best hotels in dfw

Dallas-area hotels rack up top honors in 2026 U.S. News & Forbes lists

Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek has kept its elite status as the best resort in Texas for 2026.

Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek/Facebook

More than a dozen Dallas-Fort Worth hotels and resorts have earned new accolades in U.S. News and World Report's prestigious list of the best Texas hotels in 2026, and five Dallas properties earned four- or five-star ratings in Forbes Travel Guide's 2026 Star Awards.

Dallas' grand Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek topped the list as the No. 1 best Texas resort for a second consecutive year, and it appeared as the 7th best hotel in Texas. The Ritz-Carlton Dallas was honored as the No. 3 best Texas hotel, and it additionally ranked No. 85 in U.S. News' separate ranking of the best hotel in the U.S. for 2026.

The publication's Best Hotels rankings annually examine over 31,000 hotels and resorts across more than 400 destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Europe to "help travelers find the hotel that suits their needs." Hotels are ranked based on industry awards, star ratings, and online guest reviews.

Two more Dallas-area hotels ranked among the top 10 best hotels in the state: The Joule (No. 6) in downtown Dallas and the Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa (No. 9).

Other Dallas-Fort Worth hotels that made it among U.S. News' top 50 best hotels in Texas include:

No. 11 – The Adolphus, Autograph Collection, Dallas
No. 18 – Bowie House, Auberge Collection, Fort Worth
No. 20 – The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas, Irving
No. 21 – Hall Arts Hotel Dallas, Curio Collection by Hilton
No. 24 – Hotel Crescent Court, Dallas
No. 29 – Warwick Melrose - Dallas
No. 34 – Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Grapevine
No. 35 – Hilton Anatole, Dallas
No. 36 – Hotel Drover, Autograph Collection, Fort Worth
No. 38 – The Crescent Hotel, Fort Worth
No. 40 – The Westin Dallas Southlake
No. 41 – OmniDallas Hotel, Dallas
No. 50 – Delta Hotels by Marriott Dallas Southlake

Dallas hotels recognized in Forbes Travel Guide's 2026 Star Awards
Forbes Travel Guide recognized 25 Texas properties in its 2026 Star Awards rankings, with seven Dallas-area restaurants, hotels, and spas earning either four- or five-star ratings.

To determine the ratings, anonymous inspectors visit every hotel, restaurant, spa, and cruise ship in person, visiting as a typical guest for a minimum of two nights to review the quality and condition of each property and its overall guest experience. According to the rankings' methodology, inspectors pay their own way and no one can buy a rating.

The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas was the only Dallas property to earn a prestigious five-star rating. Houston's opulent Post Oak Hotel and its hotel spa were the remaining Texas properties to be awarded five-star ratings for 2026. The Post Oak Hotel has been awarded five stars for six consecutive years, and it also maintained its elite status as Texas’ only double five-star rated hotel and spa, according to a press release.

These are all of the Dallas properties that made the 2026 list, by category:

Restaurants:

Fearing's Restaurant: 4-star
The Mansion Restaurant: 4-star

Hotels:

The Ritz-Carlton Dallas: 5-star
The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas: Recommended
Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek: Recommended

Spas:

The Ritz Carlton Spa: 4-star
The Spa at the Joule: 4-star

Two Dallas properties are missing from the 2026 Star Awards, despite being highlighted in the 2025 awards: The Joule and Hall Arts Hotel. In January 2026, the Hall Arts Hotel joined Marriott Bonvoy’s Autograph Collection, which explains its absence from the 2026 rankings.

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Culinary Star

Canyon Ranch appoints Michelin chef for swanky new Hill Country resort

Val Cantú/Facebook

Well, shucks. Chef Val Cantú is all about masa.

A Central Texas-born chef with Michelin cred will return to his birthplace to head up the forthcoming Canyon Ranch Austin resort: Val Cantú, the chef behind two Michelin-starred San Francisco restaurant Californios, will lead the kitchen at the resort's restaurant, Estella.

Canyon Ranch is a premier wellness destination resort and spa headquartered in Fort Worth, where there's a spa location at the Crescent Hotel. Canyon Ranch Austin is set to open in September 2026 in Spicewood, a Hill Country town just outside Austin.

The original Canyon Ranch, which opened in Tucson, Arizona in 1979, is highly regarded as one of the top health resorts in the world, earning three keys from Michelin — the highest ranking a hotel can get — and the chain lauds the wellness benefits of both modern science and "ancient wisdom."

The Austin restaurant will follow that same ethos, a release says.

“Estella will be light, bright, fresh, and clean,” says Cantú in the release. “It’s a distilled version of what I do that will be focused on seasonality, sourcing, and the kind of delicious food that makes you feel good after you eat it.”

Canyon Ranch operates some of the country's most acclaimed spas. Facebook Canyon Ranch

Cantú is developing the menu with experience from fine dining and his personal Texas heritage; he was raised in Brownwood, about 150 miles northwest of Austin, where his father owned a Mexican restaurant. Tortillas are an important part of what's to come at Estella.

“When I’m making tortillas, I feel connected at a root level,” says Cantú. “It reminds me of making tortillas with my grandmother and my dad.”

Canyon Ranch CEO Mark Rivers emphasized Cantú's well-balanced approach: “Chef Val brings a rare combination of technical mastery, cultural authenticity, and emotional intelligence to his cooking," he says. "His approach aligns perfectly with how we think about wellness as intentional, thoughtful, and rooted in real life.”

Californios dishes If Estella is anything like Californios, presentation will be a huge factor.Photo courtesy of Californios

Although the release does not share how much Estella will have in common with Californios, it's easy to imagine that the artistic plating and education about the indigenous cultures of Mesoamerica will carry over.

“This is a homecoming for me," Cantú says. "Cooking in the Hill Country allows me to return to the flavors, ingredients, and traditions that first shaped who I am."

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Culinary Star

Canyon Ranch appoints Michelin chef for swanky new Hill Country resort