Welcome to Downtown Houston Hotels; the heart of Texas! We offer over a great selection hotels and accommodations in and around the downtown area and are your single source for the best local rates available. Whether you're here for a day, a week or a month, our downtown Houston hotel guide will help you find the perfect accommodation, suited expressly to your needs.

All of our hotels are approved by AAA and Mobile Travel Guide, the authorities in hotel inspection. All hotels offer a generous savings off of regular hotel rack rates. Book securely online for great rates on hotels near Houston!

Although 50 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, Houston is one of the major seaports in the United States. Before there was a Houston there was a Harrisburg, a maritime trading post founded in 1824 by John Harris. In 1829 Harris died, leaving his brothers to resolve the inheritance of the town.

In 1836, the inheritance still unresolved, Augustus and John Allen attempted to purchase the town but found the price too high. They found a suitable plot of land farther up the bayou and established Houston, named for Gen. Sam Houston, who had just defeated the Mexicans at nearby San Jacinto.

The conversion of winding, marshy Buffalo Bayou into the Houston Ship Channel precipitated rapid industrial growth. With cotton reigning as king in Houston at the turn of the 20th century, textile mills the world over received and processed this commodity. The timber-, cotton- and cattle-shipping town evolved into not only a major port but also one of the energy capitals of the world.

The 20th century brought the discovery of oil, unleashing the potential of the refining and petrochemical industries. Steel, synthetic rubber and chemicals also are facets of the industrial market. Because of the city's proximity to NASA's Johnson Space Center, the first word uttered by a man on the moon in July 1969 was "Houston."

With petroleum, Houston became a boomtown, ever growing, ever changing. In 1940 it ranked as the country's 27th most populous city; 20 years later it had soared to 4th. Because there are no zoning ordinances, Houston has experienced unrestricted development. This has resulted in the city having more than one skyline and being a proving ground for innovative architecture. The Astrodome, billed as the "eighth wonder of the world" when it opened in 1965, set a futuristic standard for stadium construction. Minute Maid Park and Reliant Stadium have ushered in a new generation of sports complexes.

The influence of the arts is evident in the opera, symphony and jazz concerts, ballet, musical comedy and theater that enrich the city. Rapidly becoming a focal point of medical teaching, research and treatment, Houston's medical facilities are among the finest in the world. The city boasts about 25 institutions of higher learning, including Houston Baptist University, Rice University, Texas Southern University, the University of Houston and the research facilities of the University of Texas.