DALLAS — Editor's note: This article was originally published in the Dallas Business Journal here.
More than $30 million in renovations are inbound for the Hilton Anatole in an effort that will transform hundreds of guest rooms at the property developed by Trammell Crow as part of the Dallas Market Center complex in the 1970s.
“I look at this guest room renovation as step one,” said Bruce Roy, who was named the Anatole’s general manager last year. “Crow Holdings has been amazing about looking for other opportunities to update spaces. We have a lot of different capital projects going on.”
The re-envisioning of the more than 700 rooms in the hotel’s tower will shift spaces now accented with warm pop colors to more neutral tones with fresh paint, carpet, vanities and sinks, incorporating walk-in showers, and other interior changes. Newly selected art for the spaces features imagery that ties into the Anatole’s broader decor.
The floor plans of individual rooms will include king rooms that feature pullout couches, creating capacity for a family, and double rooms with queen-sized beds.
“Even Harlan (Crow) came here to the hotel to look at some of the colors of the pillows. He’s still involved with making sure the renovations we do in this hotel match what his father’s vision was for the property, which is a really unique thing,” said Roy.
“For us, it’s unique for us to have the same ownership group 44 years after the property was built so that we have that continuity of vision and direction. There’s love in this hotel, and there’s love for this hotel,” he added.
The hotel’s room count in the tower, where accommodations are also closest to event and meetings spaces and the Jade Waters waterpark, will grow from 714 rooms to 718 rooms.
The common spaces, such as elevator banks, will also see updates that complement the refreshed rooms.
The renovations, which will officially kick off in July and are expected to be wrapped by the end of December, will take place from the top down. Visitors to the property will have the opportunity to book the classic rooms or the freshly updated ones as they become available.
The Anatole, which comprises more than 1,606 total guest rooms across the tower and atrium, has restored occupancy levels after the slump brought on across the hospitality industry. It’s just not necessarily the same type of guest as it was before.
“We’re still waiting for more corporate-type travel to come back,” said Roy. “But it’s coming, and we want to be ahead of that. This gives us the opportunity to put our best foot forward.”
The renovation plans were initially revealed in May in a filing with the state. BBGM Architects and Interiors Inc., which is based in Washington, D.C., is listed as the design firm for the work.
Beyond the guest room revamp, the Anatole recently added a sweet shop curated, in part, by the Anatole’s pastry team. It also will soon host TopGolf Swing Suites on its ground floor.
“My boss says that there are very few hotels in the world that are known by just one name,” said Roy, who formerly worked with the Hilton Boston Logan Airport property. “When you say ‘Anatole,’ everybody knows what you’re talking about.”
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