PLANO, TX—In an unusual twist most typically found in boutique hotels rather than large flagged hotel brands, the Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West has a curated art collection of original works that underscores an Asian design theme. The hotel's owner and developer, Sam Moon Group, wanted the hotel's design to reflect its Asian culture while also honoring the family's second generation's Texas roots.
The design criteria was ultimately distilled into a creative blend of north Texas/western and Asian influences to honor the developer's Korean roots. Sam Moon Group is also behind the well-known handbag and accessories empire.
A key element of the Renaissance brand is to focus on the local and regional culture of the hotel's location. From art made from used computer floppy disks, an iron sculpture that is the impression of a 1983 Toyota Land Cruiser, the restaurant's tables carved to look like blades of an Asian fan, to cowhide-covered furnishings, the theme of West Meets Zen can be seen and felt throughout.
“You would think you are in a museum. Nothing came off the shelf in this design,” John Klukan, director of sales and marketing for Renaissance Dallas, tells GlobeSt.com. “Each Renaissance has elements that are intriguing, indigenous and independent. You can't be a Renaissance if you don't have all three branding items.”
Hospitality design firm, Looney & Associates, worked with art consultants Faulkner+Locke, INDIEWALLS and Kalisher to cultivate the hotel's art collection, which includes multiple mediums: textile, sculpture, digital, paintings, plaster, works on paper and even video.
“The Moon family saw what original and creative design brings to a hotel project, and they were delightful to work with,” says Jim Looney, president, Looney & Associates. “This is their first hotel development and it set the bar on so many levels. When the 'West of Zen' concept was created, the design really took off.”
Guests are exposed to global culture upon arrival in the lobby, reception and bar spaces. A horizontal glass installation behind the reception desks appears as a web of chalky lightning strikes emanating from a nucleus, but upon closer inspection, it is revealed to be airplane flight patterns to and from DFW International Airport.
The glass-sheathed 15-story tower stands at the entrance of Windrose Avenue, the central boulevard and pedestrian walkway of Legacy West's eateries and shops. Located on Legacy Drive at the intersection of Dallas North Tollway and State Highway 121, the 304-room 15-story hotel within the walkable epicenter of the mixed-use project includes 30,000 square feet of flexible conference and meeting space, a fitness center, three restaurant options, club level with lounge, and an amenity deck with heated pool, cabanas, outdoor bar, grill and event space.
The $3 billion Legacy West project boasts the North American headquarters of Toyota, US headquarters of JC Penney and Frito-Lay, and the regional headquarters of FedEx Office. Legacy West is the largest mixed-use development being built in North Texas.
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Lisa Brown
Lisa Brown is an editor for the south and west regions of GlobeSt.com. She has 25-plus years of real estate experience, with a regional PR role at Grubb & Ellis and a national communications position at MMI. Brown also spent 10 years as executive director at NAIOP San Francisco Bay Area chapter, where she led the organization to achieving its first national award honors and recognition on Capitol Hill. She has written extensively on commercial real estate topics and edited numerous pieces on the subject.
