Background
Opened in November 2021, this hotel is in the recently restored National building, designed by George Dahl in 1965, which has had a US$460 million restoration and now houses the 219-room hotel, four restaurants and 324 apartments. Thompson Hotels is part of Hyatt.
Where is it?
In the City Center District, a short walk from Dallas Downtown Historic District and an easy stroll to the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.
What’s it like?
The 52-storey building has a wide base clad with 17,555 exterior marble panels sourced from the same quarry as the marble used for the Parthenon in Greece. The building then rises in dark glass cladding with white lines (apparently to resemble the suits of the bankers who once worked here) from the ninth floor base to a total of 52 storeys.
Reception is very dramatic, with some of the more than US$2 million of art and one-of-a-kind furnishings on display, from Frieze London, PAD London, and other galleries selected by interior designer Caroline Todd. The lobby chandeliers are from NYC’s Hudson Furniture, plus there’s a marble and brass Hervé Langlais coffee table, Kelly Wearstler lighting, and custom textured wallpaper from Dallas-based Craft Wallcovering. The lifts face gigantic prints of black-and-white photos by David Yarrow.
The reception also has a Tondeo Hair Lounge by Derek Ortiz, a floral design studio and workshop called The Botanical Mix and either side of reception an art gallery and a Lucchese leather products shop. It can be a little daunting checking in, but liveried staff are welcoming and whisk your bags away. Reception was efficient and very good at explaining the rather complicated layout of the hotel.
Rooms
The hotel has 219 rooms, including 52 suites, and two penthouse suites. Rooms are on floors 10 to 20, with the apartments (called residences) from floors 21 up to 48. There are several different categories (and sizes) for both rooms and suites, but all feature walnut and brass headboards, blue lacquered walls around the exterior wall of the bathroom, leather upholstered furniture, Frette bathrobes, Sferra linens and custom duvets, and large bottles of DS and Durga Bowmakers bath amenities.
Entry level King rooms start at 48 sqm and all sizes are generous, as you’d hope with a luxury hotel at this price point. There are no tea or coffee-making facilities, though I was told that these could be pre-requested or you can pick up a filter coffee from reception from 0600. The ninth-floor bar is lively from Thursday through to Sunday, so I’d request a room that doesn’t overlook the bar (or the pool area).
Food and drink
There are four restaurants and bars on the ninth and tenth floors. The Nine on National is the place for breakfast and lunch (and a great brunch at the weekends, served until 4pm), while one floor up (confusingly, it is 9C in the lift), there is a tenth-floor restaurant and rooftop bar concept called Catbird.
Both of these have outdoor areas in the summer, and a pool deck and heated pool. Monarch on the 49th floor serves wood-fired Italian cuisine. It is run by a third party, so you can’t sign the meal to your room, but it is outstanding. It’s very fashionable and busy, particularly at the weekend, so reservations are essential. One floor up is the Japanese restaurant Kessaku, a cocktail and sake lounge serving fish and seafood.
Meetings
The fourth floor National Ballroom offers 1,300 sqm of space with three walls of floor-to-ceiling windows and private suites with the ability to load-in directly to the ballroom.
Leisure
Two areas of indoor-outdoor space are located on the ninth floor, which is also home to a full-service spa, fitness and wellness centre, and a resort-style pool.
Verdict
This is a visually stunning luxury hotel with outstanding interior design in the centre of Downtown. There’s a real party atmosphere at the weekend.
FACT BOX
- Best for Cutting-edge design in an architectural gem
- Don’t miss A meal at Monarch – the views are superb, the food delicious and you’ll mingle with the rich of Dallas
- Price Internet rates for a flexible midweek stay in June started from US$389 for a 1 King room, including taxes and fees
- Contact 205 North Akard Street, Dallas TX 75201; +1 469 320 1234; hyatt.com
