tilman's diamond day

Tilman Fertitta's Post Oak Hotel first to book prestigious Five Diamond rating

The Post Oak has nabbed Five Diamonds in just six months.

Photo courtesy of Fertitta Entertainment

Houston billionaire and Landry’s CEO Tilman Fertitta is the proud owner of the Houston Rockets, the only Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Bugatti dealership in the U.S. to accept bitcoin, and now, the only hotel in Houston to boast the Five Diamond Rating from AAA.

Some extra bragging rights: Fertitta’s palatial property, The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown, has landed the coveted award a mere six months after opening. The Post Oak is one of only three hotels in Texas to carry the prestigious title, and one of nearly 89 properties in the United States to earn the distinction.

For the uninitiated, the Post Oak is a study in opulence. The 38-story tower boasts 250 modern guest rooms and suites, 20 executive residences, and a 35,000-square-foot conference facility. The hotel’s crystal chandelier is valued at $1 million, as are paintings by artist Frank Stella. Well-heeled guests can even opt for the hotel’s helicopter service.

Hardly surprising that The Post Oak has been described by Fertitta’s son as a “generational” asset. Even The Post Oak’s four restaurants — Craft F&B, Bouchée Patisserie, Bloom & Bee, and H Bar — as CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler notes, are worth a day trip.

“The Post Oak Hotel has been recognized as one of North America’s most luxurious hotels,” says Fertitta, CEO of Landry’s, Inc. “I’m proud to be the only in Houston to receive this honor and hope for continued success in the future.”

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”