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    Hotel News

    Dream Hotel brand enters Texas with cool new boutique hotel in Frisco

    Teresa Gubbins
    May 24, 2022 | 4:08 pm
    Dream hotel
    Coming to Frisco in 2026.
    Courtesy rendering

    Frisco is getting a new boutique hotel from a brand that's new to Texas: Called Dream Frisco, it's from New York-based Dream Hotel Group and will open as part of Firefly Park, a 230-acre mixed-use development at 8000 McKinney Rd., at the nexus of US Highway 380 and the Dallas North Tollway, that will also include offices, retail, homes, and restaurants.

    Dream Hotel Group is a hotel brand and management company founded by Sant Singh Chatwal, also a restaurateur who built businesses in Ethiopia and Canada before coming to New York in 1981. The company's hotel brands include Dream Hotels, Time Hotels, The Chatwal, and Unscripted Hotels.

    They currently have 15 hotels and 25 more in development, including New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Bangkok, and Nashville.

    Dream Frisco will include:

    • 200 rooms
    • rooftop pool deck and bar
    • state-of-the-art fitness center
    • four food and beverage offerings, including a signature restaurant, nightclub, social club, and lobby bar

    Dream Hotel Group CEO Jay Stein says in a statement that Frisco is the ideal destination to expand the Dream brand as it's one of the fastest-growing markets in Texas.

    "We are fortunate to collaborate with visionary developers like Wilks Development who share our same big dreams and bold ambitions to grow and develop our brand in new and emerging markets across the country," Stein says. "Firefly Park is the future of North Dallas, and we are thrilled to be a part of it."

    Firefly Park is the latest name for a development that has previously been called The Oxbow at Frisco and also Frisco North. But Firefly Park sounds much cooler, yes?

    A release says it will be nestled among 230 acres of untouched Texas countryside into which they will plunk 4.75 million square feet of commercial office space, 2,200 luxury residential mid- and high-rise units, townhomes, food & beverage offerings, 380,000 square feet of retail space, a planned music hall, and outdoor amphitheater. Farewell, untouched Texas countryside!

    Public spaces will include a creek park and nature preserve with hike-and-bike trails, multiple ponds and water features, and state-of-the-art playground facilities.

    Many involved with this find it to be "cool":

    • Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney says: "When we started thinking about what the northern part of Frisco was going to look like, we knew it needed to be a different experience from the southern part of our city. Now, with the announcement of the Dream Hotel coming to Firefly Park, it adds a significantly different, cool vibe to Frisco."
    • Lynn Dowdle, president of Dowdle Real Estate, who connected Dream Hotel Group with Wilks Development, says: "Dream Frisco will offer up a sophisticated-cool factor like no other."

    So so cool.

    Dream Frisco follows recent signings of Dream Miami, Dream Louisville, Dream Oklahoma City, and Unscripted Oklahoma City, making Dream Frisco the fifth new hotel deal signed by Dream Hotel Group in less than five months.

    In any case, it's still a long way off. Firefly Park isn't even scheduled to break ground until 2023. Dream Frisco, the hospitality centerpiece of the new development, will open its doors in 2026. Anything could happen. But today, today, all is bright optimism.

    vacation
    news/travel

    where to travel right now

    Coastal holiday boat parades + 10 more Texas travel ideas for December

    Amber Heckler
    Dec 2, 2025 | 2:10 pm
    The Illuminated Boat Parade in Corpus Christi
    Photo courtesy of Downtown Corpus Christi
    The Illuminated Boat Parade in Corpus Christi takes the festivities to the water.

    Winter is here, Texas! That means only one thing: It's time to plan a festive holiday getaway, or finally book that must-needed staycation to unwind from the Thanksgiving break blues.

    North Texas travelers can head down to the coast for a weekend of holiday boat parades, get inspired at a Celtic holiday festival outside Austin, or keep things simple and local with an overnight stay at a Dallas Arts District hotel.

    Here are our top 11 picks for winter Texas travel events, hotel news, and more in December.

    Throughout Texas

    There's a new luxury van service connecting Austin, San Antonio, and Houston: Shutto, a new mobility shuttle startup, is now offering luxe road trips Monday through Saturday with departure times in the morning and evening. Riders can enjoy complimentary WiFi while they relax on plush leather seats during their stress-free ride in Mercedes Sprinter vans. Van routes also include a guaranteed pit stop at Texas' favorite travel center Buc-ee’s. One-way fares range from $47-$87.

    Austin

    Immersive experiences are a fun way to spend time with friends and family, and a new virtual reality (VR) experience is giving visitors a look at ancient Egypt: Horizon of Khufu will debut at VieVR (11000 Middle Fiskville Rd., Ste. A1) on December 5. During the 45-minute tour, guests will explore the Great Pyramid of Giza, "fly" over the plateau, look off the top of the pyramid in every direction, explore the corridors and burial chambers as an embalming ceremony happens, and much more. Tickets ($36 for adults and $32 for children) are available via Fever.

    Downtown Austin hotel Hyatt Regency Austin has completed a big renovation project to make over its 448 guestrooms and suites, plus its meeting rooms, public spaces, and more. The hotel has also opened three new dining concepts: Texas-inspired restaurant Ripple & Roots, a breakfast eatery called Cypress Grove, and grab-and-go food market Juniper Breeze Market. Nightly rates at the newly renovated Hyatt Regency Austin begin at $213 in December.

    There's a piece of Celtic holiday cheer hidden in the rolling woods of McDade, a small town 35 miles east of Austin. The Sherwood Celtic Yuletide Festival is returning from December 12-14, transforming the grounds of the beloved Sherwood Forest Faire into a winter weekend of music, merriment, and holiday magic. Guests can expect artisan shopping, archery, live music, Highland Games like Scottish hammer swinging and shot put, and more. Tickets (including day passes, weekend passes, and camping) are available online starting at $12.50.

    Sherwood Forest Faire Yuletide Festival 2024 Participants at last year's inaugural Yuletide Festival. Photo courtesy of Sherwood Forest Faire

    Houston

    The Thompson Houston hotel is kicking off the holiday season with its "12 Days of Thompson" series from December 4-25. A few of the special activities, created for both locals and visitors, include a hot cocoa station in the hotel library (December 8), a local maker's market (December 13), a pet-friendly photo hour (December 20), and many more mini celebrations. Rates at the Thompson Houston begin at $283 per night.

    Along the Gulf Coast

    Texas coastal city Corpus Christi is hosting multiple lighted holiday boat parades during December. The first extravaganza – the Port of Corpus Christi Illuminated Boat Parade – is scheduled on Saturday, December 6 starting at 7 pm. Local boaters will compete for the title of "most festive vessel of the season" and an after party will follow. La Posada Lighted Boat Parade will take place the following weekend (Dec. 12-13) with U.S. Marines on site for a children's toy drive at Doc's Seafood & Steaks to help Santa collect new, unwrapped toys.

    San Antonio

    The future site of San Antonio's Pearl mini golf course (1100 Springs Plaza) has been temporarily turned into an outdoor ice skating rink for the holiday season until January 4, 2026. The iconic Pearl district has made its own transformation into a winter wonderland shimmering with lights and holiday music. Tickets to the ice rink at Pearl range from $20-$28 and include skate rental. Skate sessions last about an hour, and the last skate at 9:15 pm is 45 minutes long.

    At home in Dallas-Fort Worth

    The first-ever CultureMap City Rink, presented by Verizon, has made its grand debut at the Main Street Garden in downtown Dallas, and will run until January 5, 2026. Visitors can expect themed pop-ups and a full slate of programming designed for every kind of holiday reveler. From romantic Date Skate Wednesdays to Family Movie Nights and Shop + Skate Saturday Markets, there’s something new happening each week. Tickets are $18 for all ages, and include skate rentals and 75 minutes of ice time. Advance tickets, group reservations, and private rink rentals are available at cityrink.culturemap.com.

    CultureMap City Rink tree lighting 2025 The CultureMap City Rink will be open through January 5, 2026. Photo by Ashley Gongora

    The HALL Arts Hotel in Dallas' Arts District is offering guests a special "Holiday at the HALL" package for stays booked from December 13-31. The package includes a single-night stay with a welcome amenity, complimentary valet, a $50 dining credit for hotel restaurant Ellie's Restaurant & Lounge, and late checkout. Nightly rates with the "Holiday at the Hall" package begin at $389 in December.

    Congratulations are in order for Fort Worth and Frisco, which were the only two Texas destinations included among Good Housekeeping's "23 Unexpected City Vacations to Add to Your Travel Bucket List" in its 2026 Travel Awards. The lifestyle publication had more than 125 travel testers — including staff members, travel industry experts, and trained consumer evaluators — discover unexpected destinations with the best attractions, accessibility, lodging variety, safety, service, and overall appeal.

    The luxurious Bowie House hotel in Fort Worth will teach North Texans all the tricks for making the best tamales during a tamale-making class on Saturday, December 20 from 2-3:30 pm. Attendees will learn how to make fresh masa, master the technique for wrapping tamales, and take home their own to impress their loved ones. Tickets are $85 per person and can be purchased online via Tock.

    The Illuminated Boat Parade in Corpus Christi

    Photo courtesy of Downtown Corpus Christi

    The Illuminated Boat Parade in Corpus Christi takes the festivities to the water.

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