Gaylord Texan is GREAT!
by A TripAdvisor Member
My wife and I took a weekend getaway trip to the Gaylord Texan and really enjoyed it. The grounds are fantastic! If you're looking for a weekend getaway and peace and quiet, this is it. The landscaping is breath-taking. The paths are easy to walk although somewhat confusing at times. My wife is confined to a wheelchair so we look for places like this. We had no problems and every place was accessible. The room (accessible type) had adequate space for us. The bathroom, sink, and shower were wonderfully laid out for her. The balcony view and seating was enjoyabale watching people walking the paths. Lots of places to stop and relax and just be with each other without tons of people walking and gawking. A very relaxing weekend that made us both "feel good" about it. The different gift shops had good buys and not so good buys so be careful on your spending for souvenirs. The atmosphere is phenomenal. You just get a warm feeling walking around looking at the many fountains, beautiful landscaping, listening to the water running/flowing throughout the resort, taking in the landscaping around the pool and "wine country". We're going back later this year! We can't comment on the cost or quality of the restaurants as we ate away from the resort. They all looked good and had good crowds without long waiting lines.
The negatives:
(1). Very pricey. $185 per night with several added charges - $18/night for valet parking or $9/night for self parking. Room tax was $22/night
(2). "Consider it done" feature on phone is great concept - however, it took over 30 minutes and a 2nd call to get someone to help with luggage checking out.
(3). Lots of inconsiderate people slamming doors before 8AM and after 10PM - ON WEEKEND! Not the Resort's fault, just some of the people staying there.
Suggestion - try calling for your reservation and see what discounts may be available. We booked online and I believe that you can save money with AAA or AARP or some other group discount.
Don"t Bring Your Kids!!!!
by A TripAdvisor Member
I'm a fairly discerning traveler, but I am not impossible to please.
Let me start by saying that the Gaylord Texan's grounds (inside) are beautiful.
Food's decent (except you feel trapped eating the same breakfast everyday)
A hotel encased in a plexiglass dome (for those who may not know this). There are live plants and flowing faux rivers inside the hotel. Very pretty.
No children's activities whatsoever.
HOWEVER, this is not a child friendly (more like child hostile) place. We brought our 2 and 5 year old since it was marketed to us to be a family friendly place. At 1pm my 2 year old melted down in our room (crying ), 15 min into her tantrum, a security guard was sent to our room stating that "several guests complained" and that he was personally concerned that there "was a safety issue here".
Say What?! If they are soo concerned that a child was left unattended they should have simply called the room. Meanwhile my 5 year old asked me" why did the police come to our room?" It was evident that my neighbors' money was more valuable than mine (did I say I booked 2 rooms!)
By the way it was 1 pm not 1 am (did I mention that?)
DON"T BRING THE KIDS, stay at the four seasons (where they treat kids like royalty)
Service has declined!
by TripAdvisor Member VisionTvl
Keep in mind that we live in Dallas, so we use the Gaylord Texan as a weekend getaway without the real "getaway". We stayed there over Christmas 2004 and loved it, gave it 5 stars! We took additional family members with us over Memorial Day weekend and the experience was much different. The front desk staff were absolutely dismal. I never once saw a smile on any of their faces. The bedding in our room was not as booked so we had to change rooms. The same front desk clerk again assisted me and was not happy about the room change. Gosh! I know it was a Holiday weekend and the poor staff had to work, but at least they could pretend to be happy. They are in process of constructing a parking garage where the self parking used to be. Once finished, it will be nice, but we had to park under the convention center during our whole stay which was inconvenient. There was some minor construction inside to one of their displays, but it wasn't too noticeable. As always, the interior is still beautiful and kept very clean. The rooms are clean and upkept well. It rained while we were there so one day we went to the indoor pool with the kids. The indoor pool had too much cholorine in it and was very cold. The next day we were able to enjoy the outdoor pool, which was also cold, due to the weather.... There was only one poolside attendant so service was a bit slow. Overall, still had a pleasant time, but was very shocked at the level of service.
Whoa!
by A TripAdvisor Member
I don't know about all the other reviewers, but I was thoroughly impressed with the Gaylord Texan from day one until now! Granted, I remember there being a few problems that first month the place opened in April 2004. It seemed as though most of the glitches were tiny considering the size of the place! When I stayed the first time in May 2004, our room had a light out in the bathroom as well as a toilet clog when we checked in. I called a little smile face button on my room phone and got the "Consider it Done" operator. The girl was completely friendly and sent a very quick and courteous "guest engineer" to take care of the issue, which took all of 15 minutes from the time I called to the time he left. The A/C didn't run constantly unless you left it on medium, but the room was very comfortable and had a gorgeous view of the lake. We ate at Ama Lur, which at the time was tapas, so you order several small portions and share them. It was awesome! We did have to wait about an hour to get in, but I could see why after looking at how much business the place got!
The next time I visited the Gaylord was over Christmas for their "Lonestar Christmas" and I had another great experience. This time I had the chance to see the whole atrium from my balcony. We ate at the Riverwalk for dinner, and saw the Murder Mystery show they have. My boyfriend and I had a blast! I admit that the parking was a mess during Christmas, because there were literally -thousands- of people trying to all park at once. I expected to pay resort level prices for resort quality, and that's what I got.
Since Stephan Pyles re-did Ama Lur over the Christmas holiday, we decided we had to go back and try it again! We stayed in one of the upgraded rooms above the retail shops, and we were once again pleased to find a staff that was all smiles and service. Ama Lur now has a live band for dinner, and a whole new menu. Instead of the 3 dollar tech fee they used to have, they now have a 10 dollar resort fee, which actually gives you a lot more. I don't think paying for parking is such a big deal, either, because you really don't have to walk very far, and your car is in an attended lot, which is more than you can say for overnights at most hotels. I think the place is gorgeous, and I will definitely continue to return!
WOW (good) and WOW (bad)...
by TripAdvisor Member gmboilers1
This hotel is impressive in EVERY way. Impressive decor, impressive size, impressive PRICES!
Contrary to other hotels, the best views at the Gaylord are definitely facing IN, not out. We were there in February for a convention, and our room looked out (toward Lake Grapevine & construction). I don't know what they are constructing (maybe a parking garage), but whatever it is, it will make a marginal view even less appealing. The flip side is the interior facing rooms which face all the "action" of the amazing themed glass-enclosed courtyard. I would have definitely preferred that view.
Check-in was lightning quick at 10 a.m. (longer lines later in the day), very friendly and efficient. Although the hotel was completely full, our room was ready at 10 a.m., which was a pleasant surprise. Again, although the hotel was full for our entire stay, everything ran smoothly, elevators always were quick, service prompt, no complaints.
A HUGE (not really) problem was that at NOON on the day we arrived, we could not get a beer at TEXAN Station (I think that was the name), their big sports themed bar with 2 bars. One bartender sent us to the other bar because he wasn't open, and at the other bar, the COORS distributor was stocking up and said he didn't know where the bartender was. Since our show (and work) did not start until the next day, we were, of course, devastated. We finally found a shop where we could purchase a domestic bottle for $4.50.
That brings me to pricing. Be ready for consistent over-charges. We were with a very large group (2700+). One night we had a "gathering" in one of the big-wigs suite, and they decided to order a case or 2 of beer. Now in every hotel I have been to conventions in, if you need a large quantity of anything, you can usually get a fair price for it. But at the GAYLORD TEXAN, a case of Miller Lite will run you $108.00. I'm sorry guys, that's a little excessive no matter where you are.
The rooms come with an empty refrigerator. So, being the geniuses that we are, after buying our $4.50 beers, we decided to go off property and stock our refrigerator. Think of the money we'd save! PLUS, the Gaylord has a FREE shuttle to the Grapevine Mall, and we were told that it runs every 20 minutes. The only problems were that the Grapevine Mall and vicinity doesn't have a single place to purchase groceries or beer, and the shuttles run every 2 hours, not every 20 minutes. So just remember that if you were thinking you'd jump over to the mall for a little bit. It'll be 2 hours minimum. Unless of course you decide to walk back like we did, which is probably around 2 miles (we did beat the shuttle back!). So if you want to stock your refrigerator, you'll either need your own car or a cab. But obviously if you are going to be there a while, you'll save money. Of course if you're staying at the Gaylord, money may not be an issue for you.
It was too cold to swim outside in their smallish but very attractive outdoor pool area. They have an inside pool, but it seemed to me that it was more of a "spa" work-out pool than a "recreational" pool. They call it a "lap pool", so take that as you will.
I was there on business and not with my wife, who usually uses the hotel spa. I saw the area, and it looked nice, but cannot report on the treatments. You get charged $10 per day as a "facility charge" (or something like that), and for that $10 you get free high speed internet in your room, 2 bottles of water each day, a newspaper, 20 minutes of local calling, and use of the health club. I thought it was a fair price for that, since I used the internet. If you don't use the stuff, I guess it's not so good. It's not optional.
One thing I have to emphasize is how nice most of the employees are. It was very rare not to get a smile and greeting from any of the workers (they call them "stars"). I don't care whether your traveling on business or pleasure, friendliness and courtesy just make any hotel better. The Gaylord has as nice of employees as I've met.
This hotel is wonderful. This hotel is too expensive. I am not scizophrenic, yes I am, no I'm not. Seriously, I think the Gaylord probably does a huge convention business, and in my experience, convention hotels frequently overcharge, because a lot of people don't care about the prices when they have a company approved expense account. Many of the reps we were with, who buy drinks for their customers at the end of the day were shocked at their $500+ tabs. These guys travel and entertain all of the time, so if they were shocked, then I am thinking it shows how high the prices reall are. I am pretty sure that I would not return on my own "nickel". While I'm sure a family would have a good time here, I am not sure they wouldn't be better off paying the same or less at Disney World, where the theming is every bit as lavish, and there is a HECK of a lot more to do. But if you are going to the Dallas area, money is not a big issue, and you want a unique, fun, well-run resort, then Gaylord is a good choice. I hope this helps.
The Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Centre
by keeweechic
Photos which are taken by myself are copyright and digitally marked. Please do not use them without permission. Thanks.
(c) keeweechic 2001 - 2006 (copyright)
Forum Posts
Transportation in Grapevine
by geno14266yh2
Does the Gaylord Texan trolley require id that you are staying at the Galord in order to ride. I will be in town at the bass pro shop and would like to go visit the Gaylord but would rather take the trolley than drive to it. Can anyone ride or is it for guests only. What are the hours of operation?
Re: Transportation in Grapevine
by counsel14
I would suggest calling the hotel and asking. their number is 817-778-2000.
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