High-end honor

Storied Dallas hotel unlocks surprising spot on prestigious list of world's best

A four-year, multimillion-dollar makeover wrapped up last year.

Photo courtesy of Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek

The upscale Robb Report has anointed Dallas’ Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek one of the world’s three best new big-city hotels for 2021.

Joining Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in the lofty trio are Le Bristol in Paris and the Mandarin Oriental Ritz in Madrid, Spain.

Technically, The Mansion isn’t a new property, of course. But the hotel, which opened in 1980, recently got a new look.

“In 2020, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts went back to where it all started by paying tribute to its first hotel — and the city in which the brand was born 40 years ago,” the Robb Report notes. “Set in a former private estate built in 1925, this property has long been an anchor in Dallas, and known as much for its ornate décor and setting in a leafy residential neighborhood as for its nationally lauded restaurant.”

A four-year, multimillion-dollar makeover wrapped up last year, with the 142 rooms and suites, entry rotunda, and lobby undergoing an extensive renovation.

“Signature (and fan-favorite) suite elements like French doors and elegant balconies now live alongside specially commissioned works that tie in elements of Texas and the original mansion,” the Robb Report says. “Fancy a pair of custom Miron Crosby boots? You can co-design them in a private appointment, one of the hotel’s new signature partnerships celebrating other Dallas luxury icons.”

The five-star property has long been a favorite of high-end travelers.

In 2020, it ranked sixth statewide and first in Dallas-Fort Worth on a key indicator for the financial health of hotels, according to a report from San Antonio-based hotel data provider Source Strategies. Despite the travel slowdown prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the property’s revenue per available room (RevPAR) rose to $153.45 in 2020 from $144.20 in 2019. The hotel ranked only 100th statewide for RevPAR in 2019.

Last year, Rosewood Mansion claimed the No. 1 spot on the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards list of the top hotels in Texas.

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Holiday News

American Airlines expects record-setting travel on Thanksgiving 2024

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

American Airlines ready for takeoff.

The holidays are looming and American Airlines is ramping up. Over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend, the Fort Worth-based airline expects to process nearly 8.3 million customers across more than 77,000 flights.

According to a statement from American's COO David Seymour, the airline is having a good fall season and canceled fewer flights than its peers during October.

“Thanks to the hard work of our 130,000 team members, we canceled fewer flights than any of our major competitors this October and beat our own records for on-time departures and arrivals,” Seymour says.

That's surely good news. One hates to rain on their parade, but in June 2024, the only flight I booked this year, my flight was canceled less than 24 hours before take-off. I had made hotel reservations, scheduled a pet sitter, planned events, and arranged for a friend to pick me up at the destination airport. One employee speculated that it may have been "insufficient crew." Their only solution offered was: Feel free to reschedule your flight.

Thanksgiving facts and figures
The travel window runs from November 21 to December 3, and the airline expects to carry more than 500,000 more customers than it did last year.

The most-traveled day will be Sunday, December 1. The second most-traveled day will be Monday, December 2.

The peak of peak: 1,035 mainline and regional aircraft will be enroute at 10:45 am on Sunday, December 1 — the highest number of flights handled at any given time during American’s travel period.

The airline expects to serve more than 6.8 million Biscoff cookies on board from November 21 to December 3.

Travel tips
Download the American Airlines app and check in for your flight, noting added any bags to your trip. This will save you time at the airport.

If traveling internationally, download the Mobile Passport Control app, which can speed up your entry into the U.S. Global Entry members can download the Global Entry app, which allows you to submit your entry and go straight to the officer.

Upon arrival at the airport lobby, scan your mobile boarding pass to print bag tags quickly at a kiosk. If you’re not checking bags, go straight to TSA security with your mobile boarding pass.

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