This Chronicle article reports that the owners of the chic Hotel ZaZa in Dallas have acquired one of Houston’s oldest hotels, the venerable Warwick in the Museum District in between downtown and the Texas Medical Center.
For many years, the Warwick and the old Shamrock Hilton on the other side of the Medical Center from the Warwick were Houston’s premier hotels. However, in the 1970’s, both properties suffered in comparison to newer hotels that were built in the area near the Galleria, and the Shamrock was finally shuttered and destroyed in 1987. The Warwick has held on through a series of owners and at least one recent renovation, but it has not been able to recapture the magic of its earlier days.
Nevertheless, the Warwick is in a prime location, near the Medical Center and Rice University to the south, and downtown to the north. Moreover, the property sits in the middle of Houston’s beautiful Museum District and is on the new Metro Light Rail line. Finally, the views from the hotel down Main Street lined with majestic Live Oak trees remains a sight to behold. Here’s hoping that the Hotel ZaZa owners recognize the jewel that the Warwick can be and invest the funds necessary to restore its preeminence among Houston’s finer hotels.