Marriott’s Dallas Arts District Hotel Features an Immersive Experience For Art Lovers

JW Marriott Dallas Arts District, opening June 2023, recently revealed a peek into the hotel’s design and provocative art collection of more than 20 original works in various mediums. In addition to the hotel’s notable architecture and interiors, the curated collection of original artwork will be a cornerstone of the design.

Located within walkable blocks from the Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, Crow Museum of Asian Art, Meyerson Symphony Center, Moody Performance Hall, and the Winspear Opera House, the first JW Marriott Hotel in Dallas has a remarkably artistic location at 800 North Harwood Street, the epicenter of the city’s robust cultural arts scene. 

Guests of the JW Marriott Dallas Arts District Hotel will arrive at a street level entry to a reception area and the 800 North lounge, where the immersive art experience commences. A massive metal-on-panel piece, inspired by the texture of a butterfly wing, is positioned behind the reception desk; a graphic, metallic and textural backdrop to the entry point. Flanking the desk, an imposing 9’ by 6’ wood sculpture is a contemporary interpretation of a cotton seed pod and nods to the historical significance of the cotton trade to the development of early Dallas. 

Throughout the hotel spaces, both public areas and guest rooms/suites, the innovative artwork is inspired by the history and culture of Dallas. True to its prime location within the Arts District, there are countless visual translations of the history that made Dallas what it is today – industry, philanthropy, theatrical arts, and music. Custom-designed carpets, fabrics, millwork, and lighting reveal movement and patterns which are expressions of musical lines and notes, brass musical instruments, the keys of a piano, the cotton trade, ranching, and prairie lands. 

From the ground floor lobby and lounge, express elevators swiftly transfer guests to the 11^th floor where a spectacular brass and metal installation defines the main focal wall. It is a stunning piece paying homage to the chandeliers in the Winspear Opera House and representative of the lines of a musical staff. This double-volume lobby space is museum-like, monochromatic, and architectural with a floating staircase encased in glass railing leading to the event spaces above. 

“It was an honor to build this piece for a premiere space in the hotel,” said Chris Judy, President of Specified Art. “Our team enjoys combining different elements of various mediums and genres into pieces on this scale. The construction of this work and the variety of its interpretations mimic the variety of talents and exhibits in the Arts District.” 

The 12th-floor pre-function and event spaces offer an impressive gallery of art in various mediums and treatments. The butterfly theme, representative of the continuing metamorphosis of Dallas from a dusty stop along the Old Preston Trail to the present cosmopolitan world-class metropolis, is an important theme throughout the hotel. The carpet design is inspired by string instruments, the light fixture by ranch life, and a wall of preserved plants to bring a natural element to the space. 

A collaborative design team including Looney Associates, as the interior architectural design role and HKS, Inc., as the project design architect, have worked with Sam Moon Group on previous projects. 

“As the first JW Marriott hotel in Dallas located in the heart of the largest contiguous Arts District in the United States, we wanted to create an immersive experience that celebrates the beauty and power of the arts,” John Klukan, Director of Sales and Marketing said. “Our emphasis on art was intentional and present from the very beginning of the design process, and we are thrilled to showcase the incredible talents of both emerging and established artists.”