DALLAS— Many years and millions of dollars went into the new Grand Hyatt DFW prior to its debut here this past summer. The $70 million hotel is the brand’s first property in Texas and its first airport location.
Adjoining the new International Terminal D at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, the 298-room hotel is owned by DFW Airport and managed by Hyatt Hotels.
The years that elapsed from the time the project was conceived until it opened presented some design challenges, according to Connie Jackson, principal and senior designer of the Dallas-based Wilson & Associates. “The hardest thing was coming up with the design for the hotel in the year 2000 and then putting it on hold while the terminal was being built. But we created a timeless design so we had no problem getting the product,” she said.
“We needed a design that would work with the international market as well as the U.S. traveler,” Jackson continued. “We started with a color palette with sage green because when the international traveler arrives, they are often groggy and it was felt that sage green would be soothing for them when they arrived.
“Then the Airport Board told us the hotel would get a variety of guests from the Asian market so we wanted a little bit of an Asian feel as well and added cinnabar red and black to the color palette,” she said.
“We kept the wood light and used a medium color cherrywood that goes from the ballrooms and meeting rooms, which are underground, to the lobby which is one floor above ground and has a large expanse of glass, to the guestrooms where we used the cherrywood mixed with stainless for the case goods,” she said. Guestroom case goods are supplied by American Atelier.
It was also important to design a hotel that would attract “the more discerning business traveler,” said George Vizer, general manager.
“Grand Hyatt is a luxury brand that appeals to those who can afford a $300 a night hotel room. We wanted a refined, residential feel and furnishings similar to what that traveler would have in their home— richer robes, more luxurious towels, and 32-inch flat-screen plasma televisions,” Vizer explained.
There are many luxe touches in the guestroom, Jackson noted. “For the flat-screen television there is a chest with drawer units and a refrigerator. The desk has a 36- by 66-inch black granite desktop, so guests can sit and conduct business or have great room service,” she said.
“There is a wall panel unit in cherrywood that holds the headboard and nightstand which is cantilevered off the wall panel. The wall sconces are hard-wired through the headboard,” Jackson noted. Similar to the desk, the nightstand has a black granite surface supplied by Alpha Granite and Marble.
“There is a really wonderful bedding package with 350-thread-count sheets,” Jackson said. She added that each bed has a throw at the bottom, which comes in handy for the international traveler who arrives in the daytime and wants to take a nap.
The carpet, supplied by Shaw Hospitality, is tone on tone, cut and loop construction of solution-dyed nylon in sage green. The vinyl wall covering by MDC is also sage. “It is very monochromatic and with the white sheeting, it’s very soothing,” she commented.
The guest bath has four fixtures including a soaking tub, free-standing glass shower, toilet and vanity.
“The square footage [104 square feet] makes this one of the largest hotel bathrooms in Dallas,” Jackson said. The guestroom itself is 380 square feet.
For a luxurious look, the floors, shower wall and vanity feature black granite and contrast nicely with the white sink, toilet and tub. There is a clear glass floating mirror over the vanity cantilevered off the wall.
Throughout the hotel efforts were made to use products that were made in the U.S. and many of the vendors are based in the Dallas area, according to Jackson, who pointed out attempts were also made to use minority manufacturers. “The artwork in the hotel was custom-painted by Texas artists,” said.
The hotel’s airport location did pose some challenges, according to both Jackson and Vizer. “The windows have spectacular views overlooking the runway but you don’t hear the jets and that was a challenge. There is a special window system to prevent the noise from penetrating the guestroom and the glass is tinted— it’s almost like wearing sunglasses,” Jackson said.
Security was also a challenge as the hotel is connected to the terminal. “We didn’t want people wandering in from the terminal and having access to guest floors,” she said. In response to that concern, Vizer noted that a “high quality” key card system was installed in the hotel to prevent unauthorized access to the hotel’s elevators and guestrooms.
