Imagine sipping Champagne above a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, or indulging in a heavenly spa treatment with the Manhattan skyline in view. Even if your wallet can't quite stretch to a full-blown luxury getaway, sprinkling a touch of luxe into your travels can turn an ordinary trip into a memorable adventure. That idea sparked our new series, Flights of Fancy, where we take you along for a trip to the luxury experiences around the cities we adore.
Situated near Dallas’s Uptown, the Harwood District spans 19 city blocks filled with dozens of shops, restaurants, and luxury office buildings (Rolex was the first tenant, back in 1984). This trendy area of the city has become known as a great place for a bistro lunch or happy hour cocktails, and last year welcomed its first luxury boutique hotel: Hôtel Swexan.
As I walk into the Hôtel Swexan, my eye is drawn away from the brightly lit check-in desk to the sultry, dark wood-trimmed bar adjacent, separated by a velvet curtain. To the back of the room, there’s a curious looking bookshelf left slightly akimbo — a secret door?
Later, while exploring this new 22-story Dallas boutique hotel, I return again and again to the feeling of always being drawn into some fascinating mystery around every corner — whether it’s a secret bar with a beaded curtain and leopard print carpet, a collection of chainmail Samurai art, or a whimsical Mediterranean rooftop pool perched at the skyline.
“Going from light to dark, dark to light, that duality is meant to jolt your senses,” Jessica Young Reid, director of marketing at Harwood International, the family-owned Dallas real estate firm with roots in Dallas and Geneva that birthed this curious hotel (the hotel’s name, Swexan, is a portmanteau of Swiss and Texan). It’s the first hotel in the company’s portfolio, which now spans 19 city blocks in downtown Dallas known as the Harwood District, filled with dozens of shops and restaurants.
The hotel is like a piece of artwork that continues to reveal itself, and nothing is quite what you expect. Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma (named one of Time Magazine’s top 100 influential people in 2021), it’s disorienting, yet not in an unpleasant way. Instead, it feels like your brain is jolted from room to room out of what is expected from the “typical” hotel. Here’s how you can explore this intriguing hotel on any budget.
If You Have More Than $500
With rooms at Hôtel Swexan starting on average from $625, staying overnight isn’t exactly a budget-conscious hotel option. However, during the summer months and weekdays, you can frequently snag a room for less than $500 per night (for a bigger splurge, check out their unique suites, each designed in a unique aesthetic, and one with a private sauna).
Even a standard room will include beautiful floor-to-ceiling window views, and a comfortable workspace, a walk-in shower, and a tub to soak in.
As a guest of the hotel, you can enjoy the souped-up fitness center, which is unlike any other. Here you’ll find Technogym weight lifting and cardio machines, wet and dry saunas, a cold plunge pool, and complimentary yoga and fitness classes on the outdoor patio or inside the gym. Recent class offerings included a heated sculpt class, boot camp, and a lymphatic drainage massage class. You can also kick back at the rooftop pool and bar, which feels like it was imported straight from Morocco. The hotel also offers complimentary personal shopping services and free rides in the hotel’s electric GEM cars throughout the Harwood district.
If You Have $250
Dallasites are serious about their steakhouses, and of course the Swexan had to enter the ring with its own competitor, Stillwell’s, named in honor of the late West Texas ranching legend Hallie Stillwell. Unlike other sprawling Texas-sized counterparts, this version keeps it intimate with velvet-curtained booths and leather club chairs.
Steaks are sourced from the Harwood Premium Beef — the company’s own cattle operation — which makes it unique among its competitors, and chefs are intentional about reducing waste and using the whole cow. The cattle are Akaushi cattle from Japan, one of four breeds that are designated “wagyu,” which helps Stillwell’s to keep quality and costs consistent. The beef is aged for at least 28 days. Indulge in a filet mignon topped with a slathering of salted butter, accompanied by baked mac and cheese.
Or treat yourself and a friend to afternoon tea at Léonie on weekends from noon to 4pm. Located adjacent to the rooftop pool, this restaurant (normally accessible only to hotel guests) offers exquisite views in a lush, tropical setting. Your tea will include seasonal scones, sweet treats, tea sandwiches, and tea for $85 per person, with the option to add on champagne and caviar. Traditional tea attire is encouraged.
If You Have $100
Style your own cocktail tour throughout Hôtel Swexan’s bars, including the hidden speakeasy bar known as Babou’s, named for Salvador Dalí’s pet ocelot. There are two spaces included in this secret area, and they are of course totally opposite from each other: the first is a two-story library appointed with Japanese Samurai chainmail. The second area is more clubby with disco-style lights, and the aforementioned beaded curtains and animal print.
Two additional bars are Stillwell’s bar (adjacent to the steakhouse) and Isabelle’s, just off the hotel’s main lobby, serving a breakfast, brunch, and lunch menus plus a formidable martini cocktail menu, including the complex and delicious Breakfast of Champions. Think: espresso martini, with vanilla vodka, coffee liqueur, cold brew coffee, orange, and cardamom bitters.
Photo: Cynthia J. Drake
Stillwell’s serves cheekily named drinks like We Paid the Ransom In Apples (a sparkling apple cider cocktail with gin), and There’s Always Money In the Banana Stand (brown-butter-washed bourbon, créme de banana, allspice dram liqueur, and chocolate bitters).
Just a two-minute walk down the block, you can take an after-hours cocktail tour through the Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum’s Samurai Collection to deepen your appreciation and understanding of the impressive collection owned by the family behind the Harwood District. These tours take place the last Thursday of each month at 6:30pm for $20.
Photos courtesy of Hôtel Swexan
Follow along for all your travel needs with our Flights of Fancy series and Jetset Journeys series.
