75201 Travel Guide
Tags: Hotel Theft / Hotel News / Dallas Hotels / Fairmont Hotels / Hotel Crime / → All Tags
Guest Takes Off With Not-So-Free Swag From Fairmont Dallas
We don't condone stealing, and we would never consider stealing anything (well, anything except hearts, that is), but we have to ask: is it actually much, much easier than we think it is to steal from a hotel?
Check this out: police are currently investigating a pretty serious theft that went down at the Fairmont Dallas, where a guest apparently took off with two plasma TV's and a coffee maker from her hotel room without anyone really noticing.
According to the Dallas Morning News:
The Fairmont hotel, located at 1717 North Akard St., reported this morning the theft of two 36-inch, LG plasma televisions and a coffee maker, Dallas police said.
A woman checked into two hotel rooms Friday and placed “Do not disturb” signs on each of the rooms’ doors and refused room service, police said. The woman then left the hotel either late Sunday or early Monday without checking out at the front desk.
Really? It's that easy? A couple DND signs and some crafty cover-names at check-in? Huh. We guess it probably is. Surely the lady was caught on camera or some such and it's likely that the investigation will turn up something — in the meantime, she's somewhere sipping a nice cup of brew and enjoying some good old fashioned television, we suppose.
Tags: Sweet Suite / Dallas Hotel Scene / Dallas Hotels / Hotel Renovations / → All Tags
What You Get for $20K in The Stoneleigh's New Penthouse Suite
The Penthouse of the recently-renovated Stoneleigh Hotel & Spa in Dallas is a bit like a Texas woman: beautiful to begin with — but with tons and tons of accessories and add-ons that make her seem to some people a little, er...over-the-top.
But that depends on your tastes, of course. The top two floors of the Stoneleigh are, to say the least, lavish: originally designed by Dorothy Draper back in the '30's, the two-story, 7,200 square-foot suite was given a top-to-bottom makeover by Carleton Varney during the recent property-wide $36 million renovation. The Penthouse is made up of three bedroom suites, a dining room, a living room, a library and bar, a 590-square-foot terrace and seven bathrooms. Seven. Yes.
Tags: Celebrity Scoop / Jessica Simpson / Hotel Bars / Dallas Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
Jessica Simpson Seeks Solace from Critics at the Stoneleigh Hotel
It's not been a very good year so far for Jessica Simpson. Aside from the fact that her boyfriend Tony Romo failed to make the Super Bowl, J-Simp made the headlines of every major gossip rag and site last week for showing up looking a tad "curvy" at a chili cook-off in Miami.
The fact that the media went hog wild talking about her recent weight gain and not about why she was singing at a chili cook-off is clear evidence of our society's ridiculous standards of women. The underlying message: It's ok to be a falling star who went from having your own televised specials to singing at country fairs and meat conventions so long as you remain a skinny falling star.
Fortunately, Jessica Simpson is not letting this affect her in the least. She was recently spotted at the Stoneleigh Hotel in Dallas with her mom and childhood Sunday school teachers sipping vodka sodas at the Bolla Bar. (Um...Sunday school teachers like vodka sodas? Where were they when we were growing up?)
Folks at the bar said Jessica was very sweet and low-key but most importantly, they said she "looked really great!" We know for a fact that Jess is a generous girl when it comes to picking up the tabs for her friends and co-workers and she's a very good tipper. If she can't seem to win America's heart with her figure, then she can certainly do it with her "sweet as pie" gratitude to hotel staffers.
Tags: Dallas Hotels / Luxury Collection Hotels / Charlie Palmer / Starwood Hotels / Rooftop Pools / Hotel Openings / → All Tags
For Dallas Exhibitionists, Go Swimming At The Joule
Earlier this week The Joule, part of the Starwood Luxury Collection opened up in the historic 1920's Dallas National Bank Building in Dallas Texas, after undergoing a massive renovation.
Originally expected to be called "Hotel Elan", the name Joule was picked as a tribute to the unit of measurement that is used to calculate energy, the Joule (1J = 1N * m for those who need a refresher - our apologies to those who just experienced high school science class flashbacks.)
Tags: Hotel Openings / Dallas Hotels / Hotel Spas / → All Tags
The Stoneleigh Hotel in Dallas Re-Opens with New Spa
After undergoing a $36 million dollar renovation, the Stoneleigh Hotel in Dallas has re-opened with a new look and a new 5,200 square foot spa.
The Spa at Stoneleigh features six rooms to perform some of the spa's signature treatments. Among them:
Le Grand Cru Meritage Facial, combining a unique blend of grapes, an anti-aging complex of raspberries, black currant, rosemary and olive leaf extracts through a double fermentation process; The Stoneleigh Indulgence Head-to-Toe Body Facial, a comprehensive multi-step treatment which incorporates all the revitalizing elements of a facial but for the whole body; the Maple Avenue Body Butter Wrap, celebrating the hotel's address utilizing a signature Bio-Maple compound.
And here's a special treat for women with buns in the oven: unique to the Spa at Stoneleigh is the "Pregnancy Keepsake Sculpture" service, where they will cast your preggy belly in blue, pink or yellow plaster, presumably to bust out for embarrassment or creep-out purposes on your child's first date or wedding day.
This may also be the only place in the area to encourage overindulgence in wine for the preggers and non-preggers alike: Stoneleigh is the only spa in Dallas to carry Davi Skincare, the "vinotherapy" product line developed by Carlo Mondavi, Jr. (yes, that Mondavi family).
Tags: Historic Hotels / Endangered Hotels / Dallas Hotels / Hilton Hotels / → All Tags
The Dallas Grand Hotel:: Just as Lonely and Neglected as Jessica Simpson
It seems as if Jessica Simpson isn't the only Texan experiencing some heartbreak. The National Trust for Historic Preservation released its 2008 list of "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places," and on it? The 1,001-room Dallas Grand Hotel--formerly the Statler Hilton--earmarked as an example of fading midcentury-modern architecture.
The hotel opened to much fanfare in 1956, heralded for its introduction of many of today's standards, such as elevator music, conference facilities and the true highlight: custom 21"-inch TVs in each room--how quaint! Since closing in 2001, plans to re-establish the hotel to its former glory--likely with bigger TVs--have been halted by structural problems and inadequate parking, according to The Dallas Morning News.
And while you might think being labeled as an endangered species might help move preservation efforts along, the paper reports that the designation could hurt more than it helps. "Anytime something like this happens, it puts more restrictions on the ability of the owners to sell it," Tom Keen, an attorney for the current owners, mysteriously tells the paper, noting that the building is under contract with a prospective buyer.
As hotel geeks, we need to mobilize. What do you suggest? A rally? Endowment fund? Letter writing campaign to Conrad Hilton?
[Photo: Jason Grant for the NY Times]
Tags: Fairmont Hotels / Dallas Hotels / Boutique Hotels / Fairmont Gold / → All Tags
Dallas Fairmont Goes Gold (Well, Three Floors Do)
With exclusive boutique hotels becoming all the rage, some hotels are getting smart and creating a boutique hotel within their large hotel--putting aside a couple of floors to make a semi-separate hotel with separate check-in and services, but with the advantage of guests being able to access all the restaurants, gyms and pools of the larger hotel if they want.
The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort was one such example, and now the latest to follow this trend is the Fairmont Gold in Dallas. They've turned the top three floors of the Fairmont Hotel into a boutique hotel space for "gold guests". There are 47 rooms in the Fairmont Gold, include six deluxe rooms and six suites, and the area includes two lounges with drinks and snacks in the evening and a continental breakfast in the morning.
The Fairmont Gold must have hit the mark, because it's already getting some celebrity visitors--they say that John McCain stayed in the presidential suite of the Gold recently. With rates ranging from $250 to $1,000, it's not at all out of the question that you could be a gold guest too.
[Photo: AUTUMNSUN]
Tags: Hotel Openings / Hotel Blog Watch / Dallas Hotels / → All Tags
Hotel Re-Opening: Stoneleigh Hotel in Dallas Set for Early March
A half a year back we got a bit excited about the Stoneleigh Hotel because, as well as going through a massive renovation, it was also keeping a blog about it, and you know that we love a good hotel blog.
You can see from the blog that the makeover has made real progress, including a sneak peek of the renovated rooms and an entry about the day the grand new signage was put into place.
The word is that the Stoneleigh will now have its grand reopening in March 2008. The completely renovated hotel (exterior too) will now also include a full-service spa and restaurant, and adjacent is a new 21-floor building housing one to three bedroom suites and penthouses.
Tags: Bad Rate / Hotel Indigo / Dallas Hotels / → All Tags
Bad Rate :: State Fair Gouging at Hotel Indigo Dallas
[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same region and decide which one most deserves your hard-earned benjamins. Rates quoted here were captured on September 12, 2007 and are subject to change. Enjoy.]
When the Holiday Inn on Main Street in Dallas converted to the reasonably priced Hotel Indigo brand, it generally got good reviews from guests. Of course most of those guest were paying between $90 and $130, not the $240 the hotel is charging during the Texas State Fair.
Like the price of umbrellas on a rainy day, these hotel rates have shot up substantially during the fair, putting the Indigo on par with hotels that have much larger rooms and more amenities. When we checked dates after the fair, rates had dropped down to $120 for a weekend standard, exactly half the price. Let's see, that's about, ummmm...48 corn dogs!
Related Stories:
· Good Rate :: Marriott Suites in Dallas for the Texas State Fair [HotelChatter]
Tags: Hotel Openings / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Hotel WiFi / → All Tags
Ritz-Carlton Dallas Now Open and Offering Wireless Internet in Rooms
The Ritz-Carlton Dallas had its official opening yesterday and out of curiosity we decided to check what the going rates were for tonight.
We found a standard Ritz room going for $329 which is standard Ritz rate. But what totally surprised us was the room description which we have posted above.
"Wireless internet"? We're impressed. It looks like Ritz-Carltons are finally getting the idea that people don't want to be tied to their desks. Of course, we bet that's going to cost ya at least $10 a day. We've put in a call to the hotel and we'll keep you posted on the exact cost.
Related Stories:
· Bon Appetit and Ritz-Carlton Dallas to Host a Delish Opening Weekend [HotelChatter]
· Annual WiFi Report [HotelChatter]
Tags: Hotel Blog Watch / Hotel Renovations / Hotel Construction / Hotel News / → All Tags
Stoneleigh Hotel Gets to Blogging (And More) About Makeover
Today we have a triple-whammy--we are pointed to a new hotel in Dallas, thanks to an excellent tipster Ztraveler, plus we learn the place is undergoing renovations AND has a blog about the construction. So that's a hotel renovation, a hotel blog and a hotel review all in one.
The Stoneleigh is set to reopen sometime this fall after getting an entire top-to-bottom makeover. The hotel, originally built in the early 1923, will soon have an all-new tower of residences, along with fully upgraded rooms (pictured above), a luxurious Penthouse suite, a restaurant, swank lounge, full-service spa, an outdoor courtyard and an outdoor pool (set for 2008.)
The blog has posted some of the renderings for the rooms as well as some updates about themed suites--Judy Garland and Margo Jones rooms are expected as a way to honor the hotel's historic celebrity guests. There's also a few more posts on the expected plans as well as the billboards advertising the Tower Residences. Additionally, the hotel's revamped website is chock full of information.
So anything you could ever want to know about this hotel--past and present--can be found on these websites. And you know what? We really like that.
Tags: Hotel Restaurants / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Hotel News / Hotel Openings / Hotel Opening Rates / → All Tags
Bon Appetit and Ritz-Carlton Dallas to Host a Delish Opening Weekend
The Ritz-Carlton Dallas and its in-house Fearing's Restaurant (former Mansion on Turtle Creek executive chef Dean Fearing's concept), are slated to open this August 15th.
To celebrate, R-C and Bon Appetit Magazine will host "The Opening," a weekend-long benefit for Chefs for Humanity featuring the R-C chefs, Dean Fearing, Cat Cora (from Iron Chef!) and the editor-in-chief of Bon Appetit, Barbara Fairchild.
The weekend itinerary:
"Festivities begin Friday night with a glittering cocktail and small bites reception and continue through the weekend with intimate events and hands-on cooking and spa experiences. The centerpiece of the weekend is the Saturday night gala featuring Dean Fearing's induction to the Chefs Council of Chefs for Humanity. The weekend culminates with a lavish Sunday Champagne Brunch."
The event will take place a month after the hotel and restaurant officially open, on September 14-16, 2007 and a limited quantity of tickets are on sale now. Partial proceeds from the weekend will go to Chefs for Humanity, a global nutrition relief program set to launch an initiative in Dallas in conjunction with "The Opening."
However, if you're eager to stay on the hotel's very first night, August 15th, deluxe rooms are going for $329 a piece.
Related Stories:
· Bon Appetit's Culinary and Wine Focus: The Grand Tasting at Caesars Palace [HotelChatter]
· Hotels in Dallas [HotelChatter]
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