Hilton Anatole Highlights
How does staying at a 45-year-old sprawling convention hotel along the interstate sound? It doesn’t exactly shout “relaxing family vacation,” but that’s pretty much what we got out of four nights at the downtown Dallas-adjacent Hilton Anatole. The hotel has an interesting history, also passed around Loews, Wyndham, and Hilton over the years. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a pleasure to visit. Indeed, as a convention hotel, many are told to stay there. Who would opt into this? It’s natural to dismiss such a property for a pleasure stay. But as I describe in my Hilton Anatole highlights, the property can perfectly fit that bill for certain travelers.
The Room
I lost Hilton Honors Diamond status earlier this month, but my wife still holds it. So we booked our four-night award stay (230k points) using her account. That strategy worked out swimmingly, as the front desk upgraded us from our confirmed Tower Two Queen Room to a Tower King Signature Junior Suite. Importantly, the suite came with a large sofa with a pull-out bed for our two little ones. The distinct, L-shaped suites are on the tower’s corners, somewhat reminding me of our delightful stays in the Grand Hyatt Seattle’s corner rooms many years ago. Our 20th-floor suite offered beautiful views of downtown Dallas in one direction, and the JadeWaters pool complex and courtyard in the other. We pretended not to see the seemingly unending, low-slung industrial buildings beyond.
After entering via the suite’s long foyer hallway and hanging a right, we passed the bathroom on the right and a very large closet to the left. The space opens to the king bed facing two sides of windows, and the couch, coffee table, and desk mirror the bed. From the bed, the 65″ television is mounted to the left, with a small, cozy chair and table complementing. We purposely booked a tower room, as unlike the Anatole’s Atrium rooms, they were recently refreshed. We enjoyed the modern decor and furnishings, but the king bed was a bit firmer than we expected. Unsurprisingly, the sofa bed was even harder.
The bathroom was utilitarian, with all the necessary touches but nothing I’d call luxurious. We’re in the “regular” Hilton brand, remember. But the Anatole delivers some touches other normy Hiltons don’t, like two plush robes. My wife and I mostly missed out there; our resourceful little ones ended up claiming those.
We enjoyed the space to spread out as much as the views in two different directions, but these rooms probably aren’t for everybody. I picked up a bit of late-night neck pain from craning to the left to watch TV. Oh, the agony.
Activities
With little ones firmly in the tweens category, the Hilton Anatole’s JadeWaters pool complex drew us to the property most. We weren’t disappointed. The area is essentially two different pools: the large, winding JadeWaters which kids will enjoy most, and the Leisure Cove pool with swim-up bar. The JadeWaters pool includes a lazy river, two slides, basketball hoops, and smaller water play area for the itty-bitty ones. Our tweens got their fill within several hours; older kids uninterested in sun worship will more-quickly bore.
Travelers interested in JadeWaters should definitely check the schedule before booking. It was only open weekends during the more-sane Texas temperatures over our April spring break. For those looking to boil, it’s open daily Memorial through Labor Day. The Leisure Cove pool is open daily spring through early fall.
But we’re not done with the pools! Adjacent to the Anatole’s Atrium wing is the indoor pool, which my little ones enjoyed on a couple nights. The Verandah Athletic Club and Spa also offers a lap pool for guest use. But the Verandah comes with much more.
Beyond the normal cardio and weight equipment, the Verandah provides full-size basketball, racquetball, and squash courts. We enjoyed shooting hoops on a few separate occasions. Verandah has most everything you’d expect from a full-on membership gym. And Hilton guests have access to it all with their resort fee (waived on stays entirely covered with points and/or certs).
Food and Beverage
Like most convention hotels, the Anatole offers multiple restaurants throughout the property. We visited the poorly-named-but-still-solid Media Grill and Bar for breakfast each morning. Media offered both buffet and a la carte breakfast during our stay. My wife and I rotated between the continental buffet and a la carte options, while our little ones enjoyed the full buffet daily. Our adult options each came in around $15 before tax and gratuity, nicely marrying up with the $30 elite daily F&B credit allotment. It’s worth noting that children of certain ages can eat free with each paying adult as part of the resort fee. We definitely enjoyed stacking these benefits. Media also offers a full menu for lunch and dinner, but we naturally opted for Texas staples beyond the hotel.
Counter Offer is a more one-size-fits-all stop for anything from a drink at the bar to cold sandwiches from the grab-and-go case. That said, many of the prices are close to what Media charges, so many may be better off dining there. Our girls enjoyed looking around the cute, ridiculously-priced Something Sweet candy shop. I swung by the Ser steakhouse on the tower’s 27th floor during their social hour but was more impressed by their views than the fare.
JadeWaters Grill and Bar comes off more like a standard snack bar with a few hot items. I suggest ordering from a waiter to your pool chair, since the prices are identical, and the JadeWaters Grill and Bar automatically adds a 20% gratuity for walk-up orders, anyway.
Service
Service was above-average for such a large property. This hotel churns through guests, and I was actually impressed at the level of attention we received during the stay. Surely, my wife being a Diamond didn’t hurt, but we also didn’t necessarily expect much there, either. Check-in was fairly smooth and ended up with a solid upgrade and confirmed 2 pm late checkout. Checkout was a time-suck, partially on us.
We enjoyed interacting most with Larry, our waiter at Media Grill and Bar for three of the four breakfasts. He also greeted us on the morning we weren’t in his section. Overall, his level of service, timing, and attention was impeccable. When I asked how long he’d been working at the Anatole, I wasn’t surprised to hear since 1982. He’s a true professional.
Hilton Anatole Highlights – Conclusion
Justifiably, many travelers reflexively consider more luxurious properties for outstanding stays. Along the way, it’s easy to pass over unsexier options in the middle. We chose to focus on the latter for this trip, and it worked out big time. The Hilton Anatole offers attractive rooms, a solid set of amenities and services, and an excellent location. The hotel was fairly convenient to all of our destinations, within and beyond downtown. We look forward to returning, even if we again feel like we’re the only visitors not attending a conference.
