Travel

Hotel Reservations

A room block has been reserved at the Renaissance Houston Hotel Greenway Plaza for conference attendees. The group rate is $110 (single/double) per night, plus tax. Please refer to the Minority Health Conference when calling the hotel for reservations.

Renaissance Houston Hotel Greenway Plaza

6 Greenway Plaza East

Houston, Texas 77046

Telephone: 1-713-629-1200

Toll-Free: 1-800-468-3571
Fax: 1-713-629-4702
 

Reservations should be made as soon as possible. Reservations must be made directly with the hotel no later than April 30, 2010, to ensure availability and to receive the conference room rate. All reservations must be accompanied by a first night room deposit. Click here to make your reservations online. For directions to the hotel and addtional information, please click here to download the hotel facts and information sheet.

Travel to Houston

Traveling to Houston has never been easier.  As the country's fourth largest airport system, the Houston Airport System serves about 180 cities worldwide, with Bush Intercontinental Airport ranking third among U.S. airports for nonstop destinations. 

Houston Airport System

• 4th largest multi-airport system in the country 
• 6th largest multi-airport system in the world 
• 23 airlines serve Bush and Hobby airports 
• 51.8 million passengers traveled through the three airports in 2007
• 80 million passengers traveling through HAS are projected by 2020
• Serves approximately110 U.S. and 65 international destinations
• Houston is the primary gateway to Latin America—No. 1 in the nation in the number of weekly nonstop flights to Mexico. 
• Wi-Fi Internet service is available at both Bush Intercontinental and Houston Hobby in most airport public areas, including gates, restaurants, ticketing and baggage claim.
• Named 2005 Airport of the Year by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for outstanding primary commercial service.

Bush Intercontinental Airport

• 20 miles from downtown Houston
• Nonstop service to approximately 110 domestic destinations
• Nonstop or direct service to 65 international destinations 
• Continental Airlines' largest hub 
• Nearly 800 daily departures 
• Ranked No. 3 in the country for most scheduled nonstop destinations 
• 8th busiest airport in the U.S. for total passengers (43 million in 2007) 
• 8th largest international passenger gateway in the nation 
• 18 passenger airlines 
• 5 passenger terminals 
• More than 10,000 acres 
• More than 23,000 parking spaces 
• New $440 million Terminal E and Federal Inspection Services (FIS) with 84 primary inspection booths that can process more than 4,500 passengers per hour
• Ranked No. 4 for customer satisfaction among large North American airports in a study by J.D. Power and Associates (2008)
• Voted the No. 4 airport in the country by readers of Global Traveler magazine (2008).

William P. Hobby Airport

• 11 miles from downtown Houston
• Served more than 8.8 million passengers in 2007
• One of Southwest Airlines' largest hubs 
• Nonstop service to more than 32 destinations throughout the U.S.
• 43rd busiest airport in the U.S. in total passengers in 2007 
• Acquired by the City of Houston in 1937
• Rated among the top five performing airports in the world by Airports Council International (2009)
• Ranked No. 2 for customer satisfaction among small North American airports in a study by J.D. Power and Associates (2008)
• Selected as the No. 1 small airport  (less than 10 million passengers) in the country for customer satisfaction in an Aviation Week traveler satisfaction report (2006)

Houston's Top five carriers and number of flights

• Continental – 4,770 weekly departures 
• Southwest – 941 weekly departures 
• Delta - 148 weekly departures
• American – 130 weekly departures 
• US Airways – 90 weekly departures

Travel Around Houston

METRO's Airport Direct

METRO's Airport Direct offers a convenient, reliable service directly from the downtown Airport Direct Passenger Plaza (815 Pierce) to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) Terminal C. The Airport Direct Passenger Plaza is a short walk from the Downtown Transit Center METRORail station.  For just $15 one way and with departures every 30 minutes, traveling has never been easier. 
              (713) 635-4000         (713) 635-4000 or www.ridemetro.org.  

Rail System

METRORail offers convenient accessible service within the heart of the city between downtown Houston and Reliant Park, including the Museum District and Texas Medical Center.  The red line, which launched in 2004, is 7.5 miles long. One-way fare is $1.25.  In FY 2007, boardings grew by 3.3 percent from the year before, including a single day weekday record of 64,448 passengers in March 2008. Click here for route and fare information.

METRO has continued work on finalizing the selection of preferred alignments for five new light rail lines.  Construction began in 2008.  Click here to view a map of the planned light rail lines, which are scheduled to be completed in 2012.

What is there to do in Houston along the METRORail? Click here to find out.

Bus System

METRO offers several types of bus service in Houston.

• Local service runs mostly on city streets, stopping at every other corner along its route.  One-way fare is $1.25.
• Park & Ride service is for long-distance commuting. METRO’s 28 Park & Ride lots provide bus service to key destinations in the service area. One-way fare ranges from $2 to $4.50, depending on distance. 

METRO Statistics

• Bus Fleet - 1,211
• Service area - 1,285 square miles 
• Miles of light rail - 7.5 
• Planned additional miles of light rail - 30 (to be completed in 2012)
• Local one-way fare - $1.25

Taxis
Houston has more than 2,200 taxis in its fleet.

$6 Cab Fare Anywhere Downtown

The City of Houston has authorized a flat taxi fare of $6 for all trips in the downtown area. This $6 fare will apply anywhere within the Central Business District, bounded by Interstate 45, Interstate 10 and U.S. 59. The fare, in addition to increased downtown taxi stands, provides an easy alternative to driving to lunch, business meetings and activities throughout the downtown area. No surcharges will apply to the fare, which can accommodate multiple riders under the $6 total rate.

The number of downtown taxi stands have increased. These taxi stands are designated areas where cabs can "stand" and wait for a fare. Additionally, there are at least 30 "hailing cab" icons on various downtown streets, which mark that particular site as a three-minute zone where taxis can briefly stop to pick up and drop off passengers.

Approximate cab fares from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)

• Downtown   $45   
• Reliant Park Area   $54
• Texas Medical Center $50
• Uptown/Galleria  $45
• Greenway Plaza  $50

Approximate cab fares from William P. Hobby Airport

• Downtown   $22
• Reliant Park Area  $27
• Texas Medical Center $27
• Uptown/Galleria  $45
• Greenway Plaza  $32

*Above rates include up to four people per cab.

Rental Cars

Houston has a fleet of 30,000 rental cars with every major rental car company represented. Click here for a listing of GHCVB member rental car agencies.

Houston Highway System

Houston is well-served by a system of radial and ring highways that provide excellent access to markets outside the region.

In the Houston Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA), 575.4 miles of freeways and expressways (55 percent of the planned system) are in operation.

Houston is the crossroads for Interstates 10 and 45.  Other major highways serving Houston are Loop 610, U.S. 59, U.S. 290, U.S. 90, Texas 288, Texas 225, Hardy Toll Road, Sam Houston Tollway and the Grand Parkway (Texas 99).

Houston also lies along the route of the proposed I-69 NAFTA superhighway that will link Canada, the U.S. industrial mid-west, Texas and Mexico.

Freeway Names: More than a Number

Every freeway in the city has at least two names, some as many as seven, so it's quite likely that visitors will be baffled by this phenomenon.  Here's a list to help you decode the nicknames:

Beltway 8: Sam Houston Tollway
Interstate 10 West: Katy Freeway, West Freeway
Interstate 10 East: East Freeway
Interstate 45 North: North Freeway
Interstate 45 South: Gulf Freeway
Interstate 45 through Downtown: Pierce Elevated
Interstate 610: The Loop, often preceded by North, South, East or West
U.S. 59 North: Eastex Freeway
U.S. 59 South: Southwest Freeway, Sen. Lloyd Bentson Highway, Future Interstate Corridor, NAFTA Superhighway, I-69
U.S. 75: See Interstate 45
U.S. 90 East: Beaumont Highway
U.S. 90 West: See Interstate 10
U.S. 290: Northwest Freeway, Hempstead Highway
Texas 6: Highway 6, Addicks Howell Road, Alvin Sugar Land Road, Addicks Satsuma Road, Hempstead Road
Texas 3: Galveston Road
Texas 225: La Porte Freeway
Texas 249: Tomball Parkway
Texas 288: South Freeway, Nolan Ryan Expressway

Weather

Houston’s temperate climate sustains tropical vegetation and allows the city’s residents and visitors an enviable outdoor lifestyle.

• Houston averages only 18.0 days per year with temperatures of 32oF or less and 99.6 days with high temperatures of 90oF or more. Temperatures rarely reach 100oF. 
• Houston’s growing season averages 300 days. The normal frost-free period extends from Feb. 14 to Dec. 11. 
• Houston has had only 14 measurable snowfalls since 1939. 
• A statistically average year contains 90.3 “clear” days, concentrated in October and November; 114.5 “partly cloudy” days, typical of June through September; and 160.3 “cloudy” days, common in December through May. 
• Prevailing wind in Houston is south-southeasterly at a mean speed of 7.4 mph.

Average Temperatures:

MONTH        HIGH/LOW

-

May                86/66