Hotel Change-up

Hotel Palomar joins Hilton family as Highland Dallas

As of August 6, the Hotel Palomar Dallas has a new name and owner. According to a notice posted on the Palomar's website, the property is now the Highland Dallas Hotel.

The property will become part of a new Hilton brand called Curio. Kimpton Hotels is no longer involved.

According to the Dallas Morning News, the new owner is Thayer Lodging Group, a hotel investment company with a management division called Interstate Hotels & Resorts. Interstate's portfolio includes 17 hotels around DFW, mostly in the Mid-Cities, including the Hilton Arlington.

A manager onsite said that he came up from the Hilton Houston as part of a task force to take over the day-to-day operations. "Some things will change," he said, but the appearance and staff would mostly be left as is, including the Exhale spa and the hotel's hot new restaurant, Knife Modern Steak, helmed by chef John Tesar.

But Interstate senior VP Fred DeSota was quoted as saying that the guest rooms and corridors would be given a makeover.

Speculation regarding the sale began in May; it does not include the condominium tower next door, which will get a new name, decided upon by the residents who own units there.

The hotel began as a Hilton when it opened in the '60s. During the '90s, it became the "Hiltop," with the lettering remaining on the building for many years. It was also owned by the Maharishi School of Vedic Science, an organization founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Kimpton took over the hotel in 2004.

The Palomar site refers those seeking Kimpton reservations to the Hotel Lumen, with promise of future openings in Austin and San Antonio.

Hotel Palomar: now known as Highland Dallas.

Photo courtesy of Hotel Palomar Dallas

Hotel Palomar: now known as Highland Dallas.

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Holiday Travel News

The busiest day at DFW Airport and more holiday travel tips

Photo courtesy of DFW Airport

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Thanksgiving holiday travel is about to get heavy and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is gearing up with an estimated 3 million customers flowing through the airport between November 20 and December 2.

According to a release, the peak travel time period will be on the evening of Sunday, November 30.

Busiest travel days
Large crowds are expected throughout the holiday period with four peak travel days anticipated for local departing and arriving customers.

The airport’s roads and terminal curbs are anticipated to be the busiest on the following days:

Friday, November 21
Wednesday, November 26
Saturday, November 29
Sunday, November 30

Sunday, November 30 is expected to be the single busiest day with an estimated 269,000 travelers passing through DFW as customers return from the long holiday weekend.

Customers departing or arriving any day of the holiday season should expect heavy traffic across the airport’s roadways, particularly approaching the terminals from the north, and along the terminal curbs. These areas are likely to see higher levels of congestion than usual.

Heavy traffic is also expected at Terminal C due to ongoing construction in that area. Customers flying American Airlines have the flexibility to check in at any terminal, and then get to their gate via the Skylink train, thereby avoiding the traffic jam at Terminal C.

How early to arrive
DFW always recommends arriving early but this holiday season, they are encouraging travelers to arrive extra early during the Thanksgiving travel period, with a recommended 60 to 90 minutes extra to their usual plans. At minimum, travelers should arrive at least two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight.

The extra time will provide flexibility for customers navigating traffic, construction areas, and parking availability, as well as check-in and security screening during peak times.

Getting to and from
Parking: Customers should book parking in advance using the DFW website or mobile app, and use public transit when possible. When entering or exiting through DFW’s parking plazas, dedicated TollTag lanes are the quickest option.

Public transportation:

DART’s New Silver Line: This new service, launched in October, originates in Plano and stops in several cities along the way to DFW’s Terminal B, including Richardson, Addison, Carrollton and Coppell – bypassing downtown Dallas for a faster northern route.
DART’s Orange Line: Service extends from Plano, through downtown Dallas and Irving, before arriving at Terminal A.
Trinity Metro’s TEXRail: Starts in downtown Fort Worth, passing through North Richland Hills and Grapevine to Terminal B – offering an easy west-side connection.
Trinity Railway Express (TRE): Connects Dallas and Fort Worth to the CentrePort/DFW Airport Station, with transfers via the TRE Link Shuttle.

Curbside protocol
Curbside areas are reserved for active loading and unloading only. Customers waiting to pick up passengers are encouraged to use the airport’s cell phone lots or one-hour parking located in the terminal parking garages at no additional charge.

New entrance into Terminal B and detours into Terminal A
DFW is currently entrenched in a complex construction project: transitioning access into Terminals A, B, and C to new right-hand exits from International Parkway, rather than the confusing left-hand exits it had previously. That's a currently ongoing thing and there are various detours underway to support the current phase of construction activity.

Terminal B: Customers flying out of Terminal B now access the terminal with new right-hand exits from International Parkway.

Terminal A: Customers departing out of Terminal A and arriving to the airport from the south will detour past the existing Terminal A entrance and take the left-hand U-turn before the North Exit Plaza to redirect to Terminal A’s southbound entrance. Signage along International Parkway will direct drivers through areas with adjusted traffic flow.

transportation holidays