Home For the Holidays

Hot Houston hotel deals guarantee a merry and bright staycation this holiday season

Soak in the Houston skyline from POST.

Photo courtesy of Houston First Corp.

It's the time of year when downtown Houston transforms into a shiny, sparkly, magical holiday wonderland, and you won't want to miss it.

Ready to experience the magic of the holiday season in Houston? Here's what to see and where to stay.

City Lights Downtown Holiday Magic
Take a stroll through 11 themed holiday villages, which encompass everything from life-sized chocolate sculptures to the state's biggest mistletoe to ice skating under the stars.

Grab a free ride from village to village in one of the festively decorated pedicabs provided by Downtown Houston+. Locate the holiday pedicab pickup stations at Discovery Green, Lynn Wyatt Square, POST Houston, Trebly Park, and Market Square Park.

For a nominal fee, guests can ride in a holiday-decorated double-decker trolley to five downtown stops: Trebly Park, Heritage Society, Avenida Houston/Discovery Green, Market Square Park, and POST Houston.

You'll also want to pick up a holiday passport from Market Square Park, Trebly Park, or Heritage Society for the chance to win awesome prizes, including a downtown holiday staycation package with a one-night stay at Hotel Icon, four tickets to a Theater District performance, and four tickets to a Houston Rockets game.

Happy hotel deals
Whether you're in town on vacation or keeping it close for a staycation, you'll want to bookmark these incredibly festive hotel offers.

Marriott Marquis Houston
Experience Texas Winter Lights at Marriott Marquis Houston at the Altitude Rooftop & Pool, famous for its Texas-shaped lazy river. Through December 31, 2023, it is transformed into an interactive light experience with thousands of twinkling lights and winter-themed activations. Guests can enjoy immersive light displays from 5-10 pm nightly.

The basic experience is complimentary for all hotel guests, but if you want a real VIP experience, upgrade your experience at Texas Winter Lights with promo code HOL, which includes VIP access to Texas Winter Lights for up to four people (including the brand-new interactive experience, the Virtual Reality Ride), $25 food and beverage credit, and upgrade to the pool-view guest room.

Hilton Americas-Houston
Get into the holiday spirit with the ´Tis The Season package, which includes a daily breakfast buffet, one complimentary Green Mountain Energy Ice ticket for ice skating at Discovery Green next-door, and a child’s treat upon arrival. Valid through January 28, 2024.

Hallmark enthusiasts will be enchanted by Hilton’s most festive collab of the year: an incredible partnership with Hallmark Channel to bring guests the most joyous, fun, and fabulously decorated two-bedroom Hallmark Holiday Suites. Inspired by the original Hallmark holiday movie premiere of Haul Out The Holly: Lit Up, these festive suites feature jaw-dropping holiday designs and light treatments throughout, including a holiday village, a gingerbread and cocoa bar, takeaway holiday gifts, and more (through December 31, 2023).

Other holiday offers at Hilton Americas-Houston you might want to checkout include Breakfast, Parking & WiFi: Enjoy your getaway with a full breakfast buffet for two, self-parking for one car, and WiFi; Park & Stay: Get daily parking each night of your stay; Experience the Stay: With an on-property credit and additional perks, like premium WiFi and early check-in.

Four Seasons Hotel Houston
Houston Getaway offer, valid for selected dates and with a minimum two-night stay, includes 20 percent off the room rate along with valet parking.

With Residents Retreat Package, you receive 10 percent off the room rate, daily full American breakfast for two served at Toro Toro or through in-room dining, and valet parking for one vehicle. Proof of Texas or Louisiana residency is required at check-in.

Advance Purchase allows you to save up to 25 percent on the room rate when you book your stay at least seven days in advance.

Don’t forget to visit The Spa and get a Peppermint Peace Massage, available only through the holiday season, to revitalize, hydrate and brighten the skin. You will also receive a travel-size peppermint scrub as a gift to continue the holiday spa experience at home.

C. Baldwin
With a Short & Suite package at the urban-chic C. Baldwin hotel, enjoy 15 percent off the best available rate for any of the suites and relish in the comfort of a sophisticated stay. And if you are traveling with your furry friend, check out the Pet Package — it includes waiving the pet fee, delicious treats, and complimentary overnight parking.

Hotel ZaZa Houston Museum District
For an exotic and unforgettable party on December 31 (10 pm-2 am), reserve the NYE at ZaZa package. It includes overnight accommodations, two NYE party wristbands at check-in, and New Year’s Day elevated brunch for two guests per room, including mimosas and more.

Dress to impress in your best cocktail attire and dance to today’s hottest hits. Enjoy wine, beer, and cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, decadent activations, heightened experiences and spectacular entertainment, and a lavish midnight countdown and bubbly toast. NYE party and brunch are exclusive to overnight guests of Hotel ZaZa.

Westin Collection - Houston Galleria
You don't even need to leave the building to shop in one of the largest malls in America, if you stay at The Westin Oaks Houston at The Galleria or The Westin Galleria Houston, two hotels directly attached to The Galleria mall, Houston's most celebrated retail and dining destination with over 400 stores, 70 of which are unique to the Houston area.

Through December 31, both hotels offer the Holiday Shop-cation Getaway, which includes deluxe accommodations, complimentary Wi-Fi, free valet parking, and a $50 gift card to use at the mall. Use promo code ZJL when booking.

JW Marriott by The Galleria
Make precious family memories with the Indoor Ice Skating package at the completely renovated JW Marriott Houston by The Galleria. In addition to luxury overnight accommodations and complimentary self-parking, you'll receive two tickets for admission to the indoor skating rink at The Galleria Mall along with vouchers for skate rental. Use promo code 11P (valid until December 11, 2023).

The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa
Perks & Presents package (available through December 30, 2023) lets you step into a magical wonderland this season, with twinkling trees, splendid décor, Houston's largest mistletoe kissing ball, and a Merry Mansions gingerbread house display above the Great Room Lobby's 30-foot fireplace.

Enjoy holiday entertainment by the fire, a menu of delectable holiday cocktails, and a collectible Kitty Keller ornament to hang on your tree. This holiday package includes specially priced guest room accommodations, two complimentary holiday themed cocktails at The Bar at The Houstonian per stay, a hand-painted glass Merry Mansions holiday ornament ($36 value), complimentary transportation to The Galleria and River Oaks District for holiday shopping and dining, complimentary holiday coloring books and crayons for children in-room, complimentary self-parking, late check-out on Sunday if applies to stay, and access to the exclusive Houstonian Club with three temperature-controlled pools. No resort fees and convenient 48-hour cancellation policy.

Hotel Zaza Memorial City
Hotel Zaza Memorial City, a haven of oversized, well-appointed accommodations — including Concept Suites and The Magnificent Seven Suites — and thought-provoking art, has created the perfect Winter Wonderland Spa Package to treat yourself after an incredibly busy year.

Indulge in a 120-minute session featuring a hot stone massage to help you relax and ease tense muscles, and a holistic facial to give your skin a pleasant refresh (available through December 22, 2023).

The Moran CityCentre
Located at the heart of one of Houston’s favorite shopping, dining, and lifestyle destinations, The Moran CityCentre is offering its Citycentre Steakation Package. This special offer includes a $100 restaurant gift card for every night of your stay. Use your gift cards at The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, or Yard House, all steps away from the hotel, and experience the vibe of CityCentre.

Blossom Hotel Houston
This new hotel, inaugurated in February 2022, is located near Texas Medical Center and NRG Stadium. Stay two-plus nights and receive 15 percent off with the Stay Longer & Save Package.

Texas residents enjoy 10 percent off the best available rate plus two welcome drinks in the lobby lounge with Texas Resident Rate offer. A Valid Texas ID is required at check-in. Suite Promotion allows you to receive a one-time $100 food and beverage credit when you book a three-night stay in one of the luxurious suites.

Explore this Houston Hotel Guide and more hotel deals in Houston.

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Movie Review

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 doesn't match the first movie's enthusiasm

Blumhouse

Five Nights at Freddy's 2.

Blumhouse Productions first made their name with the Paranormal Activity series, establishing themselves as a leader in the horror genre thanks to their relatively cheap yet effective movies. In recent years, they’ve added on “soft” horror films like M3GAN and Five Nights at Freddy’s to draw in a younger audience, with both films becoming so successful that each was quickly given a sequel.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 finds Mike (Josh Hutcherson) and his sister Abby (Piper Rubio) still recovering from the events of the first film, with Abby particularly missing her “friends.” Those friends just so happen to be the souls of murdered children who inhabit animatronic characters at the long-defunct Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, children who were abducted and killed by William Afton (Matthew Lillard).

A new threat emerges at another Freddy Fazbear’s location in the form of Charlotte, another murdered child who inhabits a creepy large marionette. Mike, distracted by a possible romance with Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), fails to keep track of Abby, who makes her way to the old pizzeria and inadvertently unleashes Charlotte and her minions on the surrounding town.

Directed by Emma Tammi and written by Scott Cawthon (who also created the video game on which the series is based), the film tries to mix together goofy elements with intense scenes. One particular sequence, in which the security guard for Freddy Fazbear’s lets a group of ghost hunters onto the property, toes the line between soft and hard horror. That and a few others show the potential that the filmmakers had if they had stuck to their guns.

Unfortunately, more often than not they either soft-pedal things that would normally be horrific, or can’t figure out how to properly stage scenes. The sight of animatronic robots wreaking havoc is one that is simultaneously frightening and laughable, and the filmmakers never seem to find the right balance in tone. Every step in the direction of making a truly scary horror film is undercut by another in which the robots fail to live up to their promise.

It doesn’t help that Cawthon gives the cast some extremely wooden dialogue, lines that none of the actors can elevate. What may work in a video game format comes off as stilted when said by actors in a live-action film. The story also loses momentum quickly after the first half hour or so, with Cawthon seemingly content to just have characters move from place to place with no sense of connection between any of the scenes.

Hutcherson (The Hunger Games series), after being the true lead of the first film, is given very little to do in this film, and his effort is equal to his character’s arc. The same goes for Lail, whose character seems to be shoehorned into the story. Rubio is called upon to carry the load for a lot of the movie, and the teenager is not quite up to the task. A brief appearance by Skeet Ulrich seems to be a blatant appeal to Scream fans, but he and Lillard only underscore how limited this film is compared to that franchise.

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is better than the first film, but not by much. The filmmakers do a decent job of making the new marionette character into a great villain, but they fail to capitalize on its inherent creepiness. Instead, they fall back on less effective elements, ensuring that the film will be forgettable for anyone other than hardcore Freddy fans.

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Five Nights at Freddy's 2 opens in theaters on December 5.

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