75201 Travel Guide
Hotel WiFi / Hotel Technology / Dallas Hotels / ZaZa Hotels / Hotel Amenities / Free WiFi / → All Tags
The Hotel Zaza in Dallas Gets Serious About Their Tech Offerings
Often times, when we plead our case for free hotel WiFi, we hear that setting up a network or upgrading an existing network is an expensive investment for hotels and in order to recoup the costs, they need to charge guests to use the WiFi.
Now, every hotel is different but there are plenty of hotels out there that have been updating their networks to provide faster speeds and more bandwidth to guests and they still aren't charging for WiFi.
For example, The Hotel ZaZa in Dallas which recently added a new fiber data network throughout the hotel. Hotel president, Benji Homsey, explained the reason for the network upgrade saying:
We designed this network with special attention to the increased presence of Apple iPad, iPhone and Google/Android users in conjunction with the typical laptop usage. We want every Hotel ZaZa guest to have the best, from coverage and access points to best of breed fiber data network to the newly installed bedside power docks in every room.
And the charge to access the internet? It's still totally free.
Hotel News / Hotel Rebrandings / Dallas Hotels / Historic Hotels / Celebrity Hotels / Texas Hotels / Le Meridien Hotels / Starwood Hotels / Haunted Hotels / → All Tags
The Stoneleigh In Dallas Has Morphed Into a Le Meridien
The most historic hotel in Dallas has officially changed hands, but all of the historic flair of The Stoneleigh Hotel will remain untouched just under the Le Meridien name.
The hotel, originally built in 1923, has seen plenty of stars through out the years; it was where Hollywood's movers and shakers stayed while visiting the Texas city. It has seen everyone from Elvis Presley, Judy Garland and Katharine Hepburn in its glory days, to Jessica Simpson and Lebron James more recently after a 2008 refurb.
The new owners, HEI Hotels, plan to update the lobby-bar with modern furniture and take advantage of the unique courtyard to attract Dallas' social-set to the Uptown area hotel. Already, the landmark Beaux-Arts building has changed the restaurant name to T/X, and serving up revamped Latin-American cuisine. We do appreciate when hotels give their properties a little love and spruce things up a bit, even when they're historical legends.
Hotel Room Service / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Dallas Hotels / Texas Hotels / → All Tags
Ritz-Carlton, Dallas Does Room Service In True Savory Texas Style
Texas pecan pie for room-service dessert? Yee-haw!
It seems the room-service debate will never go away. Some people call us suckers for succumbing to ordering it, others find it a life-saver in those wee hours when we’re feeling a bit peckish and don’t feel like going out on a food hunt.
But today we’re not debating whether it’s a good idea or not, we’re going to celebrate what we consider one of the most interesting in-room dining room menus we've encountered in a while, and since it’s near quitting time, it’s time for food porn, anyway.
This submission comes courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas. Instead of yawn-worthy, limp Caesar salads and uninspired burgers, this hotel is bringing the goods with a Lone Star State-twist. We’re talking chilaquiles with smoked short rib hash, mini-elk sausage corn dogs with Dr.Pepper barbecue sauce, “Sous Vide” beef tacos, and Texas pecan pie.
And there's more, so much finger-licking more, after the jump.
Hotel Packages / Fairmont Hotels / Dallas Hotels / Texas Hotels / Hotel Tours / TV Set Hotels / → All Tags
The Fairmont Dallas Wants You To Be An Oil Baron For A Day
Some of us are old enough (gulp) to remember the evening soap Dallas which began in the 1970s and ended in 1991. In it, that darn oil-rich Ewing family was always getting into trouble, but boy, did they live life to the fullest. However, if you happen to be one of the lucky ones who doesn’t remember the original show, you, too, can become a believer: We hear that the new version of Dallas has just been renewed by TNT for a second season.
To celebrate, The Fairmont Dallas wants you to try out the Ewing lifestyle with their "Dallas Oil Baron Experience” package. With the recent news of Larry Hagman's passing, maybe this is a way to let folks honor the 81-year-old actor's most memorable character, so we say, "go for it."
The package offers a minimum of two nights’ accommodation in a Fairmont Gold Room; access to the Fairmont Gold Lounge with its complimentary breaky and afternoon appies; a private tour for two of Southfork Ranch – the Ewing family’s abode; champagne; and a ride in a chauffeured BMW to Neiman Marcus for some shopping therapy. And because you’re special, you even get a signed copy of the Neiman Marcus Taste cookbook as a memento of your weekend of wealth.
Rates for the “Dallas Oil Baron Experience” package start at $469/night. Oh, and don’t forget your cowboy boots. The hotel doesn’t say they’re necessary, but if you’re going to walk the walk….
[Photos: The Fairmont Hotels and Resorts]
Fourth of July Hotels / Hotel Pools / Dallas Hotels / Starwood Hotels / Luxury Collection Hotels / → All Tags
To Do After The Fireworks: The Midnight Pool Party at the Joule
The best place to spend a hot, sticky Fourth of July is in a pool. But to really do it up in style, you'll head to The Joule for its July 3 midnight pool party that's part of a stay-two-nights, get-one-free deal.
The Dallas hotel's pool is incredible—we named it one of our top 10 death-defying rooftop hotel pools. It hangs off of the side of the building and gives the illusion that you are swimming off of the edge. A plexiglass window allows you to see the city while you splash about.
Holiday Cocktails / Hotel Cocktails / Hotel Bars / Dallas Hotels / Fairmont Hotels / → All Tags
Ginger Snap Cookies Now In Cocktail Form At The Fairmont Dallas
Truth be told, we're much more into savory bites, even when the Christmas cookie craze hits... right about now. But after hearing about the Ginger Snap Cookie Cocktail served at Pyramid Restaurant & Bar inside the Fairmont Dallas we may be persuaded to grow a sweet tooth, after all.
Apparently, Pyramid’s head bartender Ray Elizardo was inspired by the smell of gingerbread that's in the air this time of year, and decided to turn it into a digestif. Smart man. We also like Elizardo's reminder that ginger can help to calm the discomfort that so often follows overindulgence.
Of course, in our translation this means we can eat an entire holiday spread and then follow it up with two or three of these cocktails and still feel light on our feet. That's what he means, right?
Hotel Food / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Dallas Hotels / → All Tags
Do a Stint as the Guest Guacamologist at the Ritz-Carlton, Dallas
If you’ve always wanted to whip up Mexican cuisine like chef Rick Bayless, the Ritz-Carlton, Dallas will help fulfill your Top Chef Masters dreams with its guest guacamologist program. And yes, that would be your real title.
You may not learn Bayless’s famous 27-ingredient mole, but an aspiring chef of Mexican cuisine has to start somewhere. As the guest guacamologist, you’d work with the pro guacamologist to make your own custom dip from scratch using Texas farm-to-market produce.
Hotel Contests / Easter Hotels / Dallas Hotels / Luxury Collection Hotels / Starwood Hotels / → All Tags
Where Has The Joule Hotel Laid All These Golden Eggs?
One of our favorite parts of Easter was the egg hunt. We'd love searching for the colorful eggs and beating out our brother for the big prize. The Joule is making its own Easter Egg hunt for adults, but instead of getting tucked away in your backyard, the eggs will be hidden across nine different cities. Plus, the prize is better than the $5 mom and dad gave us.
The hotel will hide one oversized golden egg in Atlanta; Austin; Houston; Los Angeles; Miami; New Orleans; New York, Washington, D.C.; and Dallas. Successful egg hunters in each city will win a night in one of the hotel's suites, two cocktails from PM Nightlife Lounge, breakfast in bed, dinner at Charlie Palmer, and a $200 American Express gift card to help with airfare.
Hotel Deals / Hotel Packages / Dallas Hotels / Luxury Collection Hotels / Starwood Hotels / → All Tags
The Joule's Frisky Package Gives You Bubbly, Movies and Zebra Print
If you're looking for a quickie getaway with your lovah, The Joule will set you up with bubbly, breakfast in bed and complimentary movies.
As part of the Dallas hotel's Around the Clock package, you'll get Champagne, an an organic egg breakfast for two up in your room and unlimited in-room movies. Plus, you can stay a full 24 hours despite your check-in time, so feel free to sleep in.
Holiday Cocktails / Fairmont Hotels / Dallas Hotels / Hotel Bars / → All Tags
Hunker Down with Hot Toddies at the Fairmont Dallas
You know how much we love our cocktails here at HotelChatter. We'll find any reason to celebrate with a cocktail and fortunately for us (but not for our liver), hotels feel the same way. We've slurped down Summer Cocktails and Halloween Cocktails and now we're ready for the main event, Holiday Cocktails. We'll be taking a look at these concoctions all season long. If you have a suggestion, don't hold out on us. (Photos, recipes and prices are helpful too!)
The saying goes, "Don't Mess With Texas" but thanks to the current deep freeze across America, we Yankees are going to have our way with the two hot toddies being offered by the Fairmont Dallas.
The Hot Tea Toddy ($9) is for those who want to keep it simple. The drink mixes some Canton Ginger Liquer in an Irish mug of jasmine green tea. The Red Hot Toddy, however, is for those who want a real kick with their drink. The concoction ($8) has cider, Malbec, three Red Hot candies, a spoonful of agave nectar and some good old Canadian Whiskey. Both are served in the hotel's Pyramid Bar which is open Monday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to midnight and from noon to midnight on Sundays. Want to spend the night? Rates here start at $140 a night.
Can't get to Dallas? Make your own hot toddy with the recipes below.
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.
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.
