Hotel ZaZa Memorial City

Given Houston’s status as America’s fourth-largest city, it’s perhaps a bit surprising that there isn’t a boutique-hotel scene quite on the scale of those in places like New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago. But it’s certainly not for lack of effort on the part of Texas’s small but faithful contingent of boutique hoteliers. Hotel ZaZa Memorial City is the sequel to the decade-old Museum District installment, and brings the brand’s familiar high-end, high-style experience to the west side of Houston.

Where the Museum District edition is ornate and almost Baroque, the Memorial City version is clean-lined and bright, inspired in part by the mid-century modernism of Palm Springs. There’s art everywhere, including David Hockney prints in the corridors, and the suites stop at nothing to establish a memorable visual identity — the Magnificent Seven suites are all wildly different, as are the four Concept Suites.

The idea is luxury-hotel plushness with boutique-hotel personality, and on that score they deliver. Not only are the in-room comforts first-rate, but the ZaSpa offers a full range of treatments, and the Tipping Point Restaurant & Terrace is among the neighborhood’s finest tables. You’re also close by to some of Houston’s best shopping, and if you’re here on business, you might be able to work from home — the ZaZa features some 11,000 square feet of meeting space.