Fairmont Dallas

Yasmin and Dom from Starbucks were amazing! They made me the BEST caramel macchiato I have ever had! Will return to this Starbucks location :D

For the entirety of our 4 day stay, 80% of elevators were broken, with no communication or efforts by the hotel to fix any elevators. Literally 1 elevator operating per tower.

Translated: If you're staying on the 20th floor, you either walk 20 floors down or up... or wait 30 minutes for full elevators to continually arrive at your floor, until you get so frustrated you ride the elevator UP, just to get on, and then watch as the elevator opens on every floor to desperate guests trying to get down, on every floor.

I came here years ago, everything was good. This time, one of the two elevators was broken (for the 48 hours I was there, and it didn't seem like someone was trying to fix it), meaning sometimes 10 minutes (ten...) to wait for the elevator - that became a joke with all hotel guests I was meeting. Fortunately, people have a good sense of humor. And good legs too, ending up going up the stairs - I was at the 23rd floor....
And it looks like the phone system didn't work either - trying to order room service (my breakfast), no one was answering for ... 20 minutes... I ended up going down (meaning, waiting 10 additional minutes for the elevator) to the reception to order it.
And it looks like the cleaning procedures in the room don't work either. No one cleaned dirty glasses or coffee cups, there was no liquid soap in the shower, etc.

Hotel management, time to fix all this !

Fairmont Dallas

I stayed at the Fairmont Dallas this weekend. I have mixed feelings but ultimately, heart over hardware wins here.

Let’s start with the honest feedback. My room was unfortunately very noisy. It was located near the elevator, and between that and the party traffic outside, sleep was a challenge. Even from the seventh floor, you could clearly hear the street noise and the windows could absolutely benefit from upgraded soundproofing along with the hallway.

There were also some maintenance issues: the bathroom door squeaked every time it opened along with the toilet seat, there was a faint musty/skunk-like odor in the room, and some of the furnishings felt tired. The headboard was peeling, and overall the space could use a refresh. It feels like a property that needs some love poured back into it.

The biggest challenge during my stay, however, was the elevators. Out of four elevators, they were down to one yesterday and then that one stopped working sometime this morning. I had to walk down seven flights of stairs. That’s not a minor inconvenience, especially for guests with luggage, mobility concerns, or tight schedules. Elevator reliability in a high-rise hotel isn’t optional, it’s essential.

That said, a staff member did share that renovations are starting soon, which is genuinely encouraging. This property has the bones and the legacy, it just needs the investment to bring it back to its full shine.

Now here’s the part that truly STOOD out….

Every single staff member I encountered was outstanding. Not just polite, genuinely kind. Professional. Helpful. Proactive. They went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed. You can tell when service is scripted, and this wasn’t that. It felt real.

The beds were comfortable, the pillows were great, with nice linens and despite the physical shortcomings, the service outweighed the discomfort for me.

I’ve stayed at several Fairmont properties: the funky Fairmont Austin, the iconic Fairmont San Francisco on Nob Hill, and the breathtaking Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and what I love about this collection is the sense of history. There’s an old-glamour elegance to Fairmont properties. Not “old” in a rundown way, old in a preserved, storied, classic way. They maintain integrity instead of bulldozing history and starting from scratch. There’s something meaningful about that.

The Fairmont Dallas can absolutely rise back into alignment with the brand’s standard. With renovations underway, I’m hopeful.

Service: 10/10
Room condition: Needs attention (renovations starting soon)
Elevators: Major issue during stay
Overall experience: Carried by exceptional people

Sometimes it’s the humans that make the hotel and in this case, they absolutely did.

I have stayed at many fine hotels across the world, including other Fairmont properties, and found my stay at the Fairmont Dallas to be subpar at best. The lobby is well appointed and check in was smooth with no issues. There are a number of issues with the property, however, as well as the room itself. While the size of the room was on the larger size, the furniture and carpet was old and dated, and the room felt dark and dingy. There was simply not enough light for the room to be well lit at night, which seems odd as they could add a floor lamp or something else quite easily to add to the brightness of the room. There were no sufficient plugs by the bed - I was only able to find one on the light - but again I've come to expect more chargers in this day and age. The bathroom is underwhelming with a simple white curtain and the water flow pushed against the wall to some extent and was difficult to move more centered. In addition, I used most of the vanity kit the first day and housekeeping did not replace.

The biggest issue, however, were the elevators. It took 20+ minutes at times to simply go downstairs! There are three elevators and you must push two separate buttons to call them which meant that two of the three elevators stopped on every floor. There was some kind of group there (which I was not a part of) and I was in town for business, and not only did it take an extremely long time to get downstairs, but the elevators were packed like sardines. Needless to say, this was not a positive experience and people on lower floors had to wait even longer as the elevators then stopped on almost every floor!

When I mentioned this at checkout, the Staff did really nothing about it beyond that it is unfortunate that I happened to be heading down at the same time of the group (which again, I was not part of). Very disappointing to say the least!

Great staff, location, and restaurant outlets. In-room dining menu is all regional food. Regional food is great, however, some classic selections would be nice to offer as well. Lobby is looked great as did the hotel bar/lounge area. Room was spacious but in need of upgrading/remodelling. I was surprised there were no bathrobes in the room. I was in the south tower. I think it has probably been twenty years since it has been updated. The elevators were downright dingy-dusty-pilled up in corners, panelling needs an overhaul and the brass work needed attention. I happened to score a great deal for my room-so, this property still added a lot of value for my dollar. Stay was..ok.

Everything

Room size

It was right in the heart of downtown Dallas, super close to our concert venue

Convenient for a single night stay

nothing

Very quiet ! Very clean .

Just watch out because the restaurant closes at 10 and i arrived a little late so I couldnt have any but the convenience store was open ans closes late so that was a good alternative

Cleane and conveniently located