Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/880220
44 I t's defi nitely Tilman time — and the Houston mogul has effectively won the Triple Crown. Tilman Fertitta has made headlines for his reality show Billion Dollar Buyer, currently in season two on CNBC, and September's coup of acquiring his hometown Rockets basketball team, one of the NBA's all-star franchises. Now he's added luxury hotelier to his brand. While his Fertitta Entertainment empire has the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino concept on its CV, Fertitta has upped the game in Houston's Galleria area. Early 2018 should see the launch of the city's fi rst luxury hotel of this decade: The Post Oak at Uptown Houston. If you can dream it, Tilman will build it — and he did, at 1600 West Loop South, next to Landry's HQ, near Post Oak Boulevard. The 38-story mixed-use tower, a beacon of steel and glass, has a handsome modernist design by architectural fi rm Gensler. But don't expect the understated. The Post Oak is over the top. The attitude will be extravagant and pampered, conveyed via amenities such as butler service, a two-story Rolls-Royce dealership on premises, a Bentley as house car, the hotel's own helipad, Texas' fi rst Mastro's Steakhouse with a 12,000-bottle wine cellar, and a new iconic Willie G's. The 250-room hotel shares space with 20 opulent private residences, 1,000 to 2,000 square feet each, as well as 11 fl oors of boutique offi ce space. The swank, apartment-sized hotel rooms, beginning at 550 square feet, are fully plugged in with three televisions arrayed from sitting area to bath, as well as in-room Technogym equipment. Sited on 10 acres, The Post Oak has a money-maker: the city's largest and cushiest ballrooms. The 16,000 square-foot Grand Ballroom, which can host charity galas for up to 1,200, is already booking into 2018. Of course, there's a spa and salon in the works — a two-story nexus of beauty, surrounded by a pool and cozy cabanas. Signaling that he means business, Fertitta tapped a man at the top of the luxury profession to preside over The Post Oak: Jorge Gonzalez, recruited from the Mandarin Oriental in Miami. At the Mandarin, Gonzalez directed a property that was one of only 11 hotels worldwide to garner a triple Five Star award from Forbes, for its hotel, restaurant, and spa. Stay tuned for more details on these pages including closely guarded announcements about the artwork for the new hotel — expect The Post Oak's walls to be elevated and important. TILMAN'S TEMPLE COME EARLY 2018, THE MAN WHO LIVES BILLION DOLLAR BUYER GIVES THE CITY A HOTEL JEWEL THAT REDEFINES LUXURY. IN A PAPERCITY EXCLUSIVE, CATHERINE D. ANSPON CHECKS IN ON TILMAN FERTITTA'S LEGACY, THE SHIMMERING POST OAK HOTEL RISING LIKE AN OSCAR IN UPTOWN HOUSTON. Tilman Fertitta The Post Oak's luxurious lobby anchors the new 38-story residential, hotel, restaurant, retail, and offi ce tower. A Rolls-Royce showroom inside The Post Oak The Post Oak at Uptown Houston unveils early 2018.