Inside The Greenleigh, Houston’s New Galleria Area Hotel With Design Cred — A Rooftop Lounge and Unique Pool Beckon

The Greenleigh, a 299-room luxury lifestyle hotel primely positioned at the corner of 610 and Westheimer in the former Hotel Derek location near The Galleria is scheduled to this summer. It marks Dallas-based hospitality group Makeready’s first foray into Houston. Makeready’s portfolio features design-forward, food-focused hotels and restaurants across the country, including Emeline and The Ryder Hotel, both in Charleston, and Cliff House in Maine.

For The Greenleigh, which operates under the Marriott Autograph Collection umbrella, California-based studio Wilson Ishihara Design was tapped to create a lush urban oasis, aiming for a gathering spot not just for stylish travelers but also for Houston locals. The design team dialed into the multilayered story of the Bayou City as a biodiverse region filled with moments of unexpected nature, from winding bayous to local grasslands and forests, with a focus on the diverse group of migratory birds that rely on Houston as a critical stop on the Central Flyway.

“The Houston area is actually one of the largest migratory paths of birds in the entire world,” Greenleigh managing director Spencer Lane says.

Completely Transforming the Hotel Derek Space

The preexisting Hotel Derek building has been entirely transformed, including the exterior, which is now clad in frit glass with ceramic paint patterns and etchings that coat windows, making them more visible and thus safer to avian life. The vehicular approach has been redesigned to better allow traffic flow with a central courtyard anchored by a heritage tree. A promenade of trees surrounds the hotel along with native plants, grasses and wildflowers. A waterfall hidden behind foliage creates a soothing rushing water sound that creates a decompression zone from the busy highway to a luxurious escape.

The use of natural materials, such as native wood and stone, and themes of nature carry throughout the interior spaces, with custom bird sculptures along the walls of the lobby. Indigenous woods — including live oak, post oak and pecan — are used for handcrafted tables and custom furnishings in reception. The Trade Room lobby bar features 20-inch-wide oak flooring and a live oak wood-slab table with limestone base sourced from Helmwood in Houston.

In the library, a dramatically long pecan slab table was made by Shawn Austin out of Burleson, Texas, from a pecan tree from Bastrop.

On the ground floor, The Greenleigh’s signature restaurant dLeña will be Mexican-inspired and led by acclaimed chef Richard Sandoval. It arrives with two live-fire ovens, including a Spanish wooden oven from Mibrasa in Spain. Pressed Spanish tiles on the walls have an ombre effect, and the chandelier is made from handspun agave plant fiber from Yucatan by Mexican artisan Angela Damman.

There is also a lush rooftop lounge dubbed Highgrass with sweeping views, outfitted in deep green low-level seating.

The new pool area, dubbed the swim club, boasts a unique U-shaped pool with a second pool within.

The Greenleigh’s regular room rates start at $314. Reservations are currently available starting August 23.