Hotel ZaZa
Baroque dining rooms, a champagne bar, and a terrace that looks straight at the Museum of Fine Arts.
I wrote Hotel ZaZa after our stay on April 2 and said, word for word, "I will never get over how nice this hotel is." I meant it then and I mean it now. The ZaZa Museum District is the kind of property where every hallway feels like the hotel is winking at you. Velvet. Pattern on pattern. Chandeliers that have opinions. It is the most theatrical, joyful hotel I have stayed in, and somehow every over-the-top detail feels considered instead of costume. The property opened in 2007 with 315 rooms and has been a Museum District icon ever since. Our single night there has been on my mind for weeks.
Watch the Reel
Maximalist in the Best Way
Walking into Hotel ZaZa you can tell exactly what you are getting into. It is ART. That is the only way to say it. It is a hotel for the fanciest of us, and not in a costume-y way. In a designed, considered, every-detail-on-purpose way. ZaZa is famous for The Magnificent Seven Suites — a floor of seven one-of-a-kind concept suites, each with its own identity and a name instead of a room number. Shag-A-Delic with its gold tufted walls. Geisha House with its Asian-inspired calm. The Rock Star with its black lacquer glamour. West Indies with its deep greens and palms. You pick a vibe when you book. The Museum District location means you walk out the front door and you are at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Rothko Chapel is a short walk. The Menil Collection is a quick drive. Hermann Park and the Houston Zoo are across the way.
Why this one sticks
Most luxury hotels lean sleek and neutral. ZaZa leans ornate and theatrical. If that is your wavelength, nothing else will land the same.
Two of the Magnificent Seven were ours
They upgraded two of the Magnificent Seven for our group — one for me, and one for Mary Ryan and Andrew. Both unbelievable. The best way I can describe it is modern dark academia but not dark. Beautiful and masculine and luxurious and laid out so well that every corner made sense. The view was incredible. There was a bathtub, and I love a bathtub. We only had one night at the ZaZa because I had to leave early the next morning, and I was actually very sad about it. I wanted another day. I wanted another bath. I wanted another morning looking out at the Museum of Fine Arts from the window.
Monarch Restaurant and the Champagne Bar
Monarch is the baroque dining room at the ZaZa. Chandeliers, gilded mirrors, velvet booths, terrace seating that looks straight at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston across the street. The menu is New American with a Southern accent, plates that look as composed as the room. The Bar at Monarch pours what might be the best champagne cart in Texas, rolled through the dining room throughout the evening. Order a glass of something you cannot pronounce. Stay for two. The terrace at golden hour is the single best table the hotel has.
Museum District & Beyond
See
Largest art museum in the southern US. Literally across the street from the ZaZa.
Private collection, free admission, one of the most serene gallery experiences in America.
14 Rothko paintings in a non-denominational chapel. Free. Go quietly.
445 acres, a Japanese garden, and the Houston Zoo.
Eat & Drink
Chris Shepherd’s modern steakhouse moved to its permanent home at Regent Square. Dry-aged cuts, wood grill, and one of the best wine lists in the city.
Hammocks, pizza, beer, live music. The Houston hang.
The cocktail bar that put Houston on the national map. Still worth it.
A Perfect 24 Hours From the ZaZa
Built around the Museum District, the MFAH campus, and the rare Houston pace of slowing down. The ZaZa has in-room dining so you can open the day on your own time.
Morning
Order an espresso, a fresh croissant, and a seasonal fruit plate to the room. Take it to the window that faces the MFAH. This is one of the few hotels where the in-room moment feels like a scene from a movie. Lean into it.
Literally across the street. The largest art museum in the southern US. The Audrey Jones Beck Building and the Caroline Wiess Law Building both have rotating and permanent collections worth at least two hours. The Cullinan Sculpture Garden between them is a quiet surprise.
Midday
Chef Hugo Ortega’s James Beard-winning Mexican restaurant, serving regional Mexican cooking in a beautifully restored 1920s pharmacy. The cochinita pibil and the molcajete are both a masterclass. Patio if the weather is right. Worth the midday detour.
Private collection, free admission, one of the most serene gallery experiences in America. The Renzo Piano-designed main building is a masterclass in indirect natural light. Stay an hour. The Menil Drawing Institute and the Cy Twombly Gallery on the same campus are worth the extra 30 minutes.
Fourteen Rothko paintings in a non-denominational chapel on the Menil campus. Free. It does not photograph. It has to be experienced. Sit for ten minutes without your phone out. Walk out changed.
Afternoon
Poolside Weekends are a ZaZa tradition. Shaded cabanas, poolside service, one of the prettiest pool decks in Houston. If the weather is not cooperating, the suites have soaking tubs that are worth an afternoon. Order another espresso.
Evening
Start the night on the Monarch terrace. The champagne cart rolls through. Order something you cannot pronounce. Watch the MFAH light up across the street.
Stay in. Monarch is the ZaZa’s baroque dining room and it is exactly the kind of place you should eat at once to understand why the hotel has the reputation it has. Modern American with a Southern accent, plates that look as composed as the room. Book the terrace if it is available and watch the MFAH light up across the street during dinner.
End the night the way it began. Nightcap at the bar at Monarch. The room at night is one of the most beautiful spaces in Texas.
Plan Your Stay
Hotel ZaZa Museum District is at 5701 Main St, right on the MFAH campus.