Marriott Marquis Houston
Houston, Texas, USA
Everything is bigger in Texas! The Texas-shaped lazy river and infinity-edge rooftop swimming pool are two of the highlights at the sixth Marriott Marquis hotel property that opened in Houston.
Project Overview
The Marriott Marquis Houston, which opened in late fall 2016, contains 1,000 rooms, as well as some amazing water features.
The new Marriott hotel, just west of the George R. Brown Convention Center near Discovery Green has over 100,000 square feet (9,290 square meters) of meeting space, including the largest ballroom in Houston. It provides an excellent space for conferences and retreats, as well as relaxation for any Marriott visitors. The swanky terrace also includes a separate pavilion, infinity pool and plenty of lush greenery, providing the outdoor space a luxurious vibe.
Other amenities of the hotel include a sky bridge connecting to the nearby George R. Brown Convention Center. A Texas-shaped lazy river, an infinity-edge rooftop swimming pool, terrace and much more were built in downtown Houston as part of the convention center update. Natare Corporation was selected to provide the stainless steel specialty pools and spa located on the rooftop of the hotel. The specialty swimming pools are the crowning jewel on this 335-million-dollar project designed by Morris Architects of Houston.
Texas-Shaped Lazy River
The 550-foot (168 meters) long lazy river is in the shape of Texas. Water jets propel swimmers around on inflatable tubes. When swimmers are quickly approaching the western tip of the Texas map (where El Paso is located), they will be thrilled to see a clear, acrylic wall overlooking the roof’s edge before water jets shoot them southeast along the path of the Rio Grande.
Splash Pad, Infinity-Edge & Spa
In the center of the lazy river, children can play in the water features of a circular splash pad, 20 feet (6.1 meters) in diameter. The stainless steel “bowl” of the splash pad is lined with stone pavers, through which water drains back to the filtration system. Along the edge of the same rooftop is an impressive 77-foot (23.5 meter) long infinity pool, where swimmers can relax and look out over the Houston skyline and Discovery Green below.
A large spa rounds out all of these water features. The spa is composed of two large, overlapping rectangular sections, each one about 8 feet by 10 feet (2.4 meters by 3 meters). Over 200,000 pounds (90,718.5 kilos) of stainless steel was used to construct these swimming pools in Natare’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Indianapolis, IN. The huge lazy river walls and stainless steel spa were custom-made for the Marriott Marquis hotel.
Job Opportunities
The hotel was a project of Rida Development and Houston First, the agency operating the convention center. They teamed up with Morris Architects for this project, which added more than 1,800 construction jobs and 700 permanent jobs to Houston’s hospitality industry. The Marriott Marquis opened in the spring of 2016.
