Keying in on revenue

Uptown Dallas hotel occupies top spot among Texas’ most lucrative lodgings

The Ritz is raking it in.

Courtesy photo

The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas has retained its crown as the top moneymaking hotel in Texas, according to a new report.

The report, issued by San Antonio-based Source Strategies Inc., shows that based on revenue per available room (RevPAR) — a key financial indicator in the hotel industry — the Ritz-Carlton ranked as the most lucrative Texas hotel in the first quarter of this year. It had held the No. 2 spot in the first quarter of 2018 but moved up to No. 1 in the fourth quarter.

The Ritz-Carlton’s RevPAR jumped from $337 in the first quarter of 2018 to $345.36 in the first quarter of 2019, according to Source Strategies.

Paul Vaughn, senior vice president of Source Strategies, attributes the Ritz-Carlton’s success, in part, to its desirable location in Uptown Dallas.

“It is a high-end luxury brand, and they charge a premium for their rooms. And people are willing to pay,” Vaughn says. “The amount of money they make per room puts them consistently at or near the top of our list.”

Among the top moneymaking hotels in Texas, the Four Seasons Hotel Austin remained at No. 2 from the fourth quarter of last year to the first quarter of this year. However, it had topped the list in the first quarter of 2018, when the Ritz-Carlton held the No. 2 spot.

The 291-room Four Seasons saw its RevPAR slip from $345.95 in the first quarter of 2018 to $344.48 in the first quarter of this year. The first-quarter figure for the Four Seasons is not even $1 less than The Ritz-Carlton’s comparable number.

The Four Seasons “just underwent a three-year renovation,” Vaughn says, “so it looks like they’re getting some good demand out of the recent improvements.”

Even though Dallas’ 218-room Ritz-Carlton reigned as the revenue king of Texas in the first quarter, Austin boasted seven of the state’s 10 most lucrative hotels. Aside from the Four Seasons, they are:

The Driskill at No. 4, with RevPAR of $304.58.
Hotel San José at No. 5, with RevPAR of $287.22.
Hotel Van Zandt at No. 6, with RevPAR of $283.77.
South Congress Hotel at No. 7, with RevPAR of $271.35.
JW Marriott Austin at No. 8, with RevPAR of $257.23.
InterContinental Stephen F. Austin at No. 9, with RevPAR of $248.72.

Vaughn credits SXSW and the recently concluded state legislative session with helping pump up Austin’s hotel performance in the first quarter of this year.

The only other Dallas hotel in the top 10 was Hotel Crescent Court (No. 10), with RevPAR of $248.54. That’s up significantly from $183.28 in the first quarter of 2018, when the hotel ranked 49th in the state for RevPAR. Vaughn says Hotel Crescent Court got a revenue boost from its recent $33 million overhaul.

In San Antonio, Hotel Emma stood its ground, remaining in the No. 3 spot for revenue. In the first quarter of this year, RevPAR reached $304.58, up from $289.52 during the same period last year, according to Source Strategies.

Hotel Emma, a 146-room boutique property at the popular Pearl District, continues to draw accolades from reviewers. For instance, the hotel in January earned a coveted Five Diamond Award from AAA.

The highest-ranking hotel in Houston was the JW Marriott Downtown Houston, at No. 29. RevPAR in the first quarter of this year was $206.37, up slightly from $205.32 during the same period in 2018.

Source Strategies says the Houston hotel market is still struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

“The Houston metro continues to see revenues recede after the strong emergency demand from the end of 2017 and in early 2018,” Todd Walker, president of Source Strategies, says in a release. “Some areas of the metro are performing well, but others have experienced sharp declines in demand, occupancy, and revenues.”

Vaughn says that after Hurricane Harvey hit in August 2017, some hotels in the Houston area “were taken out of service and are slowly filtering back into the market.”

hotels lists luxury rankings uptown

Jet setting

Luxury private terminal PS lands at DFW Airport ahead of World Cup

Photo courtesy of PS

PS Direct service provides a personal greeting and escort to and from the terminal.

Talk about traveling in style. Just in time for this summer’s FIFA World Cup soccer matches in Dallas-Fort Worth, a private, luxury terminal is opening at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to accommodate well-to-do passengers.

A company called PS (formerly known as The Private Suite) will debut the 12,200-square-foot private, gated terminal on June 1. The terminal, located adjacent to DFW’s corporate aviation facility, will enable travelers to skip the airport’s main terminals, bypassing traditional airport lines in favor of dedicated security and screening.

And to be clear, this is for passengers flying commercial - not those in private jets.

In a release, PS says its facilities are “designed to eliminate the friction at every stage of travel — transforming the journey into a refined and seamless experience, from beginning to end.” The company sells individual and corporate memberships.

The “refined and seamless” PS experience is practically fit for royalty. Guests can choose among two offerings:

The Salon, a social lounge geared toward solo travelers and small groups. It features a 40-foot bar that pays homage to old-fashioned Southern bars.
Private lounges, each of which evokes “a deeply personal, homey feel” to support relaxation.

Perks for PS customers include a chef-prepared menu, spa services, and a BMW chauffeur service. The DFW chauffeur service, which will whisk passengers directly from their aircraft to their hotels or homes, is set to launch later this year.

No mingling with riff raff at security.Photo by Jenna Peffley

Dallas-based designer Jean Liu created the look of the terminal, which PS says “introduces an elevated, design-forward approach.” The terminal’s textures, colors, materials, and art reflect themes of Western landscapes and cowboy culture.

In one lounge area inside the terminal, warm taupes and tans dominate the walls and round coffee table, while the sofa and flooring feature a generous dusting of charcoal and deep brown. All three chairs are upholstered in a mushroom-tone fabric. The entire palette exudes the feeling of a desert landscape.

Complementing its surroundings, a large piece of bold abstract art hanging on one of the lounge area’s walls incorporates black, cobalt blue, deep red/pink, yellow, and white hues.

“We leaned into the notion of Southern hospitality for this project,” Liu says. “As much as possible, we pushed the envelope to incorporate residential elements — rather than what you’d typically see in a commercial space — to truly make this feel like stepping into someone’s home. PS DFW is designed to be warm, elevated, and welcoming for everyone passing through.”

PS private terminal DFW The Salon features a mural by Dallas artist Amy Berlin.Photo by Jenna Peffley

One of the highlights of The Salon: a mural by Dallas artist Amy Berlin in collaboration with Los Angeles artist Candice Kaye. Made of suitcase liners, maps, vintage text, and other materials in Berlin’s signature paper-collage style, the DFW-inspired textures “meet the energized pulse of global travel, inviting whimsy, retreat and calm,” says PS.

The art installations at PS DFW, curated by Los Angeles-based Creative Art Partners, center on “texture and materiality, balancing expressive abstract works with more subtle references to the tones and warmth of Dallas,” the company says. “Softer narrative pieces are woven throughout, creating moments of contrast and pause.”

The DFW terminal and soon-to-open facilities in Miami and Paris represent the next steps in PS’ plan to open private terminals at every major U.S. airport by 2030. The Los Angeles-based company already operates terminals at Los Angeles International Airport and Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport.

“As we expand, our focus remains on reimagining the airport experience by bringing the privacy, comfort, and personalized service of a five-star hotel into the journey itself,” says Amina Belouizdad Porter, CEO of PS.

PS will surely be a welcome option for some travelers arriving with high-priced tickets to the nine World Cup games being contested in Arlington, June 14-July 14, 2026.

While PS memberships are available, a la cart experiences are offered, as well. According to the website, The Salon begins at $1,295 per person; private suite rate is $4,950 for up to 4 travelers; and PS Direct service is $1,650 per person.

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