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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

Airport News

DFW Airport seeks local restaurants to fill 14 new open slots

Manning

DFW Airport restaurants

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is seeking new restaurants who want to open a location on the premises. According to a release, the airport has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP), inviting local brands and flavors to apply for 14 retail and dining locations across multiple terminals.

“As we build new gates, reimagine existing spaces and construct a new Terminal F, DFW Airport is committed to showcasing our region through our shops and restaurants so that when people travel through our terminals, there’s no denying they have arrived in the heart of Dallas and Fort Worth,” says DFW Chief Revenue Officer Ken Buchanan in a statement. “DFW serves tens of millions of travelers each year, and this is a chance for local businesses to help create an incredible sense of place within our terminals.”

The RFP is open for submissions now through February 2, 2026, and includes 11 food and beverage opportunities and three specialty retail locations across Terminals A, B, E, and F.

Concepts range from fast-casual, fast-food, and grab-and-go concepts to frozen treats, popcorn, cosmetics, and specialty retail.

All proposal submissions must be made through the Bonfire Procurement Platform.

DFW welcomed approximately 87 million customers in 2024, with continued growth projected to surpass 100 million passengers per year before 2030.

The latest RFP opportunity comes as DFW continues to make progress on its $12 billion capital improvement plan, DFW Forward, which is transforming terminals, expanding gate capacity and enhancing the customer experience across the entire airport. In addition to the new Terminal F, DFW is rebuilding Terminal C and expanding gate areas in Terminals A and C – projects that will introduce modern spaces, new amenities and a stronger platform for small and local businesses to grow inside one of the world’s busiest airports.

airport openings