In short… A clubhouse for the Dallas haut monde, with a side of luxury hotel
The surroundings… The Hôtel Swexan is situated in downtown Dallas, and attracts a crowd that is equal parts business visitors, weekend revelers and locals. It’s the center of gravity for socializing in the city, and acts as a sort of layer cake of amusement for all of these groups.
The backstory… The Swexan is the brainchild of Alexis Barbier-Mueller, son of Ann, a Texas native, and Gabriel, from Switzerland. Alexis has lovingly combined his parents’ backgrounds—hence the name Swexan—filling the hotel with a collage of the design elements, programming, and bells and whistles encountered in their travels around the globe. There are fireplace mantles imported from the French countryside, artworks ranging from Alpine goats to Picassos, and a large collection of Samurai art and armor.
The vibe… With its eclectic design, the hotel feels as if you’ve stepped into a private home, where each corner offers a different experience. The rooftop, with its banana-leaf upholstered sofa, feels plucked straight from Los Angeles, while the basement jazz club—named after Salvador Dali’s ocelot, Babou—could easily belong in the Marais. Be sure to look behind a bookcase in the jazz club to find my favorite room, a lounge complete with a double-height spiral staircase.
The rooms… The base rooms at The Swexan offer all of the amenities needed for a comfortable stay, and tick all of the atypical needs I’ve developed over the years: a spacious desk for working, decor that doesn’t feel “stock,” and a plush bed large enough to sleep like a starfish. If you feel like splurging, the hotel does truly shine in its offering of suites located on its 17th and 18th floors. Each one offers a different aesthetic. My favorites that I had the chance to peek into were the Grand Swexan Suite, adorned with Swiss goat taxidermy and paintings, and the District Suite, decorated with a duo of Picasso artworks.
The wellness… They have perhaps one of the largest hotel gyms I’ve encountered, and a daily-use health club for many who live or work in the area. It offers a full suite of equipment, an outdoor patio for yoga, a cold plunge, and guided workout classes in the morning and evening.
The food & drink… Open to the public are the aforementioned jazz club, Babou’s, as well as Isabelle’s lobby bar and Stillwell’s steakhouse, which serves cuts from HWD Beef, also owned and operated by the Barbier-Mueller family. Exclusively for hotel guests are the rooftop bar, Pomelo—inspired by St. Tropez day clubs—and Léonie, a breezy Italian spot with great views of downtown Dallas.
Extra tip goes to… the general manager, Julian Payne, who came to the Swexan with over 30 years of experience in some of the most grand hotels in the world, including The Ritz London, Le Crillon Paris and The Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong. The result is a property that’s run with precision and elegance.
Be sure to… If you can butter up the front-of-house staff, try to find your way into Golightly, the hotel’s members-only club, where I had the best meal of my visit and my first expertly crafted Cosmopolitan.
Parting words… It’s likely that Dallas is not a vacation destination for you. You may be visiting family or attending an event, and willing to stay at a hotel devoid of any character or charm. The Swexan flies in the face of that, and offers the only destination for real flavor in Dallas at a truly Texan scale.
Date of stay… Oct 9-12, 2024
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