Where should I stay for business in Houston?

It depends on which company you're visiting. Downtown covers most energy and pipeline majors (Chevron, Enterprise, Kinder Morgan, EOG and others); the Galleria/Uptown, Energy Corridor, and Westchase each hold a handful; and ExxonMobil and HPE are 25-plus miles north in Springwoods Village. Match your hotel to the campus's submarket rather than defaulting to downtown.

Which airport should I use for a Houston business trip?

George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) in the north is the main hub and the right choice for the northern campuses like ExxonMobil, HPE, and Halliburton. William P. Hobby (HOU) to the southeast is closer to downtown and the central submarkets but has fewer connections. Pick IAH for the north side, Hobby for a downtown-centered trip.

Is downtown Houston central to the big employers?

To the energy and pipeline companies, yes — downtown holds a dozen Fortune 500 HQs. But it's a poor base for the Energy Corridor (far west), the Galleria, Westchase, or the northern campuses like ExxonMobil, which are 25-plus miles away. Downtown is the right default only if your meeting is actually downtown.

Destinations · Houston

Where to Stay for Business in Houston

By Rachel Julian, Editor-in-Chief · July 18, 2026 · 6 min read

Houston is America's densest corporate market — 27 Fortune 500 headquarters — and they're scattered across 40 miles. “Downtown” is the wrong default for more than half of them.

Direct answer: Houston's 27 Fortune 500 HQs cluster into a few submarkets, and where you stay depends on which one you're visiting. Downtown / CBD covers most of the energy majors and pipelines (Chevron, Enterprise, Kinder Morgan, EOG, and more). The Galleria/Uptown, Energy Corridor (far west), Westchase, and Greenway Plaza each hold a handful. ExxonMobil and HPE are 25+ miles north in Springwoods Village by The Woodlands. Fly into George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) for the northern campuses; William P. Hobby (HOU) is closer to downtown and the south.

Houston is the densest corporate market in the country, and also one of the most spread out — its 27 Fortune 500 headquarters run from the downtown core to the far-western Energy Corridor to Springwoods Village, 25 miles north. Book "downtown Houston" by reflex and, for more than half of these companies, you've just signed up for an hour on I-10 or I-45 every morning. Match the hotel to the submarket.

“Houston isn't one market; it's six. The trick is knowing which one your meeting is in before you book.”— Rachel Julian, Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Which airport — IAH or Hobby?

Two commercial airports, and the right one depends on the campus. George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) is in the north — the natural choice for ExxonMobil, HPE, and Halliburton, and fine for most of the metro. William P. Hobby (HOU) is southeast and closer to downtown and the central submarkets, with fewer long-haul connections. For a downtown meeting, Hobby is the shorter ride; for the northern campuses, IAH is a no-brainer.

Houston's business submarkets — and who's in each

Downtown / CBD: The energy-and-pipeline core: Chevron, Enterprise Products, Kinder Morgan, EOG, NRG, CenterPoint, Cheniere, Targa, Plains All American, KBR, Waste Management (plus Corebridge on Allen Parkway). Walkable and tunnel-connected.
Galleria / Uptown: Post Oak Boulevard: APA Corporation, Quanta Services, Westlake, Comfort Systems USA.
Energy Corridor (far west): I-10 at Eldridge/Dairy Ashford: ConocoPhillips, Baker Hughes, Sysco.
Westchase: West Houston: Phillips 66, NOV.
Memorial / CityCentre: West I-10: Group 1 Automotive, Coterra Energy.
Greenway Plaza: Inner-loop southwest: Occidental Petroleum (Oxy).
North / near IAH: Halliburton (N. Sam Houston Parkway).
Springwoods Village / Woodlands: 25+ miles north: ExxonMobil, Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

Company guides

Verified, campus-by-campus — where to stay, which airport, and the real nearby hotels.

Downtown / CBD — walkable, tunnel-connected:

Galleria / Uptown:

Energy Corridor (far west):

Westchase: Phillips 66 → · NOV →

CityCentre / Memorial: Group 1 Automotive → · Coterra Energy →

Greenway Plaza: Occidental (Oxy) →

North / near IAH: Halliburton →

Springwoods Village (north): ExxonMobil → · Hewlett Packard Enterprise →

All 27 Houston headquarters now have a guide.

What should you check wherever you land?

Submarket gets you close; the room still has to protect the work. Run any Houston hotel through the Sales-Ready basics — a real work surface, a quiet room, a lobby you'd host in — using the hotel details that decide the trip and the Sales-Ready Index.

The standard

In Houston, "where to stay" is really "which of six submarkets." The energy core downtown, the Galleria, the far-west Energy Corridor, and the campuses 25 miles north are different cities for a traveler with a 9 a.m. meeting. Match the hotel to the campus, pick the airport that's actually close, and keep Houston's traffic off your morning.

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Sources: headquarters addresses are the companies' published corporate addresses (grouped by Houston submarket); airport and drive-time guidance is The Sales Traveler's own, based on Houston geography and the locations of George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) and William P. Hobby (HOU). Per-company hotel shortlists are verified on each company's dedicated guide.

Run a hotel near here? Travelers are being routed to this page. See how the Sales-Ready standard works — and how a property earns the mark that lands it on the shortlist.

Start with a campus: Chevron (Downtown) or ExxonMobil (Springwoods Village).

Where to Stay for Business in Houston

Which airport — IAH or Hobby?

Houston's business submarkets — and who's in each

Company guides

What should you check wherever you land?

The standard

Related in the canon

Don't just read the discipline.Run it.

Don't just read the discipline.
Run it.