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| Royal Treatment: The luxe lobby at the Ritz-Carlton, Dallas photography courtesy of Ritz-Carlton Dallas |
The Ritz-Carlton is synonymous with “luxury.” This is a place, after all, that ran focus groups to determine where exactly guests prefer to keep their in-room coffee maker. (Under a mahogany box, for those who care.) The staff, rigorously trained in the art of service, is happy to grant almost any request—including drawing your bath if, say, you find turning on the water taxing.
The hotel’s design is by Acton, Mass.-based interior designer Frank Nicholson, who carpeted the lobby with hand-woven, hand-sheared, sculpted wool, flown in from China at the last nano-second for the Aug. 15 opening. Beneath the carpet is a concrete floor on which hotel employees inscribed their signatures and personal thoughts about the hotel during the opening countdown. We can only imagine what they might say. Perhaps something like, “I liked installing the carpet here better than at the W.”
The lobby is dazzling, festooned with Murano glass chandeliers—each weighing 800 pounds. The floors are Portuguese limestone with granite accents from India and marble from Italy. Lobby furniture consoles are made of mahogany and cherry, many of which are gold-leafed and topped with marble. And the walls are covered with 300 yards of a linen-cotton blend.
Lamps in the reception area and at the concierge desks are crafted from hand-cut solid crystal from Great Britain. In the restrooms, soft (and flattering, natch) light emits from 24-karat gold plated wall sconces and overhead lights. The walls of the famous Ritz ballroom took 140 yards of fabric to upholster, while the stacking chairs required 1,000 yards of luxe fabric by Ginger Valley Forge.
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| photography courtesy of Ritz-Carlton Dallas |
Club level rooms and all suites feature in-mirror bathroom TVs, while all guest rooms are equipped with 32-inch Sony flat panel high-def TVs. Suites get the 36-inch variety.
Linens on beds created specially for the hotel include featherbeds, Pacific Coast down and feather comforters—it’s cold in Dallas when you crank up that A/C. Sheets are 400-thread-count Frette linens, and even children get the royal treatment with Frette linens and bumper pads available for cribs.
Room color palettes are rich golden and apricot tones, except on the Ritz-Carlton Club Level, which is done in soft blues and greens. And bare tootsies will never have to touch the floor, since all Ritz hotels spread a spotless starched white linen mat by every bed during evening turndown, along with a pair of slippers.
Go to www.blog.dhomeandgarden.com for more designer gossip from Mary Candace Evans.
