As my Texas trip story continues, today you will learn about how I chose one of the most iconic hotels in Stock Yards Fort Worth to stay in.
When I was looking for places to stay in Texas, I reached out to my lovely travel agent Eda from Travel Counsellors for some hotel advice and she recommended Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek if I wanted to stay in Dallas. It is a stunning hotel but I wanted to be in the heart of Stock Yards. In the end, I chose to stay in Hotel Drover, and it was a true dream come true.
It is a collection hotel by Marriott, with 200 rustic-luxe rooms and suites in the heart of historic Fort Worth. Nestled alongside Marine Creek in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District, Hotel Drover celebrates the rich history and lore of Texas. With its particular design, the hotel embodies the same pioneering spirit and core values of honour and dignity exemplified by Texas drovers, cattlewomen, and men of their time. A place where one-of-a-kind experiences blend original cultural and local experiences, art, entertainment and cuisine, Hotel Drover provides a luxe experience for all.
The hotel has indoor and outdoor bars, and a chef-driven restaurant, with a very impressive breakfast menu. I can highly recommend trying the Brisket Hash. It has a sprawling backyard entertainment area that opens to the Trinity Trails, the upscale “urban ranch oasis”; it is such a cool and inviting place to hang out.
The pool area is only for hotel guests with cabanas, featuring a beautiful ranch-style heated pool and hot tub. Three private cabanas are fitted with hanging daybeds and custom crystal chandeliers…Yes to outdoor chandeliers! How chic…
The decor is outstanding from a barbed wire chandelier to a crystal chandelier and there are only three antler chandeliers in the whole building. You’d think there’d be a million of them in a Western-style hotel. I guess you don’t need many of them to make a building look fabulous. Light fittings made from Jack Daniel’s bottles all add to the Texan feel of this hotel.
The hotel tips its cowboy hat to the Old West with modern details from the entry. A bronze and steel sculpture of the namesake “drover” — a cowboy who herded longhorn cattle — by South Dakota’s John Lopez Studios greets guests inside the lobby. You can’t just take a picture of him on his own, you have to stand with him then you’re classed as a local. Next to him are hand-tooled, custom-branded leather check-in stations. The most exciting part is that staff looks are paired with tasselled suede jackets and trousers. Add a leather check-in station for the super friendly Layne, the concierge guy, who is an assistant to the hotel. He was of great help, nice and knowledgeable and organised a great trip for me.
The expansive, tree-filled outdoor space is fitted with creekside bar seating, Adirondack chairs (who needs to look that up?), lawn games, fire pits with s’mores kits, and a live music stage dubbed by Backyard Unplugged. A 1950s horse trailer converted into a portable, pop-up bar called The Pour Horse can be moved around the yard.
What are the room choices you have? From handcrafted guest rooms and rustic-luxe suites to modern bunkhouse rooms and vintage-inspired retreats, all offer authentic Texas-style ambience and charming features you won’t want to miss. So kick off your boots, that’s if you can figure out how to use the boot jack… It took me a few tries but I got there, in the end, to get comfortable and recharge for the trail ahead.
It does get busy on the weekend with locals or people just visiting for brunch or a look around. This all adds to the friendly atmosphere and vibe you immediately sense once you step into Hotel Drover. I love that you can experience what the hotel has to offer even if you’re not staying there. It isn’t the cheapest hotel with a weekend rate of $800 a night for a Queen Room, but you can feel special around here.
Thanks to Marriott for some of the information used in this blog. All photos were taken by me.
See you in the next blog post,
Adele!