Hotel Review: The Laura Hotel, Autograph Collection
Autograph Collection branded hotels strongly focus on the storytelling of properties through thoughtful design and architecture. From Hotel Emery in Minneapolis to the Cotton House Hotel in Barcelona, Spain, I find it interesting to see how each Autograph Collection hotel unfolds its brand identity through meaningful branding moments. One of my Suite Night Awards was set to expire by June 30, 2022, so I headed to The Laura Hotel in downtown Houston for a quick staycation. It was delightful to be upgraded to the best room at the hotel, but there was some noticeable room for improvement. Here is my review of The Laura Hotel, Autograph Collection:
The Laura Hotel is located at 1070 Dallas St, Houston, TX 77002.
What Card(s) Should You Use to Book?
I earn tons of Marriott Bonvoy points by using my American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card. It currently offers a sign-up bonus of 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $3,000 within your first 3 months of card membership. The card earns 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar when you book directly with Marriott, 3X points on dining and flights booked directly with airlines, and 2X on all other purchases. Paired with Marriott’s promotions and AMEX offers, it opens doors to endless points-earning opportunities.
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card does come with a hefty $450 annual fee but offers tons of perks to significantly offset its costs. The card features the following benefits:
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status, the mid-tier status offered in Marriott’s member ecosystem
$300 Marriott Bonvoy statement credit that can be applied towards your room rate
$100 property credit when booked directly with Marriott and staying a minimum of two nights at Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis properties
One free night certificate, redeemable for properties worth up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night
Access to Priority Pass lounges
15 elite night credits that can prove helpful for chasing Bonvoy status
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card comes with great benefits that can substantially offset its annual fee.
Even if you don’t stay at Marriott properties often, this card is still a must-have, in my opinion. It’s a true example of a keeper card that offers benefits that outweigh the annual fee.
If you’d like to apply for the American Express Bonvoy Brilliant Card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! http://refer.amex.us/EDWARSMaWs?xl=cp19&mpt=v0
If you are looking for a Marriott Bonvoy credit card with a low annual fee, consider the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card. It currently offers a sign-up bonus of five Free Night Awards after spending $5,000 in three months, each covering up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. I personally value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.8 cents each, making the 250,000 points offer worth $2,000. This is the highest sign-up bonus we’ve seen for the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card, and I highly recommend grabbing the card if you are under Chase 5/24. The Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card earns 6X points per dollar when you book directly with Marriott, 3X points on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases every year on dining, grocery stores, and gas stations, and 2X points on all other purchases.
The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card’s annual fee is $95, and it offers useful perks to offset the cost:
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status, the low-tier status offered in Marriott’s member ecosystem
One free night certificate, redeemable for properties worth up to 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night
15 elite night credits that will help you achieve a higher Bonvoy status (this cannot be combined with 15 Elite Night Credits from the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card above)
Be aware that 15 elite night credits from the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card can’t be combined with 15 elite night credits from the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card.
Please note that you can only earn 15 elite night credits from a personal credit card and the other 15 elite night credits from a business credit card. Thus, if you own both AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant and Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless, you would only earn 15 elite night credits.
If you’d like to apply for the Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! https://www.referyourchasecard.com/252f/QJPU5UFB4R
The last Marriott Bonvoy credit card you could use would be the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business card. It currently offers a sign-up bonus of 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $3,000 within your first 3 months of card membership. Considering that the annual membership costs $125, you get paid to have the card! The card earns 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar when you book directly with Marriott, 4X points on dining, U.S. shipping purchases, U.S. wireless telephone services, and at U.S. gas stations. All other purchases earn 2X points.
The Marriott Bonvoy Business card’s annual fee is $125, and it offers valuable benefits to justify the cost:
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
One free night certificate, redeemable for properties worth up to 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night
15 elite night credits that will help you achieve a higher Bonvoy status
The Marriott Bonvoy Business Card is the only Marriott business card on the market.
As you can see, the card’s benefits are less substantial than the ones from the Bonvoy Brilliant card, but it is a great long-term keeper card due to its annual free night certificate perk. Furthermore, it is absolutely necessary if you want to chase a higher Marriott Bonvoy status because it is the only Marriott business card that is on the market and will grant you an additional 15 elite night credits. Lastly, even though it is a business credit card, it is very likely that you could get it approved. Check out my article on how to apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor.
If you’d like to apply for the American Express Marriott Bonvoy Business Card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! http://refer.amex.us/EDWARSN1lx?xl=cp19&mpt=v0
Lobby & Check-In Review
I used Google Maps to drive from Austin to Houston, and when I “arrived” at the hotel, I was two blocks away from the hotel in reality. Luckily, my fiancé was in the car and navigated us to the correct location, but Google Maps failed to pinpoint the hotel's exact location many times after that. When we actually arrived at the hotel, the doorman gently greeted us and informed us that the check-in desk was on the second floor.
As soon as I stepped into the hotel, the design language of the hotel became apparent.
We took an elevator up to the second floor because of our luggage, but you could choose to use a bifurcated staircase instead. The front desk was gorgeous; a massive print highlighting Renaissance interior design was gently illuminated behind the front desk a carpet with abstract patterns matched the overall vibe well.
The front desk was gorgeous, and the staff were welcoming and kind.
The second floor was home to the hotel’s bar as well as Hull & Oak, the in-house restaurant specializing in Southern cuisine. The lobby had just the right amount of seats, in my opinion. There were velvet couches and black marble tables with gold frames.
From minimalistic wall lights to seamless curved ceilings, The Laura Hotel welcomed us with elegance.
In fact, I noticed that gold was everywhere—from light fixtures to picture frames on the wall. Moreover, the curvature of the couch harmonized with the arched ceilings in the lobby.
The hotel utilized its gold-colored brand identity at every angle.
I enjoyed the consistent usage of gold-colored furniture, and the general atmosphere of the lobby felt both classy and at ease.
These fur coffee tables may be difficult to clean, but they certainly were interesting.
When it was my turn to check in, the director of the front office operations, Trevor, came down to the lobby to personally greet us. He explained a few details of the hotel and relayed a warm welcome message from Charley, The Laura Hotel's general manager. I knew I was going to be upgraded to the Executive King Room since my Suite Night Award was accepted by the hotel. Surprisingly, I was upgraded to the Ambassador Suite, which was the best room in the hotel encompassing nearly 800 square feet. After receiving my card keys, I went up to the 21st floor, where my suite was located.
Living Room Review
As soon as I opened the door to the Ambassador Suite, I was pleased to see a spacious living room with an open floor concept. The hardwood flooring of the living room reminded me of The New York EDITION and The Barcelona EDITION. The floor added a layer of warmth and coziness to the area. The entire living room featured floor-to-ceiling windows, drenching the suite with natural light. I was able to enjoy panoramic views of downtown Houston from the inside. Then, my eyes were immediately drawn to the modern, gold-colored chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
The sectional was comfortable, but some seats were stained.
In the center of the living room, there was an L-shaped velvet sectional along with an oval-shaped white coffee table with a geometric patterned top.
Floor-to-ceiling windows meant lots of natural light, and the AC worked well to keep the temperature of the suite down.
The sectional was relatively comfortable and was big enough for two young adults to sleep for a night or two. A TV was placed on top of a media console, and I was disappointed to discover that it was a non-smart TV.
Three high top chairs were available for the wet bar, located next to the living room.
A glass work desk was positioned in the corner of the living space, and it was nice for the hotel to allocate space for a working professional. The living room was sprinkled with modern art pieces and contemporary accent furniture, which made me feel like I was in a boutique apartment.
The interior design team did a good job incorporating modern art and accent furniture into the overall suite.
The gold color was everywhere, from the chandelier to furniture legs, and I enjoyed the consistent representation of the gold theme being carried from the lobby to the suite. However, I noticed some stains on the sectional and saw dead bugs on the floor and along the windows.
It was clear that the cleaning staff didn’t pay enough attention to sanitation.
It was indicative that the cleaning crew didn’t pay enough attention when sanitizing the room, and it was discouraging to witness a substandard level of care for the best room in the hotel.
There were many more dead bugs along the windows.
Bedroom Review
The bedroom had two wooden sliding doors with a locking mechanism, and a king bed with an oversized headboard was centered on a wall.
The bedroom was polished, and the gold theme continued on.
The king mattress was comfortable, but it was on the firmer side. The headboard was equipped with reading lights that were fully embedded, but I was unsure why the wood trimming of the headboard was navy. It didn’t necessarily fit the overall concept of the bedroom since black was the prominent color in the room. Each side of the bed had a sizeable nightstand and a gold-accented lamp with a clear acrylic body.
The charging ports were discreetly hidden on the side of the nightstand.
The nightstand had discreet electric outlets and USB ports for charging personal devices. A lounge chair and a petite side table occupied the corner of the room.
The sliding door isolated noise and light from the living room very well and was equipped with a lock.
Even though the windows weren’t as tall as the windows in the living room, they let in a decent amount of sunlight. A generic media console with a non-smart TV saw across from the bed. I questioned the design language of the blank wall behind the TV. The hotel could’ve curated a piece of art or mounted the TV with a floating media shelf.
The media console in the bedroom was rather bland.
I was also confused why the bedroom didn’t feature the same hardwood floor as the living room. I felt detached when walking into the bedroom from the living room because the luxury apartment atmosphere would suddenly be interrupted by the carpeted floor.
Bathroom Review
There were two bathrooms in the suite, one of which was a half bath, located right by the suite entrance. The half bath featured a single sink vanity with a plain white countertop.
It was odd to find a bathroom without a towel hanger.
The lower portion of the bathroom walls was tiled with black marble pieces, which reminded me of the Candler Hotel in Atlanta for some reason. The mirror and light fixtures were gold-accented, and it was great seeing the consistency in design, even in the bathroom. The major problem with the half bath was that there was neither a towel nor a towel hanger in the room. I had to bring a spare towel from the master bathroom, but it was odd to see such a fundamental requirement in any bathroom setting being completely unavailable. The master bathroom was attached to the bedroom and was separated by a solid, wooden sliding door. The master bathroom borrowed the identical black marble tile design from the half bath and featured a double sink vanity with the same white countertop.
I loved the black marble look on the wall, but the plain white vanity was boring.
The gold-accented light fixtures and mirrors remained the same, and sadly, the lack of a towel hanger continued in the master bathroom. The toiletries were by Lather, and the hotel provided individually packaged travel-sized products as well as communal toiletries in the walk-in shower.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the toiletries, but the toiletry kit just about covered everything!
Speaking of the shower, its retro tilework didn’t really appeal to me—it felt cheap and didn’t seem to align with the suite’s identity. The shower didn’t come with a true rainfall-style showerhead, and it was positioned slightly lower than my preference. For instance, I’m 5’8”, and a person above 6’2” may feel that the showerhead is placed too low.
I felt like I was working out using the handheld shower head.
There was also a handheld option, but it was very heavy to hold for more than a few minutes. The shower floor was thoughtfully sloped slightly toward the drain. It may sound obvious, but I’ve seen too many hotels not paying attention to small detail. The master bathroom came with a separate water closet, which provided partial privacy with an opaque decal on the glass door.
The retro look of the small tiles on the floor and in the shower booth didn’t impress to me.
However, the glass door didn’t cover the entire height of the bathroom ceiling, inevitably failing to fully soundproof the water closet. The highlight of the bathroom was the freestanding tub; it was commodious to fit two adults at once, and the wall faucet gave a streamlined look.
The soaking tub was one of the roomiest tubs I’ve used at hotels.
While I appreciated having two bathrooms, I had mixed feelings about them. The gold theme was present in both, and the black marble tiles on the lower portion of the walls were gorgeous. Nonetheless, the retro-inspired wall tiles in the shower and the lack of towel hangers in both bathrooms were questionable.
Wet Bar & Dining Room Review
As I walked toward the balcony, the living room evolved into a wet bar and dining space. Along the way, multiple minimalistic wooden closets were available for storing at least two weeks’ worth of clothes. Then, a wet bar appeared, featuring a Virtuo Nespresso machine, mini-fridge, and dishwasher.
The wall used the same white marble as the countertop and the backsplash, giving the wet bar a seamless look.
I could be wrong, but I didn’t see any plates or utensils available for the suite, so I was puzzled why the dishwasher was there. It was great that the suite came with a Nespresso machine, but the coffee from this machine was extra bitter and tasted off. Moreover, there were no decaf capsules for people with caffeine sensitivity.
I’m not sure if it was my coffee machine, but the coffee didn’t taste good at all.
On the other hand, the wet bar was finished with beautiful white marble, and it was applied to the breakfast bar directly across from it as well.
You could enjoy views of downtown Houston from the wet bar.
While I was checking out the view of downtown Houston, two lovely ladies from the hotel kitchen surprised us with a bottle of champagne and a cheesecake with berries smothered in chocolate sauce.
It was so nice to receive generous welcome amenities from The Laura Hotel. Thank you!
They set up the welcome amenity excellently, and a refreshing bottle of champagne was exactly what we needed on a scorching summer day in Texas.
Champagne was the perfect refreshment on a scorching hot day in Texas.
It was very kind of The Laura Hotel to spoil us with delicious treats, and a moment like this is why I remain a Marriott loyalist year after year.
The cheesecake had a generous amount of berries and chocolate sauce. Delicious!
After having a glass of champagne, I continued to explore the suite. The dining room presented a different vibe.
The dining room felt mature with dark furniture, but the gold theme was sprinkled in here and there.
While gold-accented picture frames on the wall and the inner lining of the modern chandelier from the ceiling carried the consistent gold theme, the black dining table and chairs appeared heavier than the rest of the suite. With eight chairs available, the dining room would be a great spot to have a meal with family or a group of friends in town.
Balcony Review
From the dining area, you could go straight out to the balcony, which was the biggest balcony among all rooms in the hotel. The balcony offered panoramic views of downtown Houston, and it came with a low-profile coffee table and a small outdoor sectional.
The balcony would be perfect to lounge in the spring.
The weather was too hot for us to be outside, but you could easily have about six to ten people on the balcony at once.
I could see the Toyota Center from the balcony. Go Rockets!
The only caveat was that the outdoor space was separate from neighboring balconies by metal planter boxes that were about 5 feet tall. If someone wanted to climb over, most individuals could easily hop over to adjacent balconies. Of course, I hope that doesn’t happen to anyone, but something to be mindful of and remember to lock the balcony door when leaving your room.
When the weather slightly cools down at night, enjoy a glass of wine on the balcony.
Gym & Pool Review
Both the gym and outdoor pool were located on the fifth floor of the hotel. The gym was pretty small, and the gym equipment was naturally close-packed.
Fresh towels were available as well as apples. Grab one on your way out!
However, the hotel utilized glass walls to add an airy layer to the gym so the workout space wouldn’t feel too crowded and compact.
Glass walls made the gym appear bigger and more spacious.
Cardio machines were facing the rooftop pool, and most of the gears were by ProMAXima.
Floor-to-ceiling glass walls let in healthy amount of natural light.
I never used their equipment before, but their instruments seemed to be high-quality. A few strength machines were scattered all around the gym, and there were two adjustable benches with a standard set of dumbbells.
It was my first time using ProMAXima gym gears, and they were intuitive and solid.
There were medicine balls and gym balls available for full-body exercises, but the gym didn’t have adequate open space.
The fitness center didn’t have much open space for full-body exercises.
The pool was a few steps away from the gym, and it was also quite small.
The rooftop pool was smaller than what I expected, and as a result, it became crowded very fast.
Since the hotel was in Houston, the water wasn’t heated. The pool included sunbeds with sunshades, and they were all first come, first served. There was also a mini-bar selling cocktails and other beverages.
Because the pool was on the fifth floor, it naturally had decent shading from neighboring buildings.
If you would like to swim without other people, I highly recommend stopping by early in the morning because the pool will get crowded very quickly during the day. We went to the pool at 5 PM, and it was so congested that people were just standing around without much room to move around.
Bar Review
I stopped by the hotel bar earlier in the day to see if I should visit after dinner. The bar was surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, and ample natural light made the bar inviting.
The hotel bar had seating arrangements for any types of guests.
The bar featured seating options for groups and couples, and I liked seeing the gold color on the chairs and the finishes of the bar countertop.
The gold color was apparent at the hotel bar, but unfortunately customer service was missing.
After dinner, we decided to grab drinks at the hotel bar before we went back to our room. We visited the bar around 9 PM, and it was moderately occupied. After we secured a table, the server asked if we were looking for a restaurant, to which I replied that we were trying to grab cocktails. When he handed us the menu, it only listed beverages, and I inquired if there was a menu for small bites such as fries. The waiter snapped at us, commenting, “that’s why I asked you if you wanted food,” and handed us over another menu for food items. Based on the comment, you’d think that the bar wouldn’t serve food at all, but I suppose he was upset that he had to reach for the food menu. We were actually sitting right next to the menus, and he had to move maybe two steps to grab the food menu. In hindsight, all he had to say was that the bar also offers food. His comment and attitude were totally uncalled for. We were instantly turned off by his dismissive and rude demeanor and left the bar without placing an order. It was upsetting to encounter awful customer service because we’ve had pleasant experiences with everyone—from receptionists to cleaning staff.
Breakfast Review—Hull & Oak
Breakfast was served at Hull & Oak from 6:30 AM to 10 AM on weekdays and 7 AM to 11 AM on weekends.
The baby blue color of the restaurant furniture was refreshing and contrasted the floor well.
We were seated immediately upon arrival, and the restaurant was curated with white marble tables and baby blue-colored chairs that brightened the space.
I liked that almost all spaces in the hotel had access to ample natural light.
The arched ceiling and uniform interior design elements such as spherical light fixtures and circular mirrors provided a sense of symmetry and tranquil ambiance.
The arched ceiling harmoniously matched the chairs.
The restaurant specialized in Southern cuisine, and I ordered Pulled Pork Benedict while my fiancé ordered Biscuits & Gravy.
Thanks to my Titanium status, we were given $24 per person per night toward the bill, saving $48 on our breakfast bill.
My Titanium Elite status covered $24 toward breakfast per person per night, so I only had to tip the waitress. It took forever for our dishes to come out. When they eventually came out, they were anticlimactic. My Pulled Pork Benedict was on the sweeter side, and the hollandaise sauce was not as spicy as I imagined.
The hot pepper hollandaise was not spicy at all.
My fiancé’s Biscuits & Gravy was lukewarm, and the waitress interrupted our breakfast, informing us that we didn’t choose protein for the dish.
The potatoes were good, but the gravy was lukewarm.
We chose turkey sausage, and the protein didn’t come out for another 20 minutes.
It wasn’t worth it to wait 20 minutes for tiny breakfast turkey sausage patties.
While we were waiting for the sausage to come out, the kitchen gave us a complimentary bowl of fruits and berries. However, we spotted mold on the berries and had to send it back to the kitchen.
The berries in the fruit bowl sadly had mold on them.
We certainly appreciated the kind gesture from the restaurant to alleviate further dissatisfaction with the breakfast service, but for the most part, the breakfast experience at Hull & Oak remained disappointing.
Summary
As soon as I arrived at The Laura Hotel, I was welcomed immediately, and it was well worth it to use a Suite Night Award since I was upgraded to the best room at the hotel. The sun-drenched Ambassador suite offered panoramic views of downtown Houston, and I enjoyed taking a bath in the soaking tub whilst sipping a glass of champagne at the white marbled wet bar. However, I spotted many dead bugs in the living room, making me question the level of sanitation in the suite. Some design components in the bedroom and bathrooms were confusing and didn’t appeal to me. The breakfast service at Hull & Oak was disappointing, but the most negative experience during my stay was at the hotel bar where I encountered unacceptable customer service from the waiter. The Laura Hotel was not the best boutique hotel in Houston, but it has the potential to mature into an amazing property in the future.
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