Hyatt opens first Thompson hotel in Texas

Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced the opening of Thompson Dallas, which is part of the award-winning lifestyle hospitality brand Thompson Hotels.

As the first Thompson Hotel property in Texas, Thompson Dallas is located at 205 N. Akard Street in the historic George-Dahl-designed building, The National, and features 219 rooms, including 52 suites, two penthouse suites and two world-class culinary destinations: Nine at The National and Catbird. The restoration of The National’s $460 million preservation, paired with the Thompson Hotels brand’s elevated culinary offerings, arts and entertainment, and groundbreaking design, bridges Dallas’ rich legacy of The National with the Thompson Hotels brand’s take on modern luxury at the refined edge of travel. The hotel’s design is brought to life through a collaboration between Caroline Todd of Todd Interiors and Cindy Zelazny of Interiors Limited. Merriman Anderson Architects are the architects of record for the development and are also involved in the interior design.

“Modern-day Dallas represents a global destination for culture, gastronomy and entertainment, and Thompson Dallas personifies the evocative spirit and refined edge of one of The Lone Star State’s most sophisticated cities,” said Steve Shern, general manager, Thompson Dallas. “This is a historic moment for Dallas, and we are proud to welcome guests, World of Hyatt members, customers and the Dallas community to experience Thompson Hotels’ unparalleled guest experience.”

The National & Thompson Dallas Design

Originally designed by George Dahl, the architect responsible for iconic Dallas establishments such as the art deco buildings of Fair Park and Neiman Marcus Downtown, The National historic elements include restored original wood panels inlaid with brass that line the walls of the ninth floor and the original 17,555 hand cut exterior marble panels sourced from the same quarry as the marble used for the Parthenon. More than $2 million of art and one-of-a-kind furnishings from Frieze London, PAD London, and internationally recognized galleries were personally selected by interior designer Caroline Todd and are located throughout the property. Beyond housing Thompson Dallas, The National expects to be home to a variety of influential businesses and organizations including Downtown Dallas, Inc.

Thompson Dallas is part of one of the largest adaptive reuse projects in the history of Texas. Further, Thompson Dallas’ spacious guestrooms average 700 square feet and feature walnut and brass headboards that echo restoration efforts.

World-Class Culinary

Led by Culinary Director Jeramie Robinson, formerly of Uchi and The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, and Director of Restaurants, Bars, and Events Jonathan Geffrard, a 12-year veteran of Hillstone Restaurant Group, Thompson Dallas currently boasts two restaurant experiences: Catbird and Nine at The National.

Located on the 10th floor of the hotel, Catbird is a full-service restaurant, lounge and rooftop bar with a focus on small plates and curated cocktails. Catbird chef de cuisine, Dallas-born and -bred Preston Paine, an alumni of Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas and Tulane University, came back to Dallas on the heels of his most recent position as chef de partie at James Beard Award-Winning restaurant Eleven Madison Park in New York City.

Catbird design elements include deGournay wallpaper, a rooftop trellis in a lush courtyard overlooking the pool, a black petrified wood marble fireplace, blue agate marble countertops, Patagonian quartzite coffee tables from BSL Galerie in Paris, France; and consoles, and walnut and velvet seating by Mexican design duo Ad Hoc.

Nine at The National, located on the ninth floor of Thompson Dallas, offers indoor and outdoor daily dining for breakfast and lunch and also services the resort-style pool and wellness center.

Wellbeing & Guest Amenities

Aligned with Hyatt’s holistic approach to wellbeing, the hotel’s boutique spa and fitness center is expected to open January 2021, and will feature five treatment rooms, hot and cold plunge pools, steam and infrared saunas, a nail salon, blow-out bar, a yoga lawn, Peloton bikes, pilates reformer beds and a golf simulator.

The two-acres of indoor and outdoor space on the ninth floor is also home to the resort-style pool, an outdoor deck and bar, private cabanas equipped with televisions and lounge seating, as well as pet concierge, grooming center and doggie daycare.

Other Thompson Dallas amenities include Ten Dero, a three-chair barbershop helmed by Derek Ortiz as well as a floral design studio and workshop led by Shane Friese, both located in the hotel’s lobby. More than $2 million of art personally selected by the Todd family is spread throughout the property, including David Yarrow photography, paintings by David Bates and JD Miller, sculpture by Raul Mourao and custom shelving by Dallas-based Uncommon Lighting. Thompson Dallas is located alongside The National Residences, 324 luxury high-rise apartments.

Meetings & Special Events

The National Ballroom, originally the fourth-floor lobby of The First National Bank, boasts 14,000 square feet of column-less space, 24 chandeliers, and three walls of 20-foot, floor-to-ceiling windows for unobstructed views of the city. Unique event space and suites overlooking the ballroom and fourth floor curbside event access and parking make preparation and execution for events of any size seamless.

An Evocative Opening Celebration

Thompson Dallas opened its doors on Saturday, November 14, with a series of special events, including the debut of British fine-art photographer David Yarrow’s Texas Series exhibit and the opening of iconic Texas bootmaker Lucchese’s newest downtown retail space, located inside the hotel. The socially distanced soiree featured a riveting new Lucchese capsule collection, designed by American fashion model, actress and Dallas-native Erin Wasson.

Several other Thompson Hotels properties under development that are slated to open in 2021 include Thompson San Antonio, Thompson Savannah, Thompson Buckhead, Thompson Hollywood and Thompson Austin, which will nearly double the brand’s portfolio. Additional Thompson Hotels properties expected to open beyond 2021 include Thompson Denver and Thompson Houston.