University of Houston to open renovated on-campus hotel next week

The University of Houston is expected to open its renovated on-campus hotel next week. 

The school’s Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership will reopen the Hilton-branded hotel that it spent more than $30 million renovating and expanding, the Houston Business Journal reported. 

The UH Hilton, located at 4450 University Drive, is the only on-campus, full-service hotel in the country and will offer on-campus, real-world experience for students of the school’s hotel management program. About 70 percent of the hotel’s staff consists of students.

The school, which was founded in 1969 by hotel icon Conrad N. Hilton, is one of the top-ranked hospitality programs in the world. The school rebranded last year with a name change from the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management to Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership.

The renovation included the lobby area, public spaces and 80 guest rooms, as well as the addition of a 64,000-square-foot, eight-story building with 70 more rooms. Six former hotel rooms were also converted into administrative office space.

“It’s a much better experience for our students, because before the renovation and expansion, the hotel was more of a boutique. With just 86 rooms, they get the full range of opportunities that come with running a larger hotel,” Hilton College Dean Dennis Reynolds told the outlet. “With 150 guest rooms, they will get that experience, and we will be able to serve the university community better, as well.”

Houston-based Kirksey designed the project, while California-based DPR Construction was the general contractor.

“The hotel sits right in the middle of campus, so we knew the expansion had to be spectacular,” Reynolds told the outlet. “It really is the first thing many people see when they visit the campus. We couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out. The views from the new tower are breathtaking.”

 — Victoria Pruitt