HotelChatter

1. Best Texas-Themed Hotel: The Gaylord Texan

The Gaylord Texan is a 1,511-room BEAST. If you're coming to Dallas for the, er, "Texas Experience" -- think shiny, spanking-new, overwhelming size and capacity and lots of Texas-themed goodies and decor -- Gaylord's your place. It's located super-close to DFW airport, so if you're nervous about venturing into Downtown D or just don't want to get too close to the action, Gaylord Texan is kind of like... Texas Lite. Like a Texas themepark, even, with the bonus of being a hop, skip and a jump from the 1.6 million square-foot mall, Grapevine Mills.

2. Best Hotel for Serious Shoppers: Westin Galleria

Might we remind you that the holiday season (aka peak shopping months) are creeping up faster than you think -- and for the serious Northern shopper (especially one from that little city called New York), we can imagine nothing more convenient than having all the best stores in a single spot. Oh, wait, we can imagine something better: a hotel attached to all those stores. The Dallas Galleria has a Saks, a Nordstrom, an ice rink and every high-end shop you can possibly imagine -- plus all your fave usual mall staples. While you're around the area, try the breathtakingly delish Oceanaire, and prepare to be blown away by the the dazzling culinary triumphs in a city notsomuch known for its seafood.

3. Best Hotel for Waldorf-y Types: The Mansion on Turtle Creek

If you dig classic, refined elegance and traditional ideas of luxury (a la New York's Palace and Waldorf=Astoria), the Mansion on Turtle Creek is as beautiful as it gets in the Big D. With its outstanding service and cool history (it used to be the home of a Texas cotton magnate), the hotel has a 2-to-1 staff-to-guest ratio and you're sure to be pampered. It's pricey by Dallas standards -- but not by NYC standards.

4. Best Hotel for Urban Trendsters: Hotel Joule

Damn, the Hotel Joule is cool. From the lobby design (featuring giant gears hanging from the ceiling) to the kickass rooftop infinity pool, the place is the very definition of a modern "design hotel." In other words, your friends will think you're cooler for having stayed there -- and just think of the pics you could post to Facebook, dude.

5. Best Hotel for Spa Junkies: The Stoneleigh

Life in Northern cities can be stressful, people. Life moves a little bit slower down in Big D (but not much, really) -- plus, we know the flight down to Dallas was stressful. Hit the spa. Nobody will judge you. The best spa in Dallas to hit up? The Spa at Stoneleigh, which just reopened all 5200 square feet of treatment space after a massive renovation.

[Skyline Photo: Noel Kerns]