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.
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.
