Yes, that's the area Tim mentioned.
Agree downtown is a lot like LA - pretty boring after business hours. The Woodlands is not really a consideration if you want to be in Houston, it is quite a way out of town.
If you would enterain the notion of a boutique propriety an option would be the
Zaza (formerly the Warwick) a Kimpton like property which verges on trying too hard trendy but stops short of coy and enjoys a great location in the museum district and the great assortment of restaurants in the adjacent Montrose neighborhood.