Golf news

Hilton Anatole in Dallas hops on hotel trend with virtual Topgolf suite

Topgolf Swing Suite.

Courtesy rendering

The Hilton Anatole has joined a trend among hotels in recent years by adding in-house virtual golf. According to a release, the Design District hotel has added a Topgolf Swing Suite in collaboration with the sports entertainment venue company, with three bays available for rent.

Topgolf Swing Suites is an extension of Topgolf, combining a simulated Topgolf experience but located inside hospitality and entertainment venues. Players hit golf balls that provide feedback on your shot's accuracy and distance. You get extra points for hitting targets.

There are also non-golf games such as zombie dodgeball, baseball, football, and hockey.

Rentals of a typical Swing Suite are usually by the hour, with rates starting at $40 during off-hours and up to $75 per hour during prime time. Exact prices at the Anatole, as well as availability and location of the suite, were unavailable. A press release says that the suite is open, but the reservation link they provide goes to Open Table. Dn't bother calling the Hilton directly: They don't answer their phone.

The first Topgolf Swing Suite inside a hotel was the 2017 debut of a suite at the Four Seasons Hotel. It caught on in Dallas in 2019. DFW now has suites at The Westin Stonebriar Dallas Golf Resort & Spa in Frisco, Doubletree Dallas/Campbell Center, Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Hyatt Place Fort Worth/TCU, as well as PGA Frisco.

While some of those are open to walk-ins, the Swing Suite at the Anatole must be booked in advance. It's open evenings only, from 4 pm-11 pm.

Like most of these suites, the Hilton offers food, namely shareable platters of finger foods such as wings, BBQ, chicken sliders, chicken spring rolls, crab cake rolls, nachos, and quesadillas.

The hotel’s Swing Suite does not accept Topgolf membership rewards from other locations.

hotels

Holiday News

American Airlines expects record-setting travel on Thanksgiving 2024

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

American Airlines ready for takeoff.

The holidays are looming and American Airlines is ramping up. Over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend, the Fort Worth-based airline expects to process nearly 8.3 million customers across more than 77,000 flights.

According to a statement from American's COO David Seymour, the airline is having a good fall season and canceled fewer flights than its peers during October.

“Thanks to the hard work of our 130,000 team members, we canceled fewer flights than any of our major competitors this October and beat our own records for on-time departures and arrivals,” Seymour says.

That's surely good news. One hates to rain on their parade, but in June 2024, the only flight I booked this year, my flight was canceled less than 24 hours before take-off. I had made hotel reservations, scheduled a pet sitter, planned events, and arranged for a friend to pick me up at the destination airport. One employee speculated that it may have been "insufficient crew." Their only solution offered was: Feel free to reschedule your flight.

Thanksgiving facts and figures
The travel window runs from November 21 to December 3, and the airline expects to carry more than 500,000 more customers than it did last year.

The most-traveled day will be Sunday, December 1. The second most-traveled day will be Monday, December 2.

The peak of peak: 1,035 mainline and regional aircraft will be enroute at 10:45 am on Sunday, December 1 — the highest number of flights handled at any given time during American’s travel period.

The airline expects to serve more than 6.8 million Biscoff cookies on board from November 21 to December 3.

Travel tips
Download the American Airlines app and check in for your flight, noting added any bags to your trip. This will save you time at the airport.

If traveling internationally, download the Mobile Passport Control app, which can speed up your entry into the U.S. Global Entry members can download the Global Entry app, which allows you to submit your entry and go straight to the officer.

Upon arrival at the airport lobby, scan your mobile boarding pass to print bag tags quickly at a kiosk. If you’re not checking bags, go straight to TSA security with your mobile boarding pass.

holidays