DFW Airport Marriott South

BACKGROUND Originally opened in 2000, this property near Dallas/Fort Worth airport has been fully renovated to the tune of about US$10 million and is now a “new design” Marriott.

W H AT ’ S IT LIKE? It’s a low-rise redbrick property set in its own grounds with lawns and trees. The entrance has a large porte cochère under which taxis and the airport shuttle bus arrive and depart, with a Marriott employee ready to help carry bags or call a cab.

The huge lobby enjoys plenty of natural light and features an initial seating area with screens and then a kind of sunken rotunda with a Starbucks café to one side and a restaurant and M Club Lounge to the other. There is also a display celebrating the Marriott brand, along with a photo of Bill Marriott. The design is clean and modern without in any way seeming anything other than anonymous. The friendliness of the welcome made up for it and, despite being only a silver member of the Marriott Rewards programme, I was offered 500 points on checking in (I wasn’t clear why, but was grateful anyway).

WHERE IS IT? About five kilometres south of the airport, accessible by a complimentary shuttle. It is in the Centreport Business Park, where you’ll find the offices of American Airlines, AT&T and MercedesBenz. The park is also served by the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) into Dallas and Fort Worth, although Uber and taxis are reasonably priced, so it would probably be easier to use them than to lug your bags to and from the station.

ROOMS The 302 rooms are very spacious – entry-level King rooms are 29 sqm but seem even larger because there isn’t much furniture. Along one wall underneath the 49-inch TV (equipped with Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services) is a goodsize desk with plenty of power points and a USB socket – there are more of these by the beds. Also supplied are a laptop safe and ironing board. Monochrome framed photographs on the walls are the only decoration, but the rooms are easy on the eye if a little underserved by lighting. The bathrooms have also been properly renovated, which is not always the case if a hotel has undergone a “soft” refurbishment, and the showers are excellent.

FOOD AND DRINK The restaurant and bar is called Doc’s Bar and Kitchen – it serves a wide selection of dishes including steaks, salads and small plates. I didn’t eat there in the evening but the buffet breakfast (US$16) was reasonable without being memorable. The new design in the restaurant is attractive, with rough stone walls and lots of comfortable seating. Most guests seemed to be entering the M Club Lounge, where breakfast was also served. It’s a little strange having this place hidden behind opaque glass in the lobby. As the website puts it, this is “an elevated, premium concierge lounge for our most valuable customers”, which has a rather dispiriting effect on those of us unable to enter. There’s also a Starbucks coffee bar and a small shop behind reception for buying snacks and drinks.

MEETINGS This is obviously a big USP of the hotel and the day I stayed it seemed that most guests were involved in one meeting or another. There are 15 rooms in all, totalling more than 1,300 sqm, the largest being capable of hosting an event for 750 people.

LEISURE A ground-floor pool and gym.

VERDICT This hotel is focused on both business travellers and those attending meetings and events, and has all the facilities you would need or expect for those purposes. The new design doesn’t try to create a fashionable atmosphere, but it has certainly updated its appeal.

The property has been fully renovated to the tune of about US$10 million