hotel news
West Houston hotel lures business travelers with modern Texas makeover
The Hilton Westchase is about to look very different on the inside.
The Hilton Westchase (9999 Westheimer) is undergoing a significant redevelopment designed to appeal to business travelers, particularly those in the oil and gas sector visiting the companies in the nearby Energy Corridor.
“We really wanted to focus on — and celebrate — those travelers,” said Craig Allen Smith, principal of The Woodlands-based design firm Portfolio, who is handling the project. His partner, Portfolio creative director Amy Bentzen Smith, added, "The industry itself is part of the foundation of Houston. We want to celebrate the positive aspects of the oil industry — how it fuels everything in our lives, whether we realize it or not.”
The Hilton Westchase will have a new, Western-inspired lobby with increased natural lighting to play up the oil field image of Texas energy industrialism. Everything from the meeting spaces to the guest rooms is being overhauled to appeal to busy business travelers who need to work out of of the hotel space. Updates include lighter, streamlined finishes and a variety of meeting spaces, from intimate conference rooms to banquet halls. The rooms in Hilton Westchase will all have moveable workbenches.
Redevelopment is being handled by Texas-based hotel developers American Liberty Hospitality (ALH) and Escalera Capital. ALH plans to incorporate modern traveler convenience philosophy, but with a touch of Houston's hard working spirit to highlight the hotel as a business destination.
“We are excited to see our investment strategy come alive through the redesign and revival of this great Hilton hotel,” said ALH Principal Nick Massad III.
The hotel will be open continually throughout the redevelopment process, with plans to only close three floors at a time. The renovation is tentatively scheduled to be completed June 2026.
Built in 1980, the Hilton Westchase has been a hub for Houston energy travel and business since the waning days of the oil boom. The hotel underwent two renovations in 2003 and 2014 before being bought by ALH and San Antonio-based Escalera Capital in May. ALH owns ten hotels, including eight in the Houston area such as the Home2 Suites Houston Medical Center, Staybridge Suites Houston Galleria Area, and DoubleTree Galveston Beach.
