No need to unpack your bags at the luxurious
St. Regis, Houston. Just give them to the man at the door

When I reached my room at the St. Regis, Houston, the butler was there to greet me. He introduced himself and offered champagne and chocolates. He also explained the services he would provide and told me how to contact him.

I was staying at one of the few luxury hotels in North America to offer butler service. Two floors have a butler each, and I was lucky enough to be staying on one of them.

"We always want guests to know who we are and how we can assist them," my butler Tim said.

Since he volunteered to unpack my clothes and press them, I, of course, sent them away with him, even the shoes that I felt were a bit too worn to hand to an immaculate butler in bow tie, coat and tails. When he arrived at the door with my shoes later, he held them in a woven tray. It seemed a bit much to see my old shoes wrapped in embossed tissue paper and carrying the gold St. Regis stamp.

Each morning he removed the breakfast trays, filled the bowl in my room with fruit and the bucket with ice and left bottles of ginger ale. While I was out in the evening, he'd come in and ready the room: closing the sheers and drapes, opening the doors of the TV cabinet, turning down the soft European duvet and lighting several of the table lamps.

Everyone working in the hotel treated me like royalty. Whether offering assistance in the hallways or putting a napkin across my lap and pushing in my chair at meals, they always addressed me by name.

At the St. Regis, formerly the Ritz-Carlton, each room has flowers. Mine had a planted orchid and a cut rose. In the hallways, large cut-crystal vases on exquisitely crafted furniture held armfuls of fresh flowers, including lilies, roses and orchids.

The entire hotel is appointed in soft-toned colours of simple elegance with fine woodwork, polished brass, bright chandeliers and bevelled mirrors and windows. In every room and hallway, light, beauty and detail catch the imagination. Brimming bowls of sachet perfume the hallways upstairs, while, in each guest room, hand-tapered bottles of Bijan toiletries give fragrance to the marble-lined bathrooms.

Original $100,000 (U.S.) Remington sculptures stand in the lobbies along with a collection of commissioned paintings on the walls, while an antique Japanese marriage proposal hangs in the tearoom near the harp.

Business people can work well from guestrooms with Internet access, fax machine, portable phone, bedside phone and yet another phone between the tub and the toilet. Each phone call carries a surcharge, however and faxing doesn't come cheap. A three-minute evening phone call home to Ontario cost me $16 (U.S.). The tempting bowl of candies on the in-room bar and its contents are all quite expensive as well. Rooms on Fridays and Saturdays cost considerably less than during the rest of the week.

The Remington Grill, a Western-style, upscale restaurant, is accessible both from the lobby and from the street, where white limousines are a common sight. Chef Toby Joseph's expertise using quality ingredients satisfies the most discerning guest. He and his staff produce a Sunday buffet decorated with ice sculptures. The selection of delicacies is unbounded and each flavour is unique, from the lightly salted caviar to mouth-watering tenderloin or pheasant to the medley of cheesecakes, pastries and other desserts. Flowers decorating the food selection are actually made of ingeniously camouflaged lettuce and fruits.

From the time guests enter the large glass doors, their preferences are being noted. Upon their return visit, the beverages they enjoyed the last time await them on ice. Any rearrangements to the room made at their request are noted and restored on their return. Even cumbersome luggage and family treasures can be stored at the hotel between visits. Come back days or months later and the family portrait will be on the wall and the clothing neatly put away. For a weary business traveller, the hotel can truly be a home away from home.

The St. Regis, Houston is located in the Post Oak Park residential area less than a kilometre from the Galleria, an elite shopping district; 19 kilometres from Houston's central business district and within walking distance of 12 museums. The address is 1919 Briar Oaks Lane, Houston, Texas 77027, phone (713) 840-7600, fax (713) 849-0616, Internet http://www.luxurycollection.com. Regular non-discounted (rack) room rates range from $135 to $355 (U.S.) Suites range from $395 (U.S.) to a high of $2,000 (U.S.). The St. Regis offers shuttle service from Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston to the hotel for $89 (U.S.).


Recommended: Yes