Hotel News

The Clara Hotel to open in Plano with shiny $4 million renovation

The Clara Hotel will debut this spring.

Photo courtesy of Clara Hotel

A newly transformed hotel will spring up in Plano, taking over where one left off: Called The Clara Hotel, it's a new hotel brand that will debut at 8201 Preston Rd., in the former NYLO Dallas/Plano Hotel space.

According to a release, it'll open in the spring, following a $4 million renovation.

Located on the Plano-Frisco border, the NYLO property was acquired in August 2025 by Dallas-based investment firm NewcrestImage, whose portfolio of hospitality and real estate assets across the U.S. includes partnerships with hotel firms such as Coury Hospitality and Summit Hotel Properties. Other renovations in which NewcrestImage has been involved include the Elmore Hotel in Southlake; they also acquired the Beeman Hotel near SMU in 2024.

The NYLO originally opened in December 2007. It was the first property launched by the NYLO Hotels brand and according to Wikipedia, was also the first loft-style lifestyle hotel to open in the U.S.

The Clara will maintain The NYLO's affiliation with Hilton's Tapestry Collection, but nearly every guest-facing element — interiors, food & beverage, service approach, and brand positioning — has been reimagined under the new ownership.

“We saw an opportunity to thoughtfully transform this property into something that feels deeply connected to its surroundings and to today’s traveler,” says NewcrestImage Managing Partner Mehu Patel in a statement. “The Clara Hotel represents our commitment to creating places that are not only beautifully designed, but intentionally experienced. From the materials and textures to the programming and hospitality approach, every element is being reimagined to deliver something distinctive for this market."

Decor
With 176 total guest rooms — including eight suites ranging from Junior Suites to One-Bedroom and Presidential Suites — the hotel is designed to serve both business and leisure travelers seeking comfort, intention and a sense of ease.

The design will incorporate natural textures, wood finishes, greenery, and a warmer color palette, conveying a more residential feel, anchored by tactile materials and calming tones.

Dining room at The Clara HotelThe Clara Hotel

Food
The Clara Hotel will incorporate two distinct new hospitality concepts:

Field & Vine, the hotel’s reimagined restaurant, will offer an approachable yet elevated dining experience designed for both guests and locals
The Library, a newly transformed space within the hotel, will operate as a library-inspired lounge by day and an intimate, reservation-only speakeasy Thursday through Saturday evenings.

Courtyard and event spaces
An already-existing heated outdoor pool will remain a central feature, but with a refreshed patio and courtyard experience. The courtyard is a 4,000-square-foot outdoor space that will receive new landscaping, turf, and flexible seating, creating a venue for events and gatherings of up to 300 guests.

Indoor meeting spaces include two meeting rooms with capacity for 30 or 50, as well as two boardrooms with capacity for 4 or 10 people.

hotels openings

GRAPE EXPECTATIONS

Napa wine brand The Debate uncorks new Texas Hill Country tasting room

The Debate/ Facebook

The Debate will source both Napa Valley and Hill Country grapes.

Need further proof that the Texas wine industry has arrived? Acclaimed Napa Valley wine brand The Debate is expanding into the Hill Country with plans to open a new Stonewall tasting room in spring 2027.

The brand was founded in 2010 with a slightly esoteric philosophy. The Debate believes that wine isn’t just a product, but a way of “fostering connection through conversation.”

One topic will surely be about the finer points of Napa versus Hill Country terroir. The tasting room will pour The Debate's top-rated wines from California alongside new bottles made from Texas fruit. Additional wine programs under the brand's umbrella will target a range of wine drinkers.

"We've always believed that wine is at its best when it brings people together," said Todd Kerlin, the brand's general manager, in a statement. "Texas Hill Country is writing a genuinely exciting chapter in wine right now, and we saw an opportunity to be part of something real here, not to import an experience, but to build one that belongs to this place and the people in it."

The Debate tasting room Once completed, The Debate's tasting room will presumably look less like The Sims.Rendering courtesy of The Debate

Wine industry vet Jean Hoefliger will spearhead the project in Texas. He's not an area newb — he's spent the past five years working with Hill Country producers with Texas Wine Consulting.

"After years of working across wine regions around the world, nothing prepared me for Texas," Hoefliger said. "The energy here is unlike anywhere else, and so is the sense of place."

The Debate plans to partner with regional restaurants and take part in Hill Country wine events as part of its rollout. Membership details, programming, and information on the brand's first Texas releases are expected to be announced closer to the opening.

Once open, it will join two other recently opened tasting rooms on Wine Road 290 between Fredericksburg and Johnson City: playful concept Acquired Taste Wines in Stonewall and Rebecca Caroline, William Chris’ new sparkling wine tasting room in the historic Hye post office.

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