Indulge in Quiet Luxury at This Dallas Hotel That Looks Like a Castle

When I was a kid, my Turkish grandmother referenced the ‘80s soap opera Dallas anytime she talked about the mystique of American culture, particularly American wealth and Texan folklore — down to cowboys and oil heirs. I’ve never seen the show, but something tells me it was an accurate depiction because every time I step foot in Dallas, I smell not oil itself but oil (read: old) money.

There’s an air of luxury in Dallas, and my recent stay at Hotel Crescent Court was no exception. My Uber pulled up to what looked like an American version of a castle, with stone exteriors and meticulously ornate arches. “This is it!” the driver exclaimed.

I strolled into the lobby, which the property calls the Great Hall, where I spotted a headless statue reminiscent of the Louvre’s Venus de Milo, as well as dangling wiry art much like you’d find in New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Unlike the Louvre or MoMA, though, the hotel’s Great Hall was not overflowing with tourists carrying iPhone cameras in hand.

In a place like Dallas, you realize true luxury is about quiet luxury. As the saying goes: money talks, wealth whispers.

Photo: Keven Gungor

My next stop was checking into my room. Hotel Crescent Court has 186 guest rooms and 40 suites in total, spread across five sprawling floors. They range from 380 square feet (on the slightly larger side of average for a standard US hotel room) to 3,035 square feet (about 40 percent larger than the median US single-family home of late, according to census data).

I waltzed into what the property calls a Premier Room (480 square feet) with modern art adorning its walls and amber and golden tones throughout, accentuating the luxury motif while also creating a warm home-away-from-home ambience.

True to the motto that everything’s bigger in Texas, my bed was one of the largest I’ve seen, and the hallway between the bedroom and bathroom consisted of not one but two floor-to-ceiling wooden closets to neatly fit all wardrobe needs.

Photo: Keven Gungor

I was excited to check out the bathroom next — typically the highlight of an upscale hotel. This one was larger than my apartment’s living room, with a deep soaking tub (bath salts included), a jumbo mirror, and a walk-in shower that could accommodate a family of six all at once.

Really, though, it’s the hotel’s largest suite, the Grand Presidential Suite, that showcases how palatial the accommodations can get. With features like a grand piano and a spiral staircase leading to the master suite (there’s also a guest room), the two-bedroom suite can optionally connect to two other suites, making it a four-bedroom mansion by hotel room standards. If money talks and wealth whispers, quiet luxury in Hotel Crescent Court’s splurgiest suites echoes.

Photo: Keven Gungor

What I love about hotels like Hotel Crescent Court is that if you really want to relax and decompress, you can chill there without ever having to leave the property.

While the terrace pool offers dips and sunbathing, the Wellness Center below the Great Hall provides a different pace for fitness enthusiasts and spa-goers. The 24-hour gym extends guests complimentary group classes including Barre, yoga, and spin six days a week (not Sundays).

Guests can also access the spa’s amenities (whirlpool, sauna, steam room, and cold plunge) regardless of whether they’ve booked a massage or other service there — though I highly recommend making a reservation for the latter during a stay.

The spa menu includes everything from traditional Swedish massages and CBD herbal massages to oxygen facials and boost skin rejuvenation treatments, plus packages ranging from $300 to $600 with posh names like the Distinguished Gentleman (deep tissue massage, pedicure, and manicure) and the Taste Of Luxury (Swedish massage and custom facial).

Photo: Keven Gungor

No Hotel Crescent Court visit is complete without a promenade through its courtyard, as highlighted by the property’s name itself. This lush and tranquil spot leads to the Crescent Complex, a shopping center with upscale restaurants and boutique shops — demonstrative of the trendy Uptown vibes the neighborhood embodies.

Uptown Dallas possesses its own West Village neighborhood, named after the iconic New York City downtown area. In the vein of New York City’s charming quarter filled with brownstones lined with trees, Dallas’s equivalent carries a reminiscent chicness, with elevated shopping and refined dining. The West Village is a five-minute car ride from Hotel Crescent Court and a 25-minute stroll away.

Photo: Keven Gungor

Where Hotel Crescent Court really shines is its on-site restaurants. Take The Conservatory, which sets a high bar as the hotel’s self-proclaimed “casual dining option.” Based in a glass sunroom, The Conservatory offers brunch dishes that parallel the design of the adjacent courtyard in view, with meticulous attention to detail on each plate’s presentation.

For savory options later in the day, the property also plays host to a Nobu, the famous Japanese restaurant chain known for celebrity clientele across other locations like Malibu. The Crescent Club across the street, styled like a 19th-century private dining club, offers another elegant option. Unfortunately, my trip was too quick to explore either spot, but they’re both on my list for my next Dallas rodeo.

Photo: Keven Gungor

Lining the right side of the Great Hall is Beau Nash, a cocktail bar that also has a full meal service (think lobster tempura tacos, 44 Farms prime beef filet, and desserts like chocolate raspberry mousse, which I couldn’t resist during my stay).

When special events occur at the property, the tables surrounding Beau Nash in the Great Hall are revamped. On the particular weekend I visited, I was invited to experience afternoon tea, which takes place every weekend during brunch hours with varying seasonal themes. Mine had spring-inspired table decor, African black tea and Southern-style iced sweet tea, and light sandwich bites and tasty treats like scones, carrot cake, and key lime pie.

Photo: Keven Gungor

Hotel Crescent Court is a 20-minute car ride from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), the city’s main airport. The property has a valet service for guests, as well as a complimentary house car service within a five-mile radius on a first-come, first-served basis.

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