Downtown

C. Baldwin, Curio Collection by Hilton

★★★★★

The C. Baldwin is a smart choice for travellers who want downtown convenience and boutique style without paying luxury prices. Part of Hilton's Curio Collection, it sits at 400 Dallas Street on the southwest side of downtown and takes its name from Charlotte Baldwin Allen, the businesswoman who helped finance the founding of Houston in 1836 and is often called the mother of the city — a story the hotel celebrates with the tagline that well-behaved women seldom make history. The 354 rooms and suites are modern and bright, with floor-to-ceiling windows, downtown views from higher floors, comfortable beds and large TVs; choices run from standard king and two-queen rooms to corner rooms, one-bedroom suites and a presidential suite, with accessible rooms offering tubs or roll-in showers. The hotel's restaurant, Rosalie Italian Soul, serves generous, old-school Italian-American cooking and cocktails and is popular with locals as well as guests. A fitness center is on site, and a complimentary house car will take guests to destinations within about two miles, which covers most of downtown, the Theater District and parts of Midtown. Dogs are welcome for a fee. There is no pool, which matters in summer, and parking is valet only and fairly expensive, so it suits travellers without a car or those using rideshares and the METRORail, which has stops nearby. The hotel has been recognized in readers' awards among the best hotels in Texas.

Downtown Houston has changed a great deal in recent years, with more restaurants, bars, parks and residents, and the C. Baldwin is well placed to enjoy it. The Theater District, home to the symphony, opera, ballet and Alley Theatre, is a short walk, and the hotel is convenient for Buffalo Bayou Park's eastern trails, the Downtown Aquarium and the Sam Houston Park historic houses. Discovery Green and Daikin Park are a short ride on the house car.

Rooms are the strength: generous, light-filled and quiet, with good beds and workspaces, which makes the hotel popular with business travellers during the week and with couples and friends on weekends, when rates often drop. Request a high floor for skyline views.

Families who want a pool should look at the Marriott Marquis instead; for everyone else, the C. Baldwin offers one of the best combinations of style, location and value downtown. Book directly or through partners for packages that sometimes include breakfast or parking. The hotel is well placed for the Theater District's evening performances and for downtown's growing restaurant and bar scene, and the METRORail is a short walk away for trips to the Museum District and NRG Park. Valet parking is the only option on site, so travellers without a car get the best value here. Rosalie Italian Soul is worth a dinner booking even if you are not staying, and on weekends the hotel attracts couples and friends exploring downtown's restaurants and Theater District shows. Ask about weekend packages, which can make an already reasonably priced stay even better value.