Hotel News

New hotel in Irving draws inspiration from Clint Eastwood spaghetti Western

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

3news.co.nz

A new hotel with a "motor court" approach is getting ready to welcome guests. Valencia Group's Texican Court is a 152-room, retro-inspired motor court concept opening in the Las Colinas Urban Center in Irving on November 15.

Texican Court has a prime location across from the Irving Convention Center and Toyota Music Factory, Irving's concert venue, entertainment, and dining destination. It has three distinct courtyards, a circular pool, wood-burning fire pits, rocking chairs, and live music.

The name "Texican" is a nod to the hotel's design featuring Spanish mission-style architecture with a subtle layer of Texas. There's also a restaurant on site called Two Mules Cantina.

Valencia Group president Doyle Graham, Jr. says in a release that they sought inspiration from a film's theme song.

"We wanted to bring the theme song from the spaghetti Western film The Good, The Bad and The Ugly to life through the design of this hotel," Graham says. "When you listen to the song, you can envision the larger-than-life vistas filled with dramatic backdrops and excitement, and we captured the essence of the tension, and drama characterized by this song in the walls of this hotel to create a captivating experience for our guests."

Two Mules Cantina, which keeps up the Clint Eastwood theme via the 1970 Ennio Morricone film Two Mules For Sister Sara, will be open to hotel guests and the public. It's a stucco building with a grand, two-story-high space surrounded by glass partitions at the front and back; large clerestory windows; a large fireplace; and a central bar as a backdrop.

Executive chef is Patrick Hildebrandt, whose prior experience includes Sweet Basil in Vail, the Empty Stomach Group in San Antonio, and The Hollow in Georgetown, Texas.

He says his menu showcases dishes that remind native Texans of their grandma’s cooking but also provides out-of-state visitors the bona fide Texan dining experience with a bit of a twist. The website describes the food as "some of the best Tex-Mex in the Las Colinas urban area," with tacos and margaritas.

Group accommodations and meeting spaces include the Little Chapel, holding 160 people and ideal for meetings, weddings, and receptions; and the Serape Boardroom, which holds up to 18 people.

A throwback to a time when travel was an adventure, Texican Court provides a home away from home for discerning travelers. The colors, fabrics, textures, sights, and sounds were developed by architecture and design firm Rottet Studio.

Based in Houston, Valencia Group provides management, development, branding, and repositioning services for independent, full-service hotels owned by the company, in addition to third parties. Exceptional service, style and location have become brand trademarks.

The company forges a niche with hotels that anchor and add value to urban, mixed-use environments. Its portfolio includes the Valencia brands: Hotel Valencia Santana Row in San Jose, California and Hotel Valencia Riverwalk in San Antonio. The Sorella brand includes Hotel Sorella Citycentre in Houston. Other brands include Midway and Valencia Group's The George in College Station and Midway's Hotel Alessandra in Houston. The Court concept brands include Lone Star Court in Austin, Cavalry Court in College Station, and now Texican Court, coming soon to Irving.

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Hotel News

Iconic Arlington motel from the ’60s returns in time for World Cup

Courtesy rendering

Caravan Court Hotel is opening June 1 in Arlington, in time to welcome World Cup fans.

An iconic mid-century motel from the '60s is reopening in Arlington: Caravan Court, a hotel that first opened as a classic motor court in 1961, will come back to life following an upscale, modern reinvention inspired by 1960s art, architecture, and automotive design.

According to a release, the hotel will open at 205 N. Collins St., around the corner from its original site on Division Street, on June 1. It's debuting in the city's Entertainment District just in time to welcome fans of FIFA World Cup, taking place at nearby AT&T Stadium from June 14-July 14; reservations are now available.

Developed in partnership with Division Hotel Management, the Caravan is part of the Valencia Hotel Collection, the Houston-based boutique hotel company whose portfolio includes the similarly-thoughtful Texican Court in Irving.

Caravan Court will open with 143 rooms and three food & beverage entities, including The Vandy, a restaurant named for former Arlington Mayor Tom Vandergriff; plus a martini bar and a rooftop lounge.

Retro style
The design approach blends the charm of a bygone era with 21st-century luxury — including retaining historical features while making additions that feel period-appropriate.

A key piece is their preservation of the iconic Caravan Motor Hotel sign, whose distinctive tiki-inspired design — with palm trees and the word "caravan" rendered in a font that looks like it's been carved — has earned status as a beloved local landmark over the years.

The rooms feature retro-inspired SMEG refrigerators and Nespresso machines, alongside 50-inch Smart TVs and wireless charging pads.

Caravan Court Hotel roomCourtesy rendering

Other stylish accommodations include:

143 rooms, which includes 7 King Suites, 48 Double Queens, and 88 Kings
Resort-style pool with four cabanas
24-Hour fitness center
outdoor seating with firepits
2,532-square-foot turf courtyard with lounge seating
coffee bar window

There are also three ballrooms, ranging from 1,213 square feet to 3,633 square feet — perfect for that tiki-style wedding.

Food & beverage
The in-house eateries will comprise a main restaurant, plus martini bar and rooftop lounge overlooking downtown Arlington and the Entertainment District, as follows:

The Vandy: Named for visionary former Arlington Mayor Tom Vandergriff, The Vandy is the hotel's main restaurant, serving Americana classics in a space that captures the spirit of the mid-century era.
Elora Sky Club: Sophisticated rooftop lounge will serve craft cocktails, tapas-style bites, and views of the Arlington skyline and the surrounding Entertainment District.
Caravan Swim Club: Seasonal, resort-style poolside experience features private cabanas, bar, and eatery.
Idle Hour Social Club: A versatile day-to-night hub, serving coffee in the morning and martinis at night.

History
As a release notes, a key part of the hotel's backstory is its celebration of the Bankhead Highway, founded 1916 as one of America’s first coast-to-coast automobile routes, connecting Washington, D.C. to San Diego.

In Arlington, the Bankhead Highway evolved into Division Street, with auto-oriented businesses including gas stations, diners, dealerships, and roadside lodging.

Caravan Motor Hotel sign Iconic sign at iconic Caravan Motor Hotel. jasonssullivan.com

Caravan Motor Hotel opened in 1961 as a classic mid-century motor-court style with drive-up convenience, pool, and modern amenities — part of a renaissance led by Mayor Tom Vandergriff, who was elected in 1951 and oversaw a 26-year tenure focused on growth, infrastructure, and economic development.

That included attracting the General Motors Arlington Assembly Plant; helping transition Arlington State College into the University of Texas at Arlington; and drawing attractions such as Six Flags Over Texas, which opened in 1961, the same year as the Caravan.

Alas, when major highways came along in the '70s and '80s, motor courts along the Bankhead Highway, including the Caravan, closed.

In 2024, as part of a program of preservation and adaptive reuse, the City of Arlington, in a partnership with local developers and the Valencia Hotel Group, initiated its plan to redevelop and reopen the historic Caravan Motel, positioning it as a catalyst for Division Street revitalization, bridging downtown Arlington and the Entertainment District.

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