As of August 6, the Hotel Palomar Dallas has a new name and owner. According to a notice posted on the Palomar's website, the property is now the Highland Dallas Hotel.
The property will become part of a new Hilton brand called Curio. Kimpton Hotels is no longer involved.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the new owner is Thayer Lodging Group, a hotel investment company with a management division called Interstate Hotels & Resorts. Interstate's portfolio includes 17 hotels around DFW, mostly in the Mid-Cities, including the Hilton Arlington.
A manager onsite said that he came up from the Hilton Houston as part of a task force to take over the day-to-day operations. "Some things will change," he said, but the appearance and staff would mostly be left as is, including the Exhale spa and the hotel's hot new restaurant, Knife Modern Steak, helmed by chef John Tesar.
But Interstate senior VP Fred DeSota was quoted as saying that the guest rooms and corridors would be given a makeover.
Speculation regarding the sale began in May; it does not include the condominium tower next door, which will get a new name, decided upon by the residents who own units there.
The hotel began as a Hilton when it opened in the '60s. During the '90s, it became the "Hiltop," with the lettering remaining on the building for many years. It was also owned by the Maharishi School of Vedic Science, an organization founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Kimpton took over the hotel in 2004.
The Palomar site refers those seeking Kimpton reservations to the Hotel Lumen, with promise of future openings in Austin and San Antonio.
A manager said everything would be left mostly as is, including Exhale spa.
