The Moran Citycentre

Houston, Texas is generally the kind of sprawling metropolis where cars are the only viable mode of transportation, and visitors are typically yoked to their rentals. Enter Citycentre, Westside Houston’s new mixed-use development, complete with upscale shopping, drinking, and dining, concentrated on 37 pedestrian-friendly acres. It’s the perfect location for the gleaming Hotel Moran Citycentre, a luxurious home base from which to strike out — on foot — on a bold exploration of West Houston’s most interesting locales.

The hotel’s 244 guest rooms include some of the most spacious accommodations in Citycentre, offering massive suites that dwarf their requisite king beds. The aesthetic is vaguely Euro-minimal, with enough funky chairs and sofas to keep things from getting too crisp and buttoned-up. Floor-to-ceiling windows and walk-in showers abound — this is still Texas, after all, where bigger and bolder is the general rule of thumb. At the higher end, the penthouse suites come with apartment-style amenities and kitchens that wouldn’t look out of place in a Milan townhouse. These rooms are designed to make extended-stay guests feel right at home — not a bad idea, considering that only New York is home to more Fortune 500 headquarters.

The whole point of Citycentre, however, isn’t business but nightlife, and Hotel Moran Citycentre contributes its fair share of attractions — the Monnalisa Bar does specialty cocktails for the poolside crowd. If you’ve got a restlessness that even a visit to the spa and rooftop infinity pool can’t cure, there are dozens of culinary treats within (you guessed it) walking distance.