As downtown Houston street construction smothers locals ahead of the FIFA World Cup, one Lamar High School alum has quietly restored a Federalist-style landmark hotel to its former glory. When the Sam Houston Hotel opened in 1924, a room could be booked for two dollars—two-fifty with a private bath. The charming update is a wink to that bygone era, yet willfully restrains itself from being tied to a theme.
The hotel was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Twenty years later, Rick Singleton, principal of Scenic Capital Advisors, purchased the historic property and had it listed under the Hilton Hotels Tapestry Collection banner.
Ensconced in downtown Houston’s Historic District, the Sam Houston Hotel — colloquially known as “The Sam” — sits within one of the city’s most vibrant and walkable neighborhoods. Just steps from Market Square Park, the lush community hub on the site of Houston’s original City Hall serves as the heart of downtown’s urban resurgence where guests can explore the more historical side of downtown on their own or even join one of the popular walking tours.
Local residents may recognize “The Sam” as the site of two enormous murals that exist as part of the city’s larger public art project. Works by artists “Smug” and Victor Ash, titled “Assiduity” and “Human Rights,” respectively, are difficult to miss, as both extend nearly the entire 10-story height of the building.
Recognizing a disconnect between the building’s stately Federalist-style exterior and its previously-undefined interior, Singleton set out to reunite the two with a period-appropriate interior aesthetic infused with modern comfort and continuity. The interiors feature rich, tactile fabrics, warm wood floors, and detailed paneling and moldings that replace colder industrial materials. The result is a design that feels historic yet contemporary, timeless yet inviting — a true reflection of Houston’s architectural vernacular.
“It’s a beautiful, Federalist-style building. Then you walk in, and it’s chic — that was the goal,” Singleton tells CultureMap. The remodel was top-to-bottom, with guest room revitalizations beginning in June of 2024. One-hundred total guest rooms span five layouts, providing something for everyone.
Since the building had been updated prior to the current acquisition, Hilton didn’t require a full renovation — Singleton did it anyhow: “If we don’t do everything, we are just wasting money. It was just disjointed. We needed to go all the way here, and Hilton was really happy about that. We did double the amount of work that was required here.”
Guest room designs were all handled in-house by Singleton and his wife Laura, a retired interior designer. The rooms have clean lines and sleek furnishings (all made by local trades), while the accent decor lends itself more to the timeless, beloved boutique hotel aesthetic.
“We wanted hotel rooms that felt collected, and not overly refined, like a lot of hotel rooms tend to feel,” explains [Rick] Singleton. “We wanted lived-in, collected, and even cluttered a little bit. We wanted them full.”
Houston favorite Gin Design Group handled the original conceptual design and drawings for the lobby space, with Laura taking over procurement and sourcing from there. “I could have never imagined or come up with the look that she did,” says Singleton of Gin Braverman. “She’s super creative, and we are really happy with the work she did.”
The lobby is very chic indeed, but not in a nouveau riche sort of way; it’s elegant, yet comfortable. Moody greens, chestnut browns, and golds in textures spanning velvets to tweeds beckon guests to settle in and enjoy libations from the hotel’s new Pearl Bar and Restaurant. Just off the lobby, an enclosed billiards room — that doesn’t require a reservation — draws those looking for a place to wait out rush hour traffic or host a small gathering.
The Instagram-worthy lobby, billiards suite, and gorgeous events terrace beg for photo-ops — in fact, it’s encouraged. General manager Lauren Beiten was plucked straight from Austin’s very vibey Hotel Van Zandt and loves that visitors of “The Sam” bring that same type of energy and enthusiasm to the hotel. In an unintentional nod to Hilton, there is a whimsical tapestry in the lobby that functions as a perfect backdrop.
From a full wall of intimate, carved-out nooks, to large sectional seating and low-slung cocktail tables for two, there is a spot to accommodate groups large and small. Having a solo coffee break? Disappear into one — or many — of the interesting coffee table books artfully stacked throughout the space.
Overall, Singleton is thrilled with how his almost completely in-house project has turned out. While his hands-on approach may have taken longer than traditional turnkey design projects, “The Sam” was clearly worth the effort:
“It’s easy to spend a lot of money to find stuff, but what’s hard is to find something nice for a reasonable dollar — but it does take time.”
The Historic Sam Houston Hotel is located at 1117 Prairie Street. Room rates start at $186 per night.
Photo by Laura Dante
The lobby offers seating options for groups of all sizes.
