is good since it's right off of Main Street where there are several restaurants (check out Yatra for Indian) and bars (La Carafe is in one of the oldest buildings in Houston if not the oldest; not on Main Street but about a block away). However, we mostly drove while in Houston; I would recommend having a car for sure if staying at the hotel.

All in all, staying at Icon was an ideal experience, and we can sincerely say that we wouldn't have enjoyed our visit to Houston as much if we stayed anywhere else...and from what I've seen and heard there's no other place in Houston quite like Hotel Icon.

My husband and I stayed at the Icon June 4 - 8, 2008. The architecture of the hotel was amazing! Our room was very clean and beautifully decorated. All of the staff were friendly, professional, and very helpful. We ate at Voice one night, and our meal was very, very good. My husband claimed it was the best steak he ever had! Most of the nights we had a drink or two at the hotel bar, and enjoyed fast, friendly service there as well.

It is worth mentioning that there was a large wedding at the hotel the weekend that we stayed, and they were booked to capacity, yet the service we received remained outstanding.

I always start with the positive. I grew up in Houston and was in town for two nights attending a reunion. It was a getaway weekend for my husband and I and we were really excited to get a great rate thru the hotel website. The location was stellar. Our event Saturday night was litterally steps away from the hotel and the metro is right outside the front door. If driving you can get everywhere easily from here.
This building is very stylishly done. It is an old bank building that has been refurbished and looks amazing. The colors are vibrant and exciting. Mostly modern with all the character of an old world place. Kudos to the designer. If you dont stay here drop in for drinks just to check it out.
Our room was just a standard room but it was impressive and the bathroom was amazingly large. Nothing bad to say about the property. However, this is a boutique hotel only. Dont expect much in the form of service and hospitality. The staff was pleasant enough but nothing special. WE asked three different staff members (reservation desk, bartender and bellhop) about the place we were attending Saturday night. Not one knew where it was or had heard of it. It was litterally a block away around the corner. It is kind of a downtown landmark. They all said the same thing "OH I hate downtown, I just come here to work and then I go home. I dont know where anything is around here". Seriously, they all pretty much said the same thing.
I had planned to use the salon while there and wanted to simply get my hair professionally blown dry while I was there. Just be aware the spa is just 4 treatment rooms in the basement. They can call and have someone come to perform services, but you better call way in advance of you need a specific time. Dont expect to drop in or dial down for an appt on the fly. The workout room is quite nice if you need to get in a workout. The restaurant / lobby and bar all occupy the same space on the lobby level and that is pretty much it except for the party/ meeting rooms on the mezzanine level. The restaurant has gotten some rave reviews. We had 2 drinks at the bar in the afternoon and sampled the tuna tartare appetizer, which was edible but not great and the gourmet mini burger sliders- yuk! Bar Tab $48. We did not even eat the burgers. They looked good but the meat smelled bad. Nothing about those apps made me want to sit down to an expensive dinner in the Voice Restaurant. We did have breakfast the day we left and it was quite nice. Good coffee, fresh juice. etc.
The bar also seemed to be popular place to chill in the evening.
Worth mentioning: The hotel shuttle is free and looks like the car the supernanny drives. Cute. Valet is $25/night but you have unlimited access to your car.
Would I stay here again. Yes. The rate we got online was great for the property and location. Just dont expect Four Seasons or the Ritz type service. This is NOT a resort hotel. Just a room with access to food and a bar in a great location downtown close to bars etc. If you prefer a less urban experience with high end shopping stay by the Galleria.

The Hotel Icon is nestled in downton Houston's historic district and boasts easy access to restaurants, shopping and theaters.

My stay was for four short days but overall it was one of the best experiences that I have had at a U.S. hotel. The room was spacious and comfortable and the bathroom was huge by comparison to what I am used to the the standard chain hotel. Of course this is not a standard cookie cutter hotel.

The hotel is operated by Destination Resorts and lives up it's name as a boutique hotel. There is plenty of charm in this hotel ranging from the large safe door at registration to the small elevators that operate with a clock dial type of display in the lobby so you can see what floors the elevators are on. One drawback to this system is that if you aren't paying close attention you will miss the elevator as it barely chimes when it arrives in the lobby.
The elevator requires a room key to access a floor keeping outsiders from having free reign in the hotel.

The staff is friendly and accomodating and the hotel provides free transportation to most of downtown Houston eliminating the need for a taxi in most cases.

There is an evening turndown service and wired internet in the room though I never did make that work.

I did find a few negative things about the hotel though nothing so major as to prevent me from returning. Thr first would be that there was no such thing as cold water in my room. Only lukewwarm and since I didn't know where the ice machine was getting a cold drink of water proved to be a challenge. Another negative is that the hotel is located in a part of Houston with only a smattering of restarants. There are almost as many closed stores and restaurants as there are ones still operating. To go along with that are the beggars or vagrants on the streets that are more of an annoyance than anything else.

Finally for some reason the hotel neglected to make up my room until after 7:30 p.m. tonight. It isn't a big deal but for a property of this size iit should never happen.

The Super Shuttle from George Bush Intercontinental was $44 for a round trip and took about 30 minutes with drop-offs.

I received a great rate booking on short notice via Hotels.com of $132 for my first night (Wednesday) and $90 for my remaining three nights which I am sure was well below market rate. I believe the hotel's own website quoted me a rate of $159 when I made a comparison.

If you are staying in Houston I hightl recommend this property , particularly if the price is right.