Ho-ho-ho

Book holiday magic — and Santa's Suite — this year at Omni Dallas Hotel

Find all the festive fun at Omni Dallas Hotel this season, from spa specials to gourmet hot chocolate concoctions, visits from Santa, and ways to give back.

Read on to see what's on the holiday schedule:

Santa's Suite
Omni Dallas Hotel has rolled out the red carpet for the second year this holiday season with the creation of Santa’s Suite.

Photo courtesy of Omni Dallas Hotel

Find photo opps at every turn.

Elegantly decorated, this “presidential” Santa’s Suite is the perfect way to greet Christmas morning — for children of all ages. Book this specially created package that includes a welcome amenity of sweet treats, crafts for the kids (or kids at heart), a hot cocoa station as a turn-down amenity, $400 hotel credit, and two bedrooms (king and a queen/queen).

For those checking in on a Friday or Saturday evening between 4 and 6 pm, Santa Claus will be onsite and ready to help you get comfortable in his special suite.

Sweet Traditions package
Discover Omni Dallas' menu of artisanal hot chocolate with a $10 beverage credit and receive a set of keepsake mugs designed by Honey + Hank. The season is even sweeter with up 10 percent savings on your room. This tasty package can be booked now through February 26, 2023.

Mokara Spa specials
Shed the holiday stress with these festive treatments:

Cinnamon Dolce body treatment, 100 minutes, $275: Start with long brushing movements to promote better lymphatic circulation while exfoliating the skin, followed by a cinnamon-infused mud masque that will detoxify and replenish the skin. Then you will be cocooned in a restorative marshmallow balm that will have you feeling cinnamon spice and all things nice.
Artic Berry facial, 50 minutes, $185: Reveal your skin’s natural radiance with this blend of four antioxidant-rich plants that prevent the visible signs of aging, while replenishing the skin’s moisture and restoring the appearance of elasticity.
Hot Toddy manicure and pedicure, 50 minutes each, $75 manicure and $80 pedicure: The pedicure starts off with a butter brulee soak, while the manicure and pedicure each have a scrumptious brown sugar bourbon exfoliate to soothe the winter skin. It all ends with a relaxing massage with a spicy honey chai lotion.

Hot cocoa specials at Texas Spice
Taste the sweet tradition of hot cocoa during the cooler, winter months, only available at Texas Spice inside the hotel. 'Tis the season to enjoy a classic, traditional hot cocoa or be adventurous with new flavors:

Classic: A special Spice blend recipe co-developed by pastry chef Leen Nunn and Spice master chef Lior Lev Sercaz. Dairy-free alternative is available.
Sweet: Pastry chef Leen Nunn has created a marshmallow recipe for something extra special.
Spirited: Boozy upgrade for guests to enjoy an adult hot chocolate.
Bright: Add a bold shot of espresso.

Holiday cocktail specials at The Owners Box

Reindeer Tracks: Bacardi 8, St. George Spiced Pear Liqueur, RumChata, lemon juice, vanilla spice syrup, garnished with a cinnamon stick.
Pecan Pie Old Fashioned: Woodford Reserve Bourbon, butter pecan syrup, cardamom bitters, smoked with a pie crust rim.
Mistletoe Margarita: Altos Reposado Tequila, cointreau, apple juice, garnished with star anise and an apple sliver.

Morsel’s Coffee Shop specials
If hot cocoa isn’t enough to bring out the holiday spirit, sip on one of these cups of cheer:

Cousin Eddie's Eggnog: Eggnog cold brew topped with cold foam (non-alcoholic)
Cotton Headed Ninny Muggins: Gingerbread soy chai
Peppermint Patty: Peppermint mocha (dark or white chocolate)
Calavera Hot Chocolate: Mexican hot chocolate

Want more Santa Claus? Here are all the ways Omni Dallas Hotel is spreading holiday joy:

Letters to Santa
Located on the second floor of the hotel, the official mailbox to the North Pole is just outside the UPS Business Center. There is official letter stationary, envelopes, and markers for children to put all their wishes on paper, before the hotel makes sure they make it to the big man for Christmas Eve deliveries.

Calls from Santa
For families staying with Omni Dallas, the concierge team is ready to set up a call with the big man himself. Receive a personalized call on your smartphone when you stay during December.

Weekend lobby Santa
Want to tell Santa in-person what you want for Christmas? You’ll be able to every Friday and Saturday from 4-6 pm, November 25 through December 23. Santa will be walking around the lobby, ready for photo opps and quick chats about your holiday wants and needs.

Extra ways Omni Dallas helps you enjoy the holidays
Families can get creative by creating their own gingerbread houses, sold as a kit at Collections Gift Shop. These $25 kits include everything you need to build a home, with royal icing and enough gum drops to make the Sugar Plum Fairy dance! Kits are sold now through December 24.

For those celebrating Hannukah, electric menorahs will be available for guests to place in their rooms and ‘light’ a candle for each night. These are complementary for hotel guests during their full length of stay.

In support of Feeding America and The North Texas Food Bank, Omni Dallas is hosting a local food drive all season long. Guests and locals can drop off donations at the hotel now through December 30, with everything benefitting the local pantry.

On top of that, Omni Hotels & Resorts will be doubling their meal donations for every hot cocoa purchased at Morsel’s Coffee Shop through their Say Goodnight to Hunger campaign.

Host your company meetings or family gatherings at Restaurants on Lamar for an authentic Dallas dining experience.

Call 214-979-4529 or email ROLevents@omnihotels.com to book your event. For a limited time, book your holiday gathering and receive a complimentary Champagne toast.

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See everything that Omni Dallas is planning this holiday season here.

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True Crime News

New TV show with Dallas ties tracks Texas Ranger solving crimes

ID Channel

Killer Confessions star Texas Ranger James B. Holland

A new true-crime series with Texas ties is set to premiere on the Investigation Discovery channel and HBO Max. Called Killer Confessions: Case Files of a Texas Ranger, the show stars James B. Holland, a retired Texas Ranger who solved a series of "unsolvable" crimes during his storied career.

The eight-episode series will run on Tuesday nights at 9 pm, covering murder cases that remained confounding until Holland stepped into the room.

The season will debut on January 13 with a two-hour premiere, Pathologically Evil, covering a series of kidnappings and murders that Holland solved in the interrogation room.

Each case has a Texas nexus, which allowed Holland a way into the investigation.

The show also has CultureMap ties: One of its executive producers is Claire St. Amant, a North Texas-based investigative journalist who worked the crime beat for CBS News for nearly a decade. St. Amant, who wrote a memoir called Killer Story about her days as an investigative crime reporter and producer on shows such as 48 Hours and 60 Minutes, was a founding editor of CultureMap Dallas.

Holland got his start in TV with a 2019 profile on 60 Minutes titled "The Ranger and the Serial Killer," which introduced audiences to his unique brand of interrogation tactics.

"When I met James Holland, I realized he was a walking, talking, television show. I wanted to bring his story to the screen," St. Amant says. "The stories that Holland can tell are unlike any others I’ve worked on in my career in true crime television. The way he gets into the minds of murderers and convinces them to talk is unbelievable."

With more than 25 years in law enforcement, Holland has worked on hundreds of murder cases, including serial killers, psychopathic criminals, and ritualistic dismemberments.

“I worked on the really messed up cases,” Holland says. “If they had DNA or fingerprints or anything tangible, they didn’t call me. I was the one who came in when they had nothing.”

Holland’s reputation as a serial killer whisperer brought him into investigations around the country.

“Ranger Holland had the ability to establish a rapport with suspects,” Galveston County DA Jack Roady says. “It’s not something you find in just anybody.”

Using his wits and charm, Holland convinced suspected killers to confess to their crimes and in many cases, leading him to the remains of their victims.

“I’ve spent a career hunting killers. Whatever the case, I’m not going anywhere until I get to the truth,” Holland says.

Upcoming episodes include:

"Lie, Cheat, Kill Evil." The disappearance of realtor and mother Crystal McDowell just as Hurricane Harvey hits Houston. January 20.
"Obstacles to Justice." A 20-year-old father Joseph Douglas is shot execution-style in Texas. February 10.
"A Devil Always Lies." Samantha Norton, a 28-year-old mother, vanishes without a trace in Wise County, Texas. March 10.

Killer Confessions is produced for Investigation Discovery by Bungalow Media + Entertainment and See it Now Studios. Executive producers are Bob Friedman, Alexis Robie, Claire St. Amant, Ron Simon, Terry Wrong, and Susan Zirinsky.

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