When did they move the Berlin Wall to Dallas?
Written: Jun 18 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very large hotel, easily accommodates convention groups, convenient location
Cons: Lots of walking from rooms to meeting center
The Bottom Line: This large, luxurious hotel is perfect for conventions and other large gatherings. Its elegant surroundings, friendly, efficient staff, and 24-hour room service make your stay memorable and comfortable.
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| diverpam's Full Review: WYNDHAM ANATOLE |
The Wyndham Anatole has just about everything... including a section of the Berlin Wall! This huge, luxurious hotel sprawls over several acres of land and boasts its own park. It is Texas, after all!
Caters to Conventions and Large Meetings
Ideal for a convention setting, this large hotel has a Tower section and an Atrium section and many meeting rooms scattered throughout the property.
I recently stayed in the Atrium section, which I described to someone as looking like an Embassy Suites on steroids. The huge open atrium features a variety of shops, as well as restaurants. We had this area filled with about 3,000 rowdy sales people during a meeting and it created quite a roar inside the Atrium area.
Atrium Area Not for Light Sleepers
If you're a light sleeper and/or go to bed early, you might request a room in the Tower section instead of the Atrium. This would be especially important when there are large meetings being held. I suspect, since this hotel caters to large meetings, that would be most of the time!
Large, Comfortable Guest Rooms
I had a nice king size room with a comfortable king size bed, marble top night stands, and armoire with television and mini bar. There was also a nice working desk with two desk chairs, as well as a love seat and side chair.
The bathroom had two sink areas, complete with hair dryer, coffee maker, and my favorite -- Bath and Body Works toiletries.
The closet had removable wooden hangers, spare blanket and pillow (zipped inside a protective plastic covering), safe with key, and the requisite iron and ironing board.
Telephones
There were ample phones in the room, including one on the desk, bedside and in bathroom. The desk phone had two lines and dataport.
Overall Cleanliness
Overall, the room was clean and made up well each day. However, the bathroom had the slightest hint of a musty smell and there were a few stains on the carpet in the closet area.
One day I had no wash cloths, then on two days they forgot to leave a bath mat. But, they always replaced whatever Bath & Body Works supplies I used (or tucked away) each day, so I forgave them the wash cloths!
Dining
Nana Grill - Located on the 27th floor, it features mesquite grilled steaks and seafood. It has a panoramic view of Dallas and received rave reviews from my friends who dined there one evening. On my first day at the hotel, one of the staff advised me, "the higher up you go in the hotel, the higher the prices"... so I tried to eat on the first floor.
Terrace Cafe - This open air restaurant is located in the Atrium and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We had a large group lunch there one day and received friendly service and good food. I had a very nice Cobb Salad, but the cheeseburgers looked really good, as well.
La Esquina - This restaurant is also in the Atrium area and has a luncheon buffet and nightly specials. I had some very tasty quesadillas for dinner one evening, along with a frozen concoction called a Mexican Flag. (Basically a frozen margarita with other flavors swirled in for a three-color look.) My friend had a Mexican beer and she bragged about how good it was.
Rathskeller Sports Bar - This hopping bar is located in the Tower Lobby and was packed the whole time I was there due to the NBA games. They feature burgers, cheddar fries, and sandwiches and a rowdy clientele. They were turning people away because they had reached capacity.
Room Service - The hotel also has 24-hour room service and provides a great deal of catered meals. Overall, all the food I had while at the hotel was good. They had the absolute best pralines I've ever tasted! I would go back just for the pralines, if nothing else.
Other Hotel Features
The Anatole has two pools -- an indoor and outdoor. The outdoor pool features a swim-up bar.
There is a full gym on site, with a variety of workout equipment, whirlpool and sauna. There are also tennis courts, racquetball courts, and squash facilities. The Verandah Club is accessible through a daily facility fee.
However, there is limited fitness equipment available at no charge in the pool area.
Walk in the Private Anatole Park
You'll find walking and jogging paths winding through a picturesque park setting, complete with fountains and statues. Amazingly enough as you're strolling along, you'll encounter two large sections of the Berlin Wall, complete with scrawled grafitti and commemorative plaque. This is really a peaceful, pretty park area.
Antiques and Treasures from Around the World
The Anatole's beautiful lobby areas are filled with paintings, sculptures, pottery and other unique artwork from around the world. There's definitely an Asian flair, complete with large elephants guarding an intricately carved marble pagoda.
The lobby sparkles with marble and polished brass throughout and is large enough to allow a tremendous number of people to comfortably mingle during cocktail hour, register for seminars, or navigate to meetings.
Convention Area
The convention area is reached by walking outside the hotel along a covered walkway. It was in the high 90's while I was there, so I dreaded the hot walk to and from the convention areas. The meeting space was large enough to accommodate 3,000+ people in a general session with a display area open next door with about 50 display booths.
After spending five days walking around this hotel, my feet were tired, but I had enjoyed the food and the furnishings.
Shopping Opportunities in the Hotel
There are also several very nice stores located in the hotel, featuring everything from Texas clothes to designer outfits. There is also a beautiful children's store that I had to force myself to stay out of... beautiful (expensive) clothes, complete with hand-painted fairy wings adorned the window displays. It was a treasure-trove of goodies that could cost a grandmother like me a small fortune when buying for four grandchildren!
Overall Recommendation
The hotel was very elegant, service was efficient and friendly, food was good, and they handled a large crowd with expertise.
My room was very comfortable and I liked knowing room service was available any time I might have a sudden middle of the night craving for munchies! Where else could you find a chance to glimpse the Berlin Wall and eat nachos at 2am?
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
diverpam
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 - Top 200 |
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Member: Pam
Location: Collierville, TN
Reviews written: 263
Trusted by: 347 members
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~~~~So many oceans...so little time!~~~~
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