Hotel Crescent Court

This elegant, Dallas grand-dame is a plush home base for business travelers and those who want access to all the city’s attractions

• The sophisticated décor and serene courtyards
• The in-house Nobu restaurant
• The central Dallas location

When the concierge at the Crescent (previously a Rosewood hotel) located in the complex that also houses the high-end shopping emporium Stanley Korshak, told me that Dallas natives feel a deep emotional connection to the property, I took it for a marketing line. But later that evening over dinner, two friends who were born and raised in the city nearly teared up when describing tea with their grandmothers at this uptown hotel.

As with the Carlyle in New York, the attachment is rooted in nostalgia: high tea at the Crescent Court gave way to dinner at its flashy branch of Nobu, and the tired-looking lobby evokes more memories than ahs. This wasn’t always the case. When the hotel opened, in 1985, as part of a multiuse complex occupying an entire triangular city block, it was touted as one of the most original structures the city had ever seen. Conceived by Rosewood matriarch Caroline Rose Hunt and designed by Philip Johnson (who would go on to create the famous Glass House, in Connecticut), the limestone building has a slight crescent curve—hence its name—its façade adorned with fanciful ornaments, like spun-sugar decorations on a huge cake. Although flanked by two of downtown’s busiest streets, it exudes serenity, thanks to two interior courtyards whose splashing fountains, planted gardens and seating areas make them popular wedding venues.

The 220 rooms, including 29 suites, with their beige palette and honey-wood furniture, are not the world’s most inspired, but they are comfortable, offering such amenities as iHome clock radios, flat-screen televisions and sitting areas in front of the bathrooms equipped with vanity mirrors and lots of counter space. All come with French doors that open onto the leaning balconies with which Johnson enlivened the building face. Standard accommodations are on the small side (especially the bathrooms). The best are the suites, which feature whimsical details like spiral staircases, hardwood floors and original artwork.

When I visited, my fellow guests were mostly businesspeople and groups in town for meetings, who appreciated the convenient location and amenities suited to a work-loaded schedule: Starbucks is a few doors down, the gym in the basement has no views but does sport state-of-the-art equipment and the hotel offers a complimentary car service to destinations within five miles. Everyone agrees that travelers looking for a more intimate, personal hotel experience should check into the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, which is just up the street but feels worlds away.

Business travelers and visitors who like the easy uptown location and traditional design.