The New (old) Sam Houston Hotel after re-rebranding back to its original name (formerly Alden Hotel)

What until recently was Alden Hotel is now Sam Houston Hotel again, which is the original name that never disappeared from the side walls of the old red-brick building in the heart of Downtown Houston."The Sam" for short. And it's not just the hotel that's undergone a form of re-branding that also marks a return to the roots. 

The spruced-up modern look of the "new" Sam Houston Hotel (previously Alden)

There is a Sam Bar too, to toast the iconic founding father and take a sip in his honor.  

The Sam Bar with a couple of tables on the sidewalk

The red and black coloring scheme at the front entrance is nice, not to mention eye-catching, but the name sign on the corner is drab and neither inspiring (lot of buzz about Houston being inspired these days), nor evocative of times past. What would Sam think about the rectangular shingle with anything but historic lettering? 

Corner view of historic Sam Houston Hotel