This is a happy and hospitable hotel, particularly among the valet and bell staff. But there are a few quirks to note before planning a stay.
The exterior of the Ritz-Carlton Dallas bears more than a passing resemblance to 55 Central Park West, the building made famous in the 1984 movie "Ghostbusters," (absent the gargoyles). The hotel calls this “the Art Deco undertones of the building's architecture.” Portions of the interior hallways clad in rich ostrich leather and warm brown hues would also be right at home in the 1980s, and could even double as the set used for JR Ewing’s office of the blockbuster television show, "Dallas." Even the complementary Cosmopolitan in-room cocktail recalls the heyday of yuppy 80s indulgence. I was astonished to learn, however, that the hotel only opened in 2007 and Rottet Studio completed a full-scale redesign in 2023 to capture “luxury, warmth, tradition, and monumental grandeur,” while redefining “the standards of opulence.” How this renovation ignored painting the hallways and refinishing the room doors is a mystery, especially since they are dinged, dented and scratched from the slings and arrows of luggage carts, roller bags and room service trolleys. It’s almost like experiencing two hotels: the old in the hallways and elevators and the new in the renovated rooms with a “color palette of rich walnut contrasted with bone colored ribbed lacquer and accents of copper and rose-gold tones… creating a “haven for connoisseurs of refined taste” and “a milieu of individuality”( does the Ritz-Carlton Dallas PR team moonlight writing breathless romance novels?!).
They say that everything is bigger in Texas, but I’d argue that’s not the case with the standard guest rooms. They’re nice, but size-wise, what a real estate agent would describe as “cozy,” measuring a bit over 400 square feet. A fine amount of room for a solo traveler, but you may find yourself bumping into your companion (or their luggage) for higher occupancy. The guest rooms have been remodeled, but some vestiges remain. I lack the locks of Fabio or Conan the Barbarian – to keep with the 80s theme -- and do not use a hair dryer personally. I was informed, however, the fragile puff of air emerging from the aged Conair 1825 fails to measure up to the Dyson Supersonic (or equivalent) more commonly found in luxury hotels. Various cards are also distributed throughout the room admonishing guests not to purloin (1) bathrobes ($125), (2) shampoo, (3) conditioner (4) shower gel (charges of $68 dollars per item filched), and 5) umbrellas lest ($75) along with a “you move it you bought it” minibar. Perhaps the hotel is concerned guests will channel eponymous founder César Ritz who was fired from the Savoy hotel in London for alleged theft of wine and spirits before he founded the famous Paris outpost?
As is the tradition of the Ritz-Carlton brand, if you are no one of particular import, you should consider the room rate paid as only the beginning of your financial commitment. Everything else is extra. This includes so called “elites” of the Marriott Bonvoy® accustomed to receiving comped capuan breakfast feasts at sister brands such as the St. Regis. In a nod to this dynamic, the Ritz-Carlton Dallas allocates two Lilliputian pastries per day, available at the Fearing’s Hostess Stand from 7 am – 10 am. Fortunately, what these treats lack in volume, they make up for in deliciousness. If guests are left unsatisfied and want to skip the in-house breakfast, there’s always a chance to walk up the street a few blocks to a Whole Foods or grab a KIND bar from the fitness center.
Speaking of fitness, a special shout out to the attendants maintaining the excellent fitness center with operating room standards of cleanliness. Nary a speck of dust nor a drop of sweat to be seen. And the facility provides not only eucalyptus-infused chilled towels (borrowing a play from the Equinox playbook, or the other way around?), chilled and room temperature water, but also two flavors of gratis Gatorade, something I have never seen in a hotel fitness facility. Would that they made one of the flavors G Zero.
The guests during my stay were a lively, upscale lot, or what the Ritz-Carlton Dallas PR team might describe as a “cavalcade of whimsy.” There are families with younger children munching burgers and fries by the pool while their parents enjoy specialty cocktails only available at the pool bar. Young southern gentlemen in de rigueur plaid sport coats with pocket squares, accompanying cachinnating ladies in vibrant sundresses. Bentley, G-Wagon and Range Rover-driving locals arrive clad in fringed dresses, cowboy boots and Stetson hats worn unironically. And let's not forget the septuagenarians pushing lapdogs about in custom strollers. In short, a classic Ritz-Carlton experience with a Texas twist.
The Rattlesnake Bar turns out classic cocktails, but in an environment that could be described as “dark and darker.” It’s not as dark as the bar at the Mansion on Turtle Creek down the road – the darkest bar I have ever been to where I couldn’t see my hand to grab a glass; in fact the Mansion is the second-darkest place I have ever been, eclipsed only by the Big Pit National Coal Museum 300 feet under the earth in Blaenavon, Torfaen, Wales. But the Rattlesnake Bar is still pretty dark. Perhaps I was overly sensitive to darkness as I was visiting Dallas for the total eclipse, but the other patrons didn’t seem to care a jot: The later the time, the more boisterous the revelry. I asked a server if it was always such, to which she replied, “Oh yes”! An unusual dynamic for most hotel bars, so prepare to get lit.
The Ritz-Carlton Dallas is a solid choice. If your taste runs a bit more modern or lighter and brighter, just a stone’s throw away is the Hotel Crescent Court (which I previously reviewed) as an alternative (as it was for the Houston Rockets, in town during my stay to play the Mavericks). The owner won’t mind: Fort Worth-based Crescent Real Estate owns both hotels.
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