Review: The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas

During a recent trip to Dallas for a friend’s wedding, Mrs. ATX, ATX Jr. and I stayed at The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas. The property is absolutely massive at over 400 acres, because everything is bigger in Texas, and I’ll do my best to give it a comprehensive review below.

Booking The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas

While I typically book hotels after searching the Marriott website or via American Express, the decision to book The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas was an easy one as the wedding reception was being held here.

There was a room block in place for the wedding and I ended up paying $299 per night for my stay. I actually booked two rooms as my parents tagged along to watch ATX Jr. while we were at the wedding. I requested, and was granted, adjoining rooms by calling the hotel after booking online.

I picked a random weekend in the next couple of months and rooms start at $621 per night, including a $40 resort fee, so the wedding rate came at a significant discount.

The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas Location

The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas is located on the grounds of the TPC Las Colinas golf club, now known as The Nelson Golf and Sports Club. The hotel sits near the intersection of MacArthur Boulevard and Byron Nelson Way. While the name indicates that it is located in Las Colinas, the property actually has an Irving address.

The property is centrally located in the DFW Metroplex and is 10 minutes from DFW Airport, 20 minutes from Downtown Dallas, and 30 minutes from Fort Worth.

The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas Lobby and Check-In

I arrived at the hotel just after 6:00p and found a quiet, well appointed lobby. My American Airlines flight from New Orleans got me in early enough that I beat Mrs. ATX to the hotel by more than two hours.

Upon entering the hotel, the check-in desk is off to your left, the concierge is on the right, and the lobby bar is located in the sunken space at the rear of the lobby. While the property isn’t the most modern Ritz-Carlton out there, everything was meticulously maintained.

A couple of folks were in front of me at check-in and, since the property didn’t have a designated Marriott Bonvoy elite desk, it took roughly 10 minutes before I made it to the front of the line though I wasn’t in a hurry.

Thanks to my late arrival time, our room was ready and the representative working the front desk confirmed my adjoining rooms for the next night. Between my adjoining room request and discounted rate, I wasn’t expecting any upgrade from the property nor was one offered.

While I was checking in, the bellman that greeted me and took my bags upon arrival brought them up to my room where they were waiting when I arrived.

The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas Guest Room

I was assigned room 536, a standard King room on the fifth floor. Due to the size of the hotel, I had to wind around a bit when getting off of the elevator to find my room which was located near the end of the hallway. Upon opening the door, I was greeted with low level mood lighting and the bedside radio playing music.

The room itself was a fairly standard layout with the bathroom off to the right and the living/sleeping area directly ahead. The decor felt calm and relaxing and, while it didn’t have the most modern finishes, it was very well maintained.

The room was a decent size, not overly large but we still had plenty of space to spread out and set up ATX Jr’s crib. Since I arrived first, I was able to grab photos before we started rearranging things.

In the center of the room is the king bed which is flanked by two mismatched nightstands.

On one nightstand was the radio, which was playing soft classical music when I arrived.

On the opposite side of the bed was the phone, notepad, pen, chocolates, bottled water, TV remote, an channel guide.

Power outlets, including 12V, USB-A and USB-C sockets, and reading lamp controls are built into the wall next to the bed.

Slippers were waiting next to the bed when I arrived in an individually wrapped package.

Next to the bed was a large marble table and a funky couch/loveseat/lounger of sorts. We ended up pulling the table to the side and using this space for ATX Jr’s crib but, the couch was comfortable and also had power outlets built into it.

Across from the bed is the TV, mini-bar, and desk area. Given the size of the room, the TV was on the smaller side and the desk was shallow, though I’m assuming most folks don’t visit Ritz-Carltons to sit in their rooms and work/watch TV. A Nespresso machine was also located on the counter below the mini-bar.

The mini-bar had a wide variety of items on offer but oh my gosh the prices were high. The night before I stayed at the WATERMARK Baton Rouge, Autograph Collection and commented on how reasonable the mini-bar pricing was, this was the total opposite.

Next to the mini-bar is the armoire. It had a safe, hangars, luggage rack, and a bathrobe. There were also a couple of small drawers though I didn’t use them.

At the rear of the room are large windows obscured by shutters on sliders that can be adjusted as needed.

There is a small Juliet balcony that overlooks the entrance drive for the property. Aside from stepping out on the balcony when I first arrived in the room, it wasn’t large enough to really utilize as there is no seating present.

Back near the entrance to the room is the bathroom. While the room was an average size, the bathroom was massive. It had a separate shower and bathtub, large vanity, and a separate water closet.

Like the rest of the property, the bathroom was dated but well maintained. Floor to ceiling marble tiles are hardly modern these days.

Toiletries were mounted on the wall of the shower, though strangely not in the bathtub, in reusable containers and were diptyque branded.

Though it was only outfitted with a single vanity, there was plenty of available counter space in the bathroom.

Finally, the toilet is located in a separate room which is a nice feature when you’re sharing a room with others.

Overall the room was very nice, the bed was comfortable, and most importantly the staff was extremely helpful accommodating all of our requests to set up ATX Jr’s crib.

The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas Food & Beverage Outlets

There are five food and beverage outlets on property, all of which are located on the first floor. Though only four were open during our visit.

Outlaw Taproom is located just off of the lobby next to the reception desk. It is a small space with a few seats at the bar and a couple of tables. The remainder of the space is setup like a lounge with comfortable leather armchairs and a pool table.

Six beers are available on draft with many liquor, wine, and canned beverage options also available. We ended up here for drinks with friends after the wedding. There is also a large outdoor patio though, since we visited in February, it was too cold to use.

Outlaw Taproom also serves food, though we never ate here during our stay. My parents ordered from here however and said that the food was good. You can see the full menu here.

Bar Juniper is the hotel’s primary bar and is located in a sunken area of the lobby overlooking the pool and golf course. It offers some light bites but is primarily centered around cocktail service. There are no draft beers offered with guests instead directed to Outlaw Taproom for those.

Knife Italian Steak is the property’s primary restaurant. Between the wedding and ATX Jr., we didn’t have an opportunity to enjoy a full sit down meal here. According to the hotel, Knife Italian Steak is a partnership between The Ritz-Carlton and Michelin starred chef and renowned restaurateur, John Tesar. It is intended to bring together the lesser-known influence of Italian cuisine on Texas fare to create a refined yet playful ambience that delivers the wow factor.

The final food and beverage option open during our stay was Campo Coffee and Provisions. This is located off of the main lobby and if you don’t know it’s there you might miss it. It’s primarily a coffee shop but it also has a few snack items. Prices were high but the drinks and pastries were good. This is where we would hang out in the mornings with family and friends.

There is one other restaurant on property, Aire Libre, which is located next to the outdoor pool. Because of the cold weather, this wasn’t open during our stay.

If the on-property food and beverage options don’t meet your needs, there are a couple of places withing walking distance and even more options are a short drive away.

The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas Lounge

Unlike most other full service Marriott Bonvoy properties, Platinum members and above are not granted access to The Ritz-Carlton Club Lounge. Access is reserved for guests staying in Club rooms at Ritz-Carlton properties. During our visit the cost to upgrade to a club room was $200 per night. While I’m not crazy enough to pay for that, fortunately I had a friend that was which allowed me to check out the space.

The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas Club Lounge is located on the second floor of the property and overlooks the pool and golf course. Entry was done via keycard access.

The Club Lounge is a shotgun style as it is essentially a long hallway with some tables, chairs, and food and beverage stations.

I visited during the morning so breakfast was being offered. The selection was huge, above and beyond what you’d find in a typical hotel lounge. Hence the high price tag. There was a large selection of muffins and pastries.

A selection of yoghurts, meats, and cheeses.

Cereal, milk, and plenty of fruit were all available.

An assortment of sweets was set up on a shallow bar around the corner from the buffet.

Self service beer and wine are available for lounge guests throughout the day.

On days where the weather is nice, there is a small outdoor space that overlooks the pool area that club guests can use.

The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas Spa, Fitness Center, and Golf Course

Since this property is located on the grounds of The Nelson Golf and Sports Club, guests have access to many of the club’s amenities. This includes the gym with indoor and outdoor running tracks, spin room, basketball, racquetball, and squash courts, antigravity aerial yoga, group fitness sessions, and diagnostics analysis from trained professionals.

While I didn’t visit during my brief stay, the fitness center and pool are available to guests with no reservations required. Those looking to play golf or tennis, can book reservations that can be coordinated by the hotel staff.

While The Nelson is located in a separate facility adjacent to the hotel, you can find the spa in the basement, adjacent to the connector that leads over to The Nelson.

I didn’t utilize the spa but it has a full list of services available for guests.

The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas Pool

In addition to the indoor pool located inside The Nelson, the property has a massive outdoor pool that meanders through the rear of the property. Bridges cross over the pool to connect the main building to the villas and there are multiple groupings of lounge chairs nearby.

Summary

The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas is a sprawling property located halfway between DFW Airport and Downtown Dallas. While it isn’t the most modern Ritz-Carlton out there, it has been meticulously maintained and the service was some of the best I’ve had at a hotel in recent memory.

With that being said, there are plenty of wonderful hotels in the DFW Metroplex that will get you much closer to the action. If you’re not looking to leave the grounds of the resort, this can be a great option though I’m glad we stayed on a promotional rate as the cash rates seemed steep for the time of year.

While I would stay at this hotel again, unless I was coming to play golf or for another event, I’d look at some other hotels before booking.