Dish

Comments (0) By Eric Lawlor Thursday, Feb 26 1998

Love for Sale
Valentine's Day was a disaster. She Who Brooks No Nonsense was highly critical of the bar of Toblerone I gave her. But the chocolate was only part of it. A day earlier, she'd asked right out of the blue if I thought we should get married. And I, not understanding the question, said, "Maybe we should. But who would have us?"

Location Info

Map

Omni Houston Hotel

Four Riverway
Houston, TX 77056

Category: Hotels/Resorts

Region: Galleria

2 user reviews	Write A Review
Save to foursquare

More About

I know better now. Next year, I'll sign up for one of those Valentine's Day packages. I particularly like the one the Omni Hotel offered. An Affair to Remember, they called it. Talk about luxury. Here's the deal: You get red roses, afternoon tea, champagne and caviar, a candlelight dinner (if the tea and the caviar haven't filled you), a tour of Houston in a limousine (always a treat -- to really appreciate Macy's, you have to see it from the back of a stretch), a ride in a horse and carriage (romantic if the horse doesn't bolt) and your very own luxury suite. All for a modest $5,000 (tax not included). No, you don't keep the suite. It's yours only for the night. But the price does include a nice breakfast.

I think it's worth every penny. At least for those who own a car. I don't, which means schlepping out there on the bus. Let me see: Two people, there and back.... Hey, that's another four bucks. Spending $5,000 is one thing. But $5,004? That's a little much.

I think what I'll do next year is offer An Affair to Remember of my own: cold duck and canned sardines (olive oil or tomato sauce, it's your choice), a tour of Montrose in my borrowed 1988 Honda Accord -- assuming, that is, I can get it to start -- a Victoria's Secret gift certificate valued at $5, a private screening of Emmanuelle on Taboo Island ("a beautiful woman is introduced to an uninhibited world of sensual delights") and a night on my sofa bed. The price? A mere $4,900. And that includes everything. Bus fares, a shoe shine, even the services of a chiropractor. And believe me, after a night on my sofa bed, you'll need a chiropractor.

True, it doesn't have the grandeur of the Omni event. But neither has it the airs and graces. At Lawlor Towers, all are treated as one of the family -- as long as you have a platinum card and an excellent line of credit.

A word of warning, though: Accommodation is limited, so book early and avoid disappointment.

-- Eric Lawlor

Omni Houston Hotel, Four Riverway, 871-8181.