Where to stay while on business? (Houston, Sugar Land: hotels, subdivision, restaurants)

[MarkinMd]

Hi, I am going to be visiting Houston the third week in August on a business trip. I will need to be in Stafford Monday thru Thursday but was considering staying near the Galleria area. My reason for this is that I want to be close to places to eat and night life. How long of a drive would it be for me in the morning (I have to be in Stafford @ 8am) if I stay near the Galleria?
Are there other places closer that would offer the same ammenities?

So, in a nut shell I want to stay somwhere I can walk around at night safely, within walking distance of restaraunts and night life, and within a 45 minute commute in the morning.

If you have any other input, please feel free to pass it along.

Thanks ~Mark

[behtypa]

Originally Posted by MarkinMd

Hi, I am going to be visiting Houston the third week in August on a business trip. I will need to be in Stafford Monday thru Thursday but was considering staying near the Galleria area. My reason for this is that I want to be close to places to eat and night life. How long of a drive would it be for me in the morning (I have to be in Stafford @ 8am) if I stay near the Galleria?
Are there other places closer that would offer the same ammenities?

So, in a nut shell I want to stay somwhere I can walk around at night safely, within walking distance of restaraunts and night life, and within a 45 minute commute in the morning.

If you have any other input, please feel free to pass it along.

Thanks ~Mark

77002 - downtown
77007 - Washington St area
77056 - immediate vicinity of Galleria shopping mall
77005 - Rice Village

77030 - Museum of Fine Arts area

check reviews at hotels.com

[Oildog]

Galleria should be fine. 20-30 min I guess. Thats outside my realm though.

[houstonfan]

Galleria Area South of Westheimer is the shortest commute that meets your criteria, 15-25min in the morning. But if you're anywhere very close to highway 59 from downtown Westwards, the commute will be less than 30min at that hour in the morning. In the evening rush hour, 59 bottlenecks at loop 610 and IH45 so Galleria will give you a significant advantage over downtown. It gets to be a parking lot on 59 around downtown at 5pm. It's also not a good idea to drive on Westheimerx610 at evening rush. One option if you're in the South Galleria area is to exit 59 and take Chimney Rock or Fountainview back to your hotel, thus avoiding the mess on 610.

[HTownNearNative]

I recommend the hotels adjacent to the Galleria Mall. Plenty of restaurants, both at the mall and nearby. These hotels would be Westin Oaks and Westin Galleria (attached to Mall). Hotel Indigo (next to the mall, south side), JW Marriott and Residence Inn (across the street, north of mall), Courtyard by Marriott on Sage Rd, Staybridge Suites (mall south side), and Doubletree Suites and aLoft Hotel both walking distance to mall a block west of Sage Rd (western most boundary of mall). Just FYI on the JW Marriott and Residence Inn, on the side of the street these hotels are located, there are several other restaurants within walking distance. Easy to cross the street toward the mall if need be. The south side of the mall, however, is more bare bones and somewhat isolated (newer).

That being said, the Galleria area (and Houston in general) is not known for walkability. You will need to drive to most nightlife. The Roxy night club is nearby, but not much else in terms of club scene. Restaurants would be near or a 5 minute drive at the most. It would be the area I'd recommend for a reasonable "reverse commute" to Stafford.

[MarkinMd]

This is a lot of great information, and just what I was looking for, thank! How is the Sugarland area? I was looking at the Hilton Garden Inn there which is closer and there seems to be some restaurants and bars/pubs nearby.

[houstonfan]

Originally Posted by HTownNearNative

I recommend the hotels adjacent to the Galleria Mall. Plenty of restaurants, both at the mall and nearby. These hotels would be Westin Oaks and Westin Galleria (attached to Mall). Hotel Indigo (next to the mall, south side), JW Marriott and Residence Inn (across the street, north of mall), Courtyard by Marriott on Sage Rd, Staybridge Suites (mall south side), and Doubletree Suites and aLoft Hotel both walking distance to mall a block west of Sage Rd (western most boundary of mall). Just FYI on the JW Marriott and Residence Inn, on the side of the street these hotels are located, there are several other restaurants within walking distance. Easy to cross the street toward the mall if need be. The south side of the mall, however, is more bare bones and somewhat isolated (newer).

That being said, the Galleria area (and Houston in general) is not known for walkability. You will need to drive to most nightlife. The Roxy night club is nearby, but not much else in terms of club scene. Restaurants would be near or a 5 minute drive at the most. It would be the area I'd recommend for a reasonable "reverse commute" to Stafford.

Exactly!
If you stay immediately adjactent to the mall, there are quite a few restaurants you can walk to in the mall or along post Oak or Westheimer. Night clubs, you'll probably have to drive a little. As for sugarland, search the thread "nightlife in sugarland", I believe the conclusion was there isn't much. Sugarland is nice though, and has lots of other amenities. However, your commute may not be any shorter due to traffic on 59 in the morning heading into the city.

[v2four]

Originally Posted by MarkinMd

This is a lot of great information, and just what I was looking for, thank! How is the Sugarland area? I was looking at the Hilton Garden Inn there which is closer and there seems to be some restaurants and bars/pubs nearby.

if you decide to stay in the galleria area, just beware, its a major traffic headache during both rush hour periods..trying to get to loop 610 or navigate one of the main streets to get to 59 south heading toward Stafford can be "hell" early in the morning

since you are going to be in Stafford, my suggestion would be to stay in Sugarland. Sugarland has a number of quality hotels, like the Hilton Garden Inn you mentioned, the Mariott at Sugarland Towne Square, the new Hyatt Place Suites, which is the newest hotel in Sugarland and the largest Hyatt Place in their chain, and about three or four other hotel chains in the city.

sugarland and stafford both have many eating options from tex-mex to seafood to national chains like IHOP, Dennys, Red Lobster and Joes Crab Shack.

You can also stay in Stafford as well, the residence inn and the courtyard by marriott are located directly behind a row of restuarants located off the southwest freeway...also, in rosenberg, the spring hill suites has rates of only $59.00 a night for a four or more day stay, and has many resturants and eating places in the Brazos Town Square shopping complex.

as for nightlife, there is non in sugarland, unless you are at BJs bar and grill, which closes at midnight...you will have to head back toward the galleria area or downtown for any nightlife options.

hope that helps

[AK123]

I don't know your budget, but in the Galleria area a lot of people seem to like Hotel Derek.

Sugar Land is very nice, but it's a suburb city. You'll find much more nightlife, restaurants etc. in the Galleria area, and you'd have a reverse commute to Stafford via Hwy 59, so I wouldn't expect much problem with traffic going that way.

If you do say in Sugar Land, Hilton Garden Inn is in the middle of a field on the edge of a subdivision. I'd say at a hotel in the Sugar Land Town Square or Lake Pointe development instead, where you'd actually be able to walk to some restaurants and bars.

[houstonfan]

What time to you leave Stafford in the afternoon?