DALLAS – March 9, 2016 – The Highland Dallas, conveniently located in Dallas’ newest district, University Crossing, at the intersection of the Highland Park and Lakewood neighborhoods, today unveiled a multi-million dollar transformation of its guestrooms and event space. The culmination of a three month overhaul, the project focused on enhancing the hotel’s look by embodying its unique personality.
“We are excited to introduce the new look and feel at The Highland Dallas,” said General Manager David Lemmond. “Our guests have long enjoyed the generous and welcoming nature of our service and now our guest rooms and event spaces compliment that spirit. The Highland has a contemporary feel while still providing a true sense of place in Dallas. The transformation is truly amazing.”
The hotel team tapped Dallas-based design group Flick Mars to develop an overall concept that was inspired by the city’s culture and the hotel’s original mid-century structure. A modern, boutique lifestyle hotel, The Highland Dallas was formerly known as The Hilton Inn, a famed Dallas hotspot in the late 1960s remembered for its trendsetting social scene. The hotel’s history provided a strong framework for the renovation, while new elements redefined The Highland as a place where style, culture, sophistication and comfort intersect.
“Our design goal was to complement the signature ambiance of The Highland Dallas while introducing components that played up the hotel’s geography,” said James Flick, Partner at Flick Mars. “When embarking on this project we were required to rediscover Dallas through the eyes of a visitor by identifying iconic venues throughout town that epitomized Dallas and incorporating them into our design.”
Each hotel guestroom integrates details inspired by the region. Carpets canvasing guestroom floors feature patterns that are an organic representation of oil and gas, two prominent commodities in Dallas. The design subtly contrasts with the solid, clean lines of statement pieces found throughout the room. One of these pieces is a custom headboard mimicking the feel and look of distressed leather, similar to that of a saddle, evoking Texas’ cowboy culture.
Omnipresent, thought-provoking artwork is another significant part of the redesign. Every element of art in the hotel is meant to be interactive, encouraging guests to explore the hotel and city. In the guestrooms, window shades serve as a unique piece of functional artwork. Each shade is overlaid with a black and white image depicting human nature and beauty, while hinting at The Highland’s Texan roots. Similarly, notes of southwest customs are reflected in a woven sculpture of a bull’s head displayed on the walls.
In the corridors, door drops are lined with rose tinted mirrors, while cream white walls are accented with underwater photography alluding to the unseen pool located on the hotel’s second floor. At the end of the corridors, elevator lobbies greet guests with a white and sapphire print piece and custom rug that depicts a stylized map of coordinates in the area.
Beyond the guestroom floors, The Highland’s more than 6,000 square foot Opus Grand Ballroom has also been reimagined with new design pieces and touches of unexpected glamour that ultimately brighten the space. A collection of tailor-made, decorative sconces mimicking pieces of jewelry surround the room with bursts of metallic to create a welcoming ambiance. Another major focal point of the ballroom is the custom-made carpet featuring a stunning pattern that never repeats throughout the room. The flooring creates a one-of-a-kind piece of textile art that is both beautiful and mesmerizing. Elements of the ballroom’s original design also remain to showcase the new look, such as the room’s striking wood walls which perfectly frame the space. Outside of the ballroom, a feature wall with multiple windows was installed as a statement piece of the reception area to introduce natural light.
For questions about the transformed The Highland Dallas please call (214) 520-7969 or visit www.thehighlanddallas.com.
