After 5 years of building, the 134-room boutique Resort Swexan in Dallas’ Harwood District opens June 15, 2023.
The 22-floor tower looks like a little bit of a secret. The nondescript entrance door with no home windows leads into a classy however small lobby that doesn’t give hints as to what’s above or beneath.
Within the basement is the nightclub Babou, named for artist Salvador Dalí’s capricious pet ocelot. It has leopard-print carpet that leads right into a quieter bar referred to as the Library at Babou’s. Take the elevator up, and the sixth flooring’s junior ballroom has a black-and-white marble flooring like a sublime chess board. The views of Uptown are breathtaking. Maintain going as much as the Moroccan-style rooftop, the place the pool, bar and resort-style restaurant are accessible solely to resort friends and to members of Golightly, a non-public membership on the seventh flooring.
Among the resort continues to be a piece in progress — the hooks within the foyer ceiling will sometime cling an artwork set up, says Jessica Younger Reid, director of promoting at Harwood Worldwide. Artwork is a part of the resort, and prints and originals come from house owners Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller’s private assortment.
Stillwell’s, the steakhouse on the resort’s seventh flooring, is now the most costly restaurant within the 19-block Harwood District. The restaurant was named for West Texas rancher Hallie Stillwell, a lady in a person’s discipline within the early 1900s. Stillwell’s eating room is meant to be an influence dinner or date-night spot, says Warren Richards, vp of hospitality for Harwood Hospitality Group.
The menu features a prolonged record of cuts from Harwood Premium Beef. There’s a 32-ounce, $198 bone-in tomahawk, a honking 24-ounce, $56 smoked beef rib (a celebration trick to wow an out-of-towner, maybe?), a $74 dry-aged strip, a $60 filet and extra.
Stillwell’s meals is decidedly Texan although the resort is supposed to be a hybrid of Texas and Europe. It’s within the identify: “Swexan,” a mixture of Swiss and Texan. At Stillwell’s, dinner may begin with Deep South-inspired deviled eggs or an upgraded State Truthful snack, lobster corn canines. The Texas theme extends to the bar, the place a Moscow mule known as the Rio Grande. The ranch hand cocktail is an quaint with bacon fat-washed Garrison Brothers bourbon, distilled in Texas.
Images: Inside Resort Swexan in Dallas’ Harwood District
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Strolling by the resort is like taking a tour by a number of cities. The lobby-level cafe, Isabelle’s, is meant to evoke Claridge’s in London and the Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris, says resort common supervisor Julian Payne. The rooftop is a visit to Marrakesh. Stillwell’s steakhouse is all about Texas, however fancy. And Babou’s nightclub is a flamboyant spot — perhaps a rich buddy’s secret hideaway. The large fire towards one wall lends après-ski vibes.
Architect Kengo Kuma says designing the constructing was “like tailoring a go well with — exact and crisp within the Swiss method and relaxed and strong within the Texan spirit.” In case resort friends want pointers, a duplicate of The right way to Be a Texan: The Guide is in every room.
One of many Swexan’s wackier options is its 26 loos all through 22 flooring. Designers had been allowed to go wild, and none of them match. The mosaic tiles main out a WC close to Babou’s learn “You look good” beneath a padded, fire-engine-red door.
There’s a golden potty someplace, a la Austin Powers, firm execs inform me. You’ll have to search out that by yourself.
To date, the Swexan is the one resort within the Harwood District. However this neighborhood is way from constructed out: The Barbier-Mueller household has developed 5 million sq. ft of house in additional than a dozen buildings, with 12 eating places and 9 acres of gardens amongst them. The ultimate plan is 14 million sq. ft throughout 19 metropolis blocks.
Resort Swexan is at 2575 McKinnon St., Dallas. Stillwell’s and Isabelle’s open June 15, 2023; reservations are open now. Babou’s and the connected library bar are anticipated to open later this summer season.
