What $6 Million Buys

Galleria Hotel renovates to stand out: Snakeskin walls and concierge"personalities" are here

On Dec. 17, 2012, Destination Hotels & Resorts started the Hotel Derek makeover,which includes significant aesthetic changes to guest room, lobby and meetingspace interiors.
Hotel Derek/Facebook
Two floors of guest rooms have already been renovated, and the grand ballroom.
Photo courtesy of Hotel Derek
While official plans have yet to be announced, “exciting things” will be takingplace in the restaurant and bar space, which currently houses Valentino and VinBar, the latter shown here.
Gensler
The hotel is working with Dallas-based interior design firm Flick-Mars toimplement an updated look that highlights vibrant colors and new textures.
Photo courtesy of Hotel Derek

Hotel Derek, the Galleria-are luxury boutique hotel originally opened in 2001, is undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation and management overhaul.

Destination Hotels & Resorts, the fifth largest hospitality management company in the United States, purchased the property last summer. On Dec. 17, the company started the Hotel Derek makeover, which includes significant aesthetic changes to guest room, lobby and meeting space interiors, and it's in full swing now.

“It’s the only independent, boutique property in an area surrounded by chains, and we want to elevate the hotel from where it currently stands in the market.”

“We’re onboard with a fresh perspective and assessing the potential the hotel has given its location and the type of business we have coming into the Galleria — both corporate and leisure,” Stephanie Summerall, director of sales & marketing, told CultureMap in a phone interview. “We’re utilizing that to move the hotel in a different direction.”

The hotel is working with Dallas-based interior design firm Flick-Mars to implement an updated look that highlights vibrant colors and new textures, such as snakeskin-clad bathroom walls.

“We’re taking the design elements up a few notches, further distinguishing Hotel Derek from other hotels in the Galleria area,” Summerall said. “It’s the only independent, boutique property in an area surrounded by chains, and we want to elevate the hotel from where it currently stands in the market.”

In addition to interior upgrades, Destination recently implemented new service standards at Hotel Derek. A combined concierge and brand ambassador position — “Sir or Lady Derek” — has been created to further enhance the overall guest experience.

According to Summerall, Sir or Lady Derek will provide guests with customized entertainment recommendations and act as the face of the hotel. “You’re going to have a personality there creating this vibe from the moment you arrive, who will have a specialized insight on all things Houston,” she said.

“We plan to continually invest in the property, introducing things that are very edgy and aren’t being done anywhere else in town.”

Destination Hotels & Resorts is spending approximately $6 million on design enhancements, which will be completed in March. Several floors of guest rooms have already been renovated.

While official plans have yet to be announced, Summerall said that “exciting things” would be taking place in the restaurant and bar space, which currently houses Valentino and Vin Bar.

“We plan to continually invest in the property, introducing things that are very edgy and aren’t being done anywhere else in town,” she said. “We want Hotel Derek to be the destination for people traveling in Houston, as well as Houstonians.”

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rent report

2 Houston suburbs had the priciest rents in the metro in November

Photo by Jeswin Thomas on Unsplash

Asking rent for a single-bedroom apartment in Houston came out to $1,210 in November, Zumper said.

After American shoppers spent $11.5 billion on Black Friday this year, it's safe to say everyone is watching their wallets this holiday season, including renters. And a new Zumper report is shedding light on the Houston-area cities that are shelling out the most for their rent.

The report analyzed active listings from the previous month across all cities in the Houston metro. It tracked the most and least expensive rent prices for one- and two-bedroom apartments, and determines the cities with the fastest growing rents. Listings were aggregated by city to calculate median asking rents.

Sugar Land had the highest rent prices in the Houston area in November, the report found. The median rent price for a single-bedroom apartment came out to $1,480 last month. That's $30 higher than the median asking rent for the same apartment in June.

For two-bedroom units, median rent prices in Sugar Land rose 4.3 percent from October to $1,940.

Pearland had the second-highest rents in the metro last month. Single-bedroom units had a median asking price of $1,370 per month, while two-bedroom units had a $1,700 price tag in November.

Residents in both Pearland and Sugar Land are expected to spend more than $3,100 on their holiday presents this year, a recent WalletHub study revealed, which means they may be keeping a closer eye on their budgets than other Houston-area residents.

Meanwhile, Houston proper had the third-priciest asking rents in the entire metro area in November. Median asking rent for a one-bedroom unit totaled $1,210 in November, and two-bedroom units had a $1,480 price tag.

These are the median rent prices for one- and two-bedroom apartments around Houston:

League City – $1,180 for one-bedroom units; $1,410 for two-bedroom units
Spring – $1,170 for one-bedroom units; $1,530 for two-bedroom units

Houston-area cities with affordable rent compared to the statewide median
Zumper found the statewide median rent for a one bedroom apartment came out to $1,126 last month.

Huntsville, a city 70 miles north of Houston, had the most affordable rent for a one-bedroom unit in the region, with median prices adding up to $880. The report also found that Huntsville's single-bedroom rent costs are surprisingly 6 percent more expensive than they were a year ago. However, the median cost for a two-bedroom unit in Huntsville – $1,000 – is the same asking price as it was in November 2024.

Six more Houston-area cities had more affordable single-bedroom rent prices than the statewide median:

Galveston – $1,110
Conroe – $1,100
Baytown – $1,000
Lake Jackson – $920
Pasadena – $910
Texas City – $890

rent rent prices real estate housing report houston