The Hotel ZaZa is an upscale modern hotel nestled in the Museum District of Houston on the corner of Fannin and Ewing. When you pull up to the hotel, you are greeted by a small army of valet drivers waiting to assist you with your vehicle and luggage. They are always polite and eager. The building is beautifully adorned and welcoming as you enter the lobby through the golden doors of the hotel.
Once inside you will immediately observe that the lobby is almost too ornate. Zebra print chairs and oversized sofas abound. There are large beautiful chandeliers with a small pool at the back of the lobby. The room is dimly lit inviting a sense of intimacy and calm. The main desk where you check in is bathed in black marble accented again with intimately subtle light with another group of employees waiting to complete your check-in.
The on-site restaurant and lounge is the Monarch just off of the lobby. The bartenders are attentive and friendly. This is the lifeblood of this hotel. Everyone knows that this is the place to be after work. The bar is spilling over with patrons both from the hotel and the surrounding area. You may dine al fresco in their screened-in area or inside. The drinks are reasonably priced as well as the food. You can experience such eclectic drinks like the carrot ginger pear juice that I had with breakfast, or you can get your standard Bloody Mary and everything in between.
The rooms are larger than you standard Marriott or Hilton. You have a large bathroom with a shower, but no bathtub. A king sized bad awaits you along with a balcony with a small table and two chairs. The minibar is stocked with all that you could hope to drink along with an assortment of snacks, chips, and nuts (I just can’t bring myself to pay $5.00 for a KitKat).
There are original pictures (mostly black and white) on every floor, in all of the hallways, in the rooms, and throughout the hotel. Every picture is different featuring celebrities and scenes of people just hanging out and having fun. The pool and workout room are on the second floor if you need to get your daily run in or take a lap before or at the end of your day. Someone has ATD (attention to detail) through the roof and it shows!
My stay this time had a few hiccups that could have made my stay more pleasurable. I arrived before the standard check-in time of 4:00 PM, but I could not be accommodated with an early check-in. That happens so I wasn’t too upset. Once I did check in it took longer than I anticipated. In fact while I was being checked in I saw another hotel employee check in three guests. I was told that there was an issue, but never told what it was. The young lady did have a fruit place along with a handwritten note waiting for me in my room when I returned at 9:30 PM that evening. Nice touch and certainly a first.
On Thursday, February 7 at 10:00 AM the power went out. I was surprised but not concerned, at first. After 15 minutes I called down to the front desk asking for an ETA of the restoration of the power and was told that there was a power outage in a three block radius. Which struck me as strange as the traffic light and the rail service that I could see from my room was still in operation. At 10:46 the power is still out and I again call the front desk only to be met with a busy signal (I guess they got tired of saying the same thing to scores of guests). The power was restored at 10:52 AM. So I am guessing that they do not have a generator as there was not inclement weather in the area and it is February (so no brown out).
Those issues aside the hotel is an excellent choice should you find yourself visiting the Houston area. I wouldn’t go to Houston for the hotel, but this is certainly a step above your average hotel.
Seaton Speaks 