Texas travel

Travel + Leisure names 2 stunning Texas hotels among best of 2020

San Antonio's Hotel Emma has won yet another award.

Each year, Travel + Leisure unveils its highly anticipated World’s Best Awards, based on readers' picks for top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, spas, and more.

The 2020 World’s Best features the top 15 city hotels in the continental U.S., and two Texas properties have made the coveted list. The awards were based on a survey that closed in early March, before the pandemic truly gripped the U.S. Hotels were rated on their facilities, location, service, food, and overall value.

San Antonio's Hotel Emma takes the 15th spot, scoring 93.92 out of 100 points. Once a 19th-century brewhouse, it is now an award-winning, 146-room riverfront hotel, serving as the Pearl's flagship property in downtown San Antonio. Travel + Leisure notes that Hotel Emma “proudly showcases its past as a landmark brewery and stocks its mini-bars with South Texas treats.”

This is just the latest in a long list of accolades for the stunning spot. The hotel, which regularly ranks among the most lucrative in the state, was named the 10th best hotel in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report earlier this year. And in 2018, Fodor's named it one of the most incredible hotels in the world.

The palatial Post Oak Hotel in Houston, owned by billionaire Tilman Fertitta, comes in even higher at No. 6, scoring 94.77 out of 100 points. Since opening in 2018, the Post Oak has received its share of awards, including being named Houston’s only AAA Five-Diamond hotel. The hotel is known for its sunset helicopter excursions, Rolls-Royce chauffeuring, and $1 million wine room.

And No. 1? That honor goes to The Mark in New York City, a hip inn in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, with a score of 96.24.

Sadly, no Dallas-Fort Worth properties made the list this year.

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santa loves sunshine

Dallas heats up as 3rd best winter travel destination in U.S. for 2024

Photo courtesy of Dallas Arboretum

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Mariah Carey isn't the only one defrosting in preparation for the winter season: Dallas-Fort Worth has warmed up as one of WalletHub's top three best warm weather travel destinations for 2024.

Every year, WalletHub's analysts divide nearly 70 of the biggest U.S. metropolitan areas into two categories: the top "warm" and "cold" weather destinations. The study evaluated every metro based on 37 factors, including travel costs, local costs, weather predictions, and safety.

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington earned a score of 68.08 out of 100 possible points to claim the sunny No. 3 spot nationally, finally breaking a three-year stronghold as No. 4, which began in 2021.

DFW landed right behind Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada (No. 1), and San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, California (No. 2), and overtook Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown (No. 4). Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona rounded out the top five.

The North Texas metro ranked No. 2 in the national "weather" and "travel costs and hassles" categories, showing major favorability towards DFW Airport and the region's almost year-round sunshine. The metro's relative affordability earned it No. 8 in the "local costs" ranking out of all 69 U.S. metros.

Here's how Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington performed in the remaining three categories:

No. 12 – Attractions rank
No. 13 – Warm weather activities rank
No. 28 – Safety rank

As in previous years, the highest concentration of top warm weather destinations was in Florida (10 metros), followed by Texas (nine metros), then California (eight metros).

Besides DFW and Austin, the only other Texas metro to earn a spot in the top 10 in 2024 was Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land (No. 6), as San Antonio-New Braunfels slipped from No. 5 in 2023 to No. 11 this year.

Atlanta, Georgia ranked No. 1 once again on the list of best cold weather destinations for winter vacations, outdoing New York City, New York (No. 2), Washington, D.C. (No. 3), and Chicago, Illinois (No. 4).

"Whether you love to have a chill in your bones during the winter travel season or prefer to escape to somewhere sunny, the top travel destinations can cost as little as $200-$300 to reach by plane from major U.S. cities, with no connections," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "In addition to being affordable, the top cities also have an abundance of attractions that fit their weather patterns, along with high-quality restaurants and relatively low crime rates."

The top 10 best warm weather destinations for winter vacations are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada
No. 2 – San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, California
No. 3 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
No. 4 – Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas
No. 5 – Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Arizona
No. 6 – Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, California
No. 8 – Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida
No. 9 – Charleston-North Charleston, South Carolina
No. 10 – Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Florida

For the purpose of the study, "cold" weather was determined to be less than or equal to 46 degrees Fahrenheit, while "warm" weather was greater than or equal to 57 degrees Fahrenheit. Both guidelines were analyzed based on the 50-year average December temperatures.

The full report and its methodology can be found on wallethub.com.

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