From time to time I like to share great restaurant, travel or hotel experiences with readers of this blog. I hope you find them useful when you are conducting your own travels. I just returned from Dallas and experienced a relatively new hotel (almost 1 year old) that is immediately one of my top 5 favorites in the world! Regardless of price.
The Joule, owned by Tim Headington and part of the Starwood Hotel chain and is located in the middle of downtown Dallas. It's a renovated space with a 1920s neo-Gothic facade and a very hip interior. This hotel is to genuine what the W is to fake. Despite the terrific finishes, service and experience, the prices are not over the top...competitive.
Top 5 things I love about the Joule:
1. Incredibly cool design...but classy...not cheap or trying too hard.
2. Great service - from the valet to the front desk to the room service...all top rate.
3. Best functional layout I have seen in a standard shaped hotel room...EVER! Everything is where it should be and it flows. Huge multi-head shower, snazzy sink area, heavy cut class features and light dimmers everywhere.
4. Atmosphere...from a comfortable lounge to calming music in the room to the lighting...the choreography is well well done!
5. Charlie Palmer - Yes, they even pulled in a top of the line bar and steak-house. The restaurant is beautiful. You have to check out the art work...photo-shopped themes calling on classic children's stories like the "3 Little Pigs" and "Wizard of Oz." Apparently the artist is the son of the designer. Executive Chef Scott Romano puts a personal twist on classic steakhouse dishes like Poached Black Tiger Shrimp in Bloody Mary vinaigrette and Dry-Aged NY Strip Steak with bone marrow flan, and the wine selection includes an assortment of food-friendly wines such as white and red Burgundies as well as Pierre Peters- Champagne. You will also love the eWinebook list they bring to the table on a tablet computer. Slick!!!
Bottom line, I will never stay in another hotel in Dallas. It's that good. So, if you are headed to a medical conference in Dallas, book the Joule early and enjoy one of the bright spots of the city.
