Making Waves

New Houston hotel with Texas-shaped river makes a splash with one of the nation's best pools

The "lazy river" pool shaped like the state of Texas the new Marriott Marquis hotel is one of the nation's best.

Photo courtesy of Marriott Marquis Houston

Want to lounge by a really cool hotel pool in Texas? It turns out you’ve got not one, but two cool choices in the Lone Star State. Travel website Skyscanner says the pools at the Marriott Marquis Houston and JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa and are among the 10 best hotel pools in the U.S.

Skyscanner says the Marriott Marquis’ rooftop pool — a “lazy river” shaped liked Texas — “has instantly become the new hot place for local Instagrammers.” The website notes that you might need a drone to capture the perfect shot of the pool, “but it’ll be worth it.”

“Now, if the lazy river doesn’t do it for you, there’s also the heated infinity pool that overlooks Houston’s Discovery Green Park,” Skyscanner says. The Marriott Marquis made a splash when it served as the home for NFL owners and Commissioner Roger Goodell at Super Bowl LI in February. The hotel staged a glitzy official grand opening last month.

The JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa made the list thanks to its private 9-acre water park, complete with five waterslides, a 1,100-foot lazy river, private cabanas, beach-entry swimming pool, children’s pool with its own mini-water park, and an adults-only infinity pool overlooking the Hill Country.

“When it comes to San Antonio water parks, the River Bluff Water Experience offers the ultimate in outdoor fun and relaxation,” the Marriott hotel chain says.

hotels rankings

T+L in HOU

Travel + Leisure includes Houston stay on 100 best new hotels list

Photo by Julie Soefer

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Hot on the heels of being named one of Esquire magazine’s best new hotels in the world of 2025, Houston's Hotel Saint Augustine has picked up another accolade. The Montrose property landed on Travel + Leisure’s 100 Best New Hotels of the Year this week. It's the only Texas hotel to make the list.

The magazine noted the property “feels true to the destination and is a perfect addition to Houston's growing hospitality scene,” noting details that pay tribute to Houston’s history, like the Night Heron cocktail named after the city’s official bird and that the hotel itself takes its own name from Augustus Chapman, one of Houston’s founders.

When Austin-based Bunkhouse Hotels opened Saint Augustine back in December of 2024, it was a much-anticipated addition to the Bayou City’s hospitality scene. Adjacent to the world-renowned Menil Collection, the Hotel Saint Augustine blends seamlessly into its surroundings with a quiet elegance and luxury amenities.

“For us, Hotel Saint Augustine offers a chance to become part of a neighborhood that deeply aligns with the Bunkhouse ethos,” Bunkhouse senior VP of design and development Tenaya Hills said when it first opened. “Montrose, and by extension, the Museum District and Houston at large, foster an incredible sense of community, of creativity, of old world and new. We wanted to create a place where everyone could come and feel as welcome and inspired. As the next iteration of our Saint hotels, we aim to provide the same unique feeling of seclusion, of permission to be indulgent, and, most of all, completely at ease.”

With 71 rooms across five, two-story buildings, many with courtyard views, the Saint Augustine has quickly become known for being both upscale and approachable. Reviews thus far on sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp call the property “simply stunning,” with a “fun atmosphere,” and “a treasure…in the heart of Houston.”

On the Travel + Leisure list, the hotel is ranked among properties such as the Hotel Hana in Paris, The Lotus Palace in India, and the Palm House in Palm Beach, Florida. Room rates start at $429 per night.