DALLAS, TX: Westin Stonebriar Resort

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When I arrived at the WestinStonebriar Resort in Frisco, just north of Dallas, Texas, my initial impressionwas that this hotel had grown a bit long in the tooth and hadn’t quite kept upwith the times. After three nights, it had won me over, though there are someshortcomings that ought to be corrected.
Generally, the resort islovely. Located about a ½ hour cab ride north of DFW, it’s in the metropolitanarea but not in the heart of the Big D. That may be a plus or a minus,depending on your reason for being there and/or your perspective.
Staff embodied the best ofwhat I expect from people at a four-diamond-rated property: courteous,attentive, helpful, and friendly.
I was welcomed warmly by abellman who grabbed my bag from the back of the cab and ushered me to the shortline at check-in. The front desk clerks were equally attentive, apologizing forthe brief delay and checking me into my room swiftly.

Obvious damage in the hall

Making my way to my room,however, one of the areas that need attention was painfully obvious.
The halls leading to theguest rooms are all marred where housekeeping carts have rubbed against them …and not just one or two scratches. The marks lead down the full lengths of thehalls on several floors, ruining the sophisticated effect the wallpaper wasintended to create.
Checking into my room, Ifound one of the bedside lights was not working.  A call to the front desk brought a maintenance person withinminutes. Other requests were answered equally promptly, again demonstrating thehotel’s excellent service.

Guest room 2021

My guest room was standard,but very nicely equipped. In addition to the king-sized Heavenly Bed, seatingarea with chairs and a side table, and a workstation, the room had aflat-screen TV, safe, coffee maker, iron and ironing board, and a robe waitingin the bathroom. 

The deep soaking tub/shower combination featured an overhead“drench” shower and an optional wand that can be used as a hand wand or placedin its bracket to form a more traditional showerhead. The Westin “HeavenlyShower” with its dual showerheads is being replaced, according to a front deskclerk. While the drench shower is OK, I’m sorry to see the Heavenly Shower go,though I certainly understand the need to conserve water.
As I was there to speak at aconference, I had a fair bit of work to do, and that revealed anothershortcoming: the in-room workstation.

Guest room bath

While it offered a desk witha lamp, it lacked a proper task chair, making it hard to work there forextended stretches. Equipped with a network port, the hotel offered both wiredand wireless Internet access at a charge of $9.95 per day for basic service.Connectivity, however, was inexcusably slow: less than 1 MBPS in the room,compared to the 25 MBPS I get at home with my cable service.
Better Internet connectivitywas available at the complimentary business center, where speeds were about 3MBPS. In addition, basic business services including printing and copying wereoffered without charge; a very nice – and rare – benefit indeed.
In addition to the slowconnection speed, places to plug in one’s electronics were in short supply:there was only a single power outlet in the base of the lamp at theworkstation. These days, even leisure travelers carry several electronicdevices on their journeys, and no one likes to have the laptop plugged in atthe desk, the cell phone in the bathroom, and the iPod charging on a footstoolnear the closet.
Like the damage in thehallways, there were areas in my room that should be addressed. There wereseveral stains on the carpet that needed to be dealt with, either with a deepcleaning or by replacing the carpet. In addition, some of the fixtures wereshowing wear while others were looking dated. In addition,
As I’ve said in other posts,excellent service can turn an average experience into a good one, and that wascertainly the case at the Westin Stonebriar. Everyone I passed in the halls, atmy meeting venues, and elsewhere said hello, asked if there was anything theycould do for me, etc.  It was as itshould be in a hotel with a Four-Diamond AAA rating. 
The hotel offers severaldining options including Ernie’s Bar, the Legacy Grill, Peter’s Café, andin-room dining. A light dinner at Ernie’s the night of my arrival was tasty andwell prepared.
The other meals, prepared inthe banquet kitchen and served at my conference, were surprisingly good,particularly considering it was prepared for a large conference. No complaintsthere about either the quality or the variety.
Other dining venues are closeby. A coffee shop that is open for breakfast and the Silver Fox Steakhouse areboth a five-minute walk from the hotel for those who want to go off campus.While I enjoyed a light breakfast at the coffee shop, I did not have theopportunity to eat at the Silver Fox, though my cab driver said it was one ofthe best in the area which, for Texas, is saying something.
The resort offers awell-equipped workout room with locker facilities, and a pool and Jacuzzi®which are, unfortunately, outdoors. I understand it’s Texas where outdoor poolsare the norm but it was 55 degrees on the November evening I arrived; a bit toocold for me to go scampering out to the hot tub.
Westins now offer The WestinWorkout. For a $5 fee, you can rent New Balance workout gear, including shoes,for the length of your stay, meaning travelers don’t have to pack their owngear.  A very nice benefit for busytravelers who would like to travel light(er).
The hotel is also adjacentto a golf course for those who hit the little white ball.
Whilethe hotel should address the shortcomings, I would definitely stay there againand recommend it with only the minor caveats I’ve mentioned.

Photos credit Carl Dombek
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