First, I am always cautious about renovations of “grand” old hotels. For reasons that escape me, the designers all seem to want to make them look like Westin’s. Which is fine if you are a Westin, but tinkering with a century old hotel with legendary status is playing with fire. The renovation of the Gunther in San Antonio where the designers painted acres of exquisite woodwork white is one such example. But I digress.

Happily, the designers of this renovation did a very good job of preserving the iconic touches - and honoring them with some contemporary design elements. It seems to work well.

The rooms are stunning. They are fairly large to begin with. In a renovation some decades back the original room count was about halved, and thus the rooms today are very spacious. Much larger than a “modern” hotel. The new design is modern and elegant. You will be very comfortable. The bathrooms are works of art. The beds - amazing.

For the most part, the public spaces are a well done blend of the original design and contemporary. Quite difficult to pull off, actually. The guest room hallways are works of art. Truly very well done. I’m not a huge fan of the long “communal table” pieces that are seemingly everywhere and always empty, but there is one in the lobby here and it looks great. Though, like all of them....empty.

The staff is very friendly - this is Texas - but I was a bit dismayed at some of the AM uniforming. T shirts. Particularly in the “City Hall” restaurant. And there was more than enough scraggly facial hair and otherwise questionable grooming about. I know it’s “du jour” , but there should remain respites from the relentless quest to please millennials, and a historic luxury hotel should be one of those.

Speaking of “City Hall”, the sort of tragic necessity of a 3 meal a day restaurant that seeks to please all and in the process pleases none, this is one place the design team went off the rails. White subway tiles. Absolutely no color anywhere. Blindingly bright. It looked a bit like one would be dining in a hospital surgical suite, but without the charm. And of course the menu is “limited”. Frankly, it is a poor use of space.

I did not take the time to peer into the legendary “French Room” but it appeared mostly intact viewed from the lobby, though updated carefully.

I’m sure there are many in Dallas and who otherwise have fond memories of the French Room. I’m equally sure the owners of this hotel would have gladly filled it with concrete or staged a nightly ceremony where they took $10,000 in one dollar bills and set it on fire - singing show tunes or chanting. But these are the types of logical financial decisions that gets one lynched by gracious, stoic “women who lunch”. And in Dallas, that crew still has enormous influence. And so it remains. For a while.

On balance, the owners of this hotel have honored the history, and maintained it as a refuge for weary travelers.

You should definitely stay here if you have the opportunity.

We stayed just a single night at The Adolphus, and almost instantly regretted that; our experience was excellent from the moment that we arrived to very last minute.

We had chosen an “Executive King” and the room was large, comfortable, and the fit-out of high quality; everything was just right. The hotel was actually hosting a wedding reception and normally this means that every other guest suffers, but here it was of no consequence; no impingement, no excessive noise, no problem. We enjoyed an exquisite pre-dinner cocktail in the bar, and great breakfast.

The acid test (that is, would I return): Yes; we’ve already booked a return visit.