Following an extensive $5 million renovation, the Crowne Plaza Houston Downtown hotel has been rebranded as the Whitehall by Sotherly Hotels. The new name is a return to the hotel’s original moniker when it opened in 1963. The new design merges modern touches with postmodern and classic 1960s revival architecture in the new spaces.
Designed by Welton Beckett and Associates, the original Whitehall reflected the concept of total design, in which the firm overtook all areas of the hotel, from engineering to landscaping. Many standouts of the original midcentury design are still intact, such as the floating spiral staircase connecting the first and second levels and the original white Italian marble floors. Resort Interiors oversaw the renovations for the hotel, coffee shop, and onsite restaurant while Green Olive Media contributed to the rebranding.
The hotel closed in 1989 and eventually underwent a $25 million overhaul before debuting in 2001 as the Crowne Plaza Houston Downtown. Sotherly became the majority owner in 2013 and kicked off its $5 million redesign. The Whitehall’s permanent in-house art gallery received one of the most significant upgrades, and now showcases artwork from students and alumni of the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Each of the 259 guestrooms feature hardwood floors, updated window treatments, and wallcoverings. The new Buffalo Bayou Coffee and redesigned Southern-Mexican fusion restaurant Edgar’s Hermano have also been upgraded, along with Part & Parcel, the Whitehall’s lively outdoor bar and meeting space. The hotel includes an outdoor rooftop pool deck and a 24-hour fitness center.
The Whitehall, a member of Historic Hotels of America, is the second property for Williamsburg, Virginia-based Sotherly Hotels. The company launched in 2015 with the Georgian Terrace in Atlanta.
