stay here now

Luxe downtown Dallas hotel makes top 10 list of best lodgings in Texas

The Thompson Dallas is one of Texas' top hotels.

Photo by Gus Schmiege

Though we are in the era of short-term rentals, Texas Monthly is out on the prowl to recognize those truly local hotel gems scattered across our wonderfully vast state. And a Dallas hotel has earned a top-10 recommendation spot.

Sliding into No. 8 of the magazine's 2023 edition of "Where to Stay Now" is the Thompson Dallas. The Thompson hotel opened in 2020 inside The National, a historic 51-story mixed-use tower downtown that was originally built in the 1960s. Guest-favorite amenities include the choice between four different restaurants – Catbird, Kessaku, Monarch, and Nine at the National – and a solid reputation for high-class cocktails.

"Its fine dining and glamorous rooftop bar quickly turned it into one of the city’s swankiest hot spots," the magazine says.

Fort Worth's Western-glam Hotel Drover in the historic, rejuvenated Mule Alley district, took the No. 4 spot. The Drover opened in 2021 as an upscale “urban ranch oasis” for travelers and locals alike to enjoy. Little details like an embossed pattern on leather wallpaper, or a TV framed by rustic wood really sells the look and feel of what The Monthly calls "Yellowstone meets Dallas" vibes. The hotel's soaring popularity frequently leads to basic rooms exceeding a $1,000 weekend nightly rate, so you'll want to plan your trip accordingly.

Hotel Drover opened in 2021 as an “urban ranch oasis” for travelers and locals alike. Photo courtesy of Hotel Drover

Topping this year's recommendations is Houston’s La Colombe d’Or, the landmark mansion that overlooks the historic Montrose neighborhood. It was built over a century ago and named after an inn and restaurant of the same name in France. As CultureMap reported, the hotel underwent a major transformation in 2019, reopening in 2021 with a newly renovated house and bungalows, and a 34-story tower.

All 10 hotels on 2023’s "Where to Stay Now" list have either recently opened or undergone massive renovations since the publication's previous edition, in 2019. Commonalities between the hotels include a love of art, historic preservation, and attention to those tiny details that truly outshine the convenience of a short-term rental.

Texas Monthly's recommendations include:

La Colombe d’Or in Houston
Hotel Lulu in Round Top
Lively Beach in Corpus Christi
Hotel Drover in Fort Worth
The Loren at Lady Bird Lake in Austin
Stanton House in El Paso
Grand Galvez in Galveston
Thompson Dallas
Willow House in Terlingua
Commodore Perry Estate in Austin

Texas Monthly also included Dallas' Hall Arts Hotel, in the Arts District, as an honorable mention. Also on the list: Fort Worth's Hotel Dryce. The hotel was one of Forbes most anticipated hotel openings of 2021, and the only Texas hotel to make the cut. The hotel's bar, The Lobby, won Bar of the Year at last year's Tastemaker Awards.

Hotel Dryce lobby bar The Hotel Dryce scored an honorable mention. The Lobby Bar is 2022's Tastemakers Bar of the Year winner. Photo by Celestina Blok

The 10 honorable mention hotels are:

The Barfield, Autograph Collection in Amarillo
Hall Arts Hotel in Dallas
Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa
Cotton Court Hotel in Lubbock
Hotel Dryce in Fort Worth
Thompson San Antonio-Riverwalk
Canopy by Hilton San Antonio Riverwalk
Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park in El Paso
Austin Proper Hotel
Hotel Turkey in Turkey

More information about the hotels can be found on texasmonthly.com.

Texas Monthly hotels reports hotel drover awards

DART News

DART launches scooter parking pilot program at 4 Dallas rail stations

DART

Scooter parking for DART

In a new pilot program, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is making room for scooters: According to a release, four DART stations will now have dedicated parking zones for scooters.

DART will unveil six designated scooter parking zones at four of its highest-traffic stations. Each of the zones will be specifically marked and provide a controlled space for users to park scooters, leaving them clear of walkways, platforms and rail or bus paths, where they can disrupt train and bus service.

The designated scooter parking zones can be found at:

CBD West Transit Center – just east and behind the bus shelter
Victory Station – next to tap and go pay stations along the walkway to the American Airlines Center and next to the southernmost crossing at the rail platform
EBJ/Union Station – on the sidewalk near the north and south entrances to Union Station
SMU/Mockingbird Station – next to bike racks along the walkway from station platform

The pilot program is expected to run a few months beginning in December.

DART will collaborate with the City of Dallas to process the data to scooter rental companies to ensure that the scooters are equipped with geofencing technology allowing the marking of their locations.

With motorized scooters becoming a common mode of "micro transit" for commuters, DART hopes to clear clutter and walking hazards for rail and bus customers, while also provide those who use scooters a quick and reliable way to access or park them.

“Whether people like them or not, scooters have become a popular form of transportation across our service area,” says DART VP of capital design and construction Trey Walker. “We’re acknowledging this fact while attempting to get ahead of scooter clutter at our stations with this pilot program. We want to ensure that our transit stations remain safe, and we continue to maximize efficiency with our train and bus operations.”

Scooter companies, Lime and Bird, are also partnering with DART to incorporate scooter locations near transit stations on the GoPass app, making it easier for riders to find scooters to utilize and complete their journey. DART staff will also monitor the usage of the scooter parking zones and gather public feedback regarding their effectiveness during the pilot.