Alden Houston

Class: Deluxe

Style: Stylish alternative

Rooms: 97

Houston? Lest we forget, it’s America’s fourth-largest city, and one could make the case that it’s the shadow capital of the US—the former ruling dynasty has roots here, and the nation’s energy policy is decided in closed-door meetings in the sleek skyscrapers around the Alden-Houston Hotel.

Whether or not you’re in on those meetings, chances are you’re in Houston on business, and you may have already noticed the predominance of the corporate chain hotel. Take a lap around town on the 610 beltway, and see how many you can count. Or don’t, actually—just take our word for it and check in downtown, in one of the only places with any character at all.

The Alden-Houston is walking distance from the convention center, Minute Maid Park, and any number of corporate headquarters, not to mention the theater and scores of restaurants—so right out of the gate it’s got the competition beat. And the hotel itself is a bona fide luxury boutique, refined and attractive enough to impress a jaded traveler, yet Texan enough not to be laughed out of town. Rooms are rich and luxurious, in chocolate browns, with granite bathrooms and DVD players standard. The restaurant, 17, serves good old American cuisine, with a touch of Mexican, and A+ is a surprisingly smartly appointed bar, with no bull horns or lone stars to be seen. Not that they would ruin the experience—you may change your views on cowhide-print furniture after a trip through this lobby.