Queer travel expert Jack Kenworthy turns 250+ city adventures into your guide for safe, vibrant, and inclusively fabulous global journeys.
Dallas! Standing proud as the third-largest city in Texas, the fourth-largest urban area in the US, and one of the most famous metropolitan names in the country, this bustling hub of action isn’t just all business and commerce – it also houses a wonderful community that waits for travelers with open arms!
Southern US culture and queer expressionism aren’t exactly known to be the best of friends, but that is where the energy of Dallas and its position as a modern city step in to save the day. Not only is the gay community of Dallas just as bright and colorful as any other city in these lists, but the strength of the city’s connection to progressiveness allows it to serve as the home of one of the country’s most unique blends of culture.
Oak Lawn is the beating heart of Dallas’ queer community, and thus it is there where the majority of the hotels on this list find themselves. That isn’t to say that this is the only fraction of the city where you’ll be able to feel some good vibes and maybe even see some gay socialization, though.
The Bishop Arts District is another popular destination for queer travelers, especially those interested in uncovering culture and history. Dallas has a wide range of options, and no matter your particular interests, you’re sure to find something that hits the mark.
There’s food, countless shopping opportunities, and a once again surprisingly large amount of cultural sites that make even the most distant parts of the city worth visiting via car or even via foot and public transport if you don’t intend on coming with your vehicle, or if you flew in and aren’t looking to hire one.
The hotel scene in Dallas is wonderfully geared for that perfect middle point between luxury and affordability, and this fact is thanks to the sheer amount of businesspeople that make their way through the city daily. Convenience is of the utmost importance, and you can rest assured that your accommodation experience will be streamlined and amicable no matter where you stay.
Obviously, in most cases, there aren’t going to be hotels out there marketed directly towards gay people or queer people in general. We know that, and therefore we’d like to note that the hotels on this list follow the same logic. Most of them have been listed as accommodating, friendly, and unjudgmental to, for, and by queer people in general, as well as being highly rated.
So, if you’re ready to be just a little surprised by what this Texan city has to offer, and if you’re excited to crack open the pamphlets and the maps to see where exactly the nightlife goes down, then we are more than happy to present this list of the top eight queer-friendly and gay hotels in Dallas! Good luck, and enjoy your exciting journey!
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Warwick Melrose – Dallas
Kitted out with a stylish, unique name, four stars, and a location almost directly in the center of Dallas, the Warwick Melrose continues our trend of beginning these lists of gay hotels with luxury accommodation places to a tee. There’s nothing cheap or plastic about this hotel’s quality and flash, even though it could be a lot more expensive when one considers its spot in the city and how much exactly is included with booking a room there.
The Warwick Melrose continues its winning streak in our eyes and in the levels of gay hotels on this list strongly, thanks to the fact that it advertises itself as explicitly LGBTQ+-friendly, which is fairly rare for hotels of this caliber. But first, a little more on this hotel’s exact location.
The Oak Lawn district that we spoke about earlier is a positively wonderful location characterized by its strong ties to the queer community, its night scene peppered with clubs, bars, and disco halls, and its general attraction to people who enjoy living the high life and enjoying the simple pleasures that Dallas has to offer.
Despite the laid-back evening hours, there’s also a certain element of class to this neighborhood, so don’t fret if you’d rather take a stroll in a few parks and pretty streets than spend your whole night up and dancing.
Some of the on-paper benefits of staying at the Warwick Melrose include the hotel’s outdoor pool and its attached sitting and relaxation areas, its rentable business and event area, it’s formed and fully equipped spa and fitness center, and – of course – its very own restaurant and bar.
The ingredients to making the Warwick Melrose a wonderful luxury establishment all align perfectly in just the way that makes it picture perfect.
Residence Inn by Warwick Melrose – Dallas Downtown
Although the fact that this hotel’s name begins with ‘Inn’ may make you assume that it is in a lower budget category straight off of the bat, and even though you wouldn’t be necessarily incorrect in doing so, the Marriott brand fame comes through true and well with this location, leaving the Residence in as a much better-than-expected step into a world of convenience and practical luxury.
The Residence Inn is officially marked as LGBTQ+-friendly, which gives it a massive step up on even some of the more expensive and five-star hotels on this list and allows guests to truly feel at home and as though they can be themselves without any fear of being discriminated against or having a difficult time of staying in the city.
Some marked benefits of staying at the Residence Inn include its wonderful pool, free breakfast every morning for guests, excellent in-house dining for lunch and evenings, and direct connection to the city’s public transport system. The rooms of the Residence Inn are also highly praised for being clean and well-maintained and giving guests all that they need to relax, put up their feet, and truly feel the holiday vibes.
If you’re looking for a practical solution to your traveling needs so that you can meet your needs in the city and get what you need to get done, or if you’re looking to have quality and reliability for a price that is equally as easy on your wallet as it is reassuring in hand, then this is without a doubt the place for you, and before long you’ll be finding yourself thrilled time and time again by how much the Residence Inn goes above and beyond for how simple and good that it is.
The Highland Dallas
We spoke just now about the affordable and practical nature of the Residence Inn, and as such, it may come as somewhat of a surprise that this next entry on the list is also in the same price bracket. But – as you may have guessed – this is also not due to a lack of quality or a lack of service provided. While it may not be as useful and no-nonsense as the Residence in, what The Highland Dallas does best is luxury at a shorter price, and that it does amazingly.
Not only does the Highland Dallas have a massive pool that is quite often cited as one of the best and most exciting parts of the hotel by reviewers, but it also benefits greatly from its wonderful location in the Lower Greensville section of the city, which is an area famous for its connection to elevated food scenes and also to a healthy smattering of art and creative culture outlets if you are of an artistic sort and have an interest in visiting a gallery or two!
Or even a theatre, which is incredibly possible thanks to The Highland Dallas’ proximity to the Granada Theatre – perhaps the most famous theatre in the entire city.
However, the title of the true cherry on the cake that is The Highland Dallas is its spa area. The Spa at the Highland is well-rated and famous enough to have earned its label separate from the hotel itself, though it remains in the same building, and this means that guests have the utmost convenience in getting to and from the relaxation haven of their dreams.
There is also a happy, peppy coffee shop, much like the one belonging to the Residence Inn, that provides equally energizing snacks and drinks for mornings and afternoons.
W Dallas
Another W Hotel! The W franchise is a much-loved favorite out of our gay hotels and a common guest to these lists thanks to its open and welcoming approach to both the queer community and to the regions around their locations in general.
Also known as the W Dallas Victory, this location is a four-star heavy-hitter with stunning views of the city center, amazing balconies, and a vast catalog that helps trim down the collar-tugging size of its room rates.
Sure, W Hotels aren’t for those who value practicality and affordability over investing in a better hotel experience and saving money through the use of amenities and better location, but if you’ve read a few of our other W reviews, you’ll know that in our mind, the price is almost always worth it.
As most W hotels are, this location is marked as LGBTQ+ friendly, which is a sigh of relief that you can take to the bank, and the good reviews extend from covering the experience of queer travelers in the hotel to the hotel’s spa facility, food, and the quality of its rooms.
Another amazing aspect of this particular hotel is that some of the rooms have their own hot tubs and separate living areas, and if that doesn’t sound like a top-notch luxury experience, what does?
Although the district surrounding the W Dallas is, for the most part, a commercial one, there is no shortage of tourist destinations and locations worth visiting as a holidayer, such as the Dallas World Aquarium, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, and the Dallas Museum of Art. No matter your specific interests, you need only look, and there will be a place for you to dig your teeth in and have a blast.
The Joule, Dallas
There aren’t that many five-star hotels on this list, but it has to be said that The Joule is the best out of all of them, even so, if not the most luxurious place of accommodation on this list.
Rooftop terraces and the sky-view pool are amazing highlights of this hotel’s common areas, as are the hotel’s in-house spa and fitness center combo for those that value self-health or their daily regime, the bar and restaurant ensemble for those who would rather eat in and enjoy what the hotel has to offer rather than go out, and – of course – the completely free-to-use golf course that also has amazing views and atmosphere.
While golf may not seem like something to expect in a Texan hotel, one can rest assured that the sport has every possible good feeling when it’s played within the halls of such an excellent, top-shelf hotel. There’s more than one place to eat at this hotel, too.
There’s CBD Provisions, a top-rated American restaurant, and then there is also ‘Weekend Coffee’, which serves as a breakfast bar and a place to pick up light refreshments when you’re out and about during the day or the morning.
The lively Main Street District, which surrounds the footprint of the Joule, is just as fitting and entertaining for this hotel as it is for the Adolphus Hotel at the end of this list, and visitors can feel more than assured that they’ll be able to find enough to do to fill every single moment of their stay in the region.
There are countless shopping opportunities if you have a little money left in your wallet to spend, and there’s also a massive upper-class foodie eatery scene to try out and take your first tentative steps into.
Hyatt Regency Dallas
As we said about the W Hotel Victory earlier on this list, Hyatt Hotels is a well-trusted favorite that rises to meet the occasion repeatedly. Although this particular location is only a Hyatt Regency – which is one of the smaller, less top-shelf shoot-offs from the main brand – this fact does little to dissipate the clear truth that this is a Hyatt hotel and that that defined taste of luxury and great service isn’t going away no matter how you hard you try.
The Hyatt Regency Dallas – much like many other hotels in its franchise – has seen more than its fair share of praise thanks to its excellent pool, location, and customer service, and this last one extends to queer travelers as well, if gay reviews are to be believed, and to us they are. Even the lobby is impressive, without mentioning the bar, the gym, the golf course, and the in-house, highly-rated Italian restaurant.
The neighborhood surrounding this hotel may be a little more historic and top-end touristy than many others, but if you are the type to be interested in museums, state exhibitions, and calm plazas, that won’t be a problem.
A positive, even. If that doesn’t fit your bill, though, and if you’re seeking something a little more energized and a little more exciting, there’s no need to fret – thanks to the highway, which runs in a circuit directly about the edge of the Hyatt Regency Dallas, guests at the hotel have easy access into the deepest reaches of the rest of the city, meaning that they can explore and unlock any other niche of Dallas’ corners that catches their eye or has something a bit more personally appealing to offer.
Hotel Lumen
Also known simply as ‘The Lumen’, this four-star gay hotel is not only one of the cheaper options on this list but also an incredibly sound contender for the best middle-range hotel. The smaller bills don’t mean anything regarding the sheer number of amenities, spaces, and services that the Hotel Lumen has to offer guests.
This fact is demonstrated clearly by the hotel’s pool, its high-flying sense of fashion, and the fact that it dedicates itself so strongly to the positive experience of its visitors and guests. The Lumen has a bar, a restaurant, and a fitness center inside its walls, and it also has space available to rent if you’re looking to hold an event or if you need to organize a business meeting.
The options are all there, and how they are presented makes staying at the Hotel Lumen a pleasure. The staff of the Lumen is more than eager to help, and thanks to this friendliness, the hotel sees a recommendation even though it is not officially marked as queer-friendly or a gay-open hotel.
The Lumen is surrounded by Dallas’ leafy, decadent University Park, which is the perfect district for holidayers who would rather spend their time wandering around well-kept and splendid gardens than in the bowels of a club or out at night bouncing from bar to bar.
There’s plenty of green space, and the neighborhood generally belongs mostly to residential suburbs and long, calm streets. There’s always public transport, however, and Dallas’ system of getting people around is quite reliable and simple, meaning that even if that is, in fact, your scene, there is no reason to cross off Hotel Lumen right away.
Adolphus Hotel
The Adolphus Hotel is a true gem of the state – proudly carrying four stars upon its shoulder and dedication to guest care and top-notch maintenance.
Reviewers of this wonderful Main Street hotel strongly compliment the quality of its pool, its completely complimentary breakfast, and its culinary offerings as a whole, both when it comes to room service and to the hotel’s in-built restaurant and bar. That’s a lot of plus marks in a short period, and we can only say that we promise that it gets even better once you walk through the doors!
Not only does the Adolphus Hotel have itself marked as LGBTQ+, it also has curated a wonderful and strong relationship with the businesses and communities around it, meaning that staying in the hotel is like entering a larger world that exists to make your time on holiday memorable and special.
The Main Street District, which the Adolphus Hotel borders, is perfect for those who like to feel in the middle of it all and for those eager to absorb the culture and energy of a new place. Dallas may not be an internationally renowned travel destination like some of the other cities that we’ve written about in these articles, but it still has its brand of atmosphere that sets it apart from its neighbors and the rest of the cities in its state.
If you’re a little more practically orientated, however, and if you have other goals in your trip to a gay hotel in Dallas than simply relaxing, then you’ll be glad to know that the Adolphus Hotel is also centrally situated in the city’s well-off and flashy financial district, which gives it access to all of Dallas’ most important commercial enterprises and trade hotspots.
Gay Hotel Map Of Dallas
Feeling a bit lost while planning your journey to Dallas? No worries, darling! Our detailed LGBTQ+ tailored map is here to guide you. We’ve pinpointed all the vibrant gay-friendly bars, exhilarating clubs, extravagant parties, cozy hotels, relaxing saunas, and soothing massage parlors to ensure you find the perfect spot.
And these aren’t just any spots; we’re talking about the creme de la creme of locations in the heart of the city’s vibrant gay scene. Think panoramic views, easy access to nightlife, and all the amenities to make your stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.
But hold on to your feather boas! These hot spots are so fabulous they vanish quicker than a drag queen’s five o’clock shadow. Don’t delay, book now to secure the best deals and locations. Remember, the early bird catches the best deals in Dallas! So, pack your rainbow flag, and get ready to experience the ultimate gay-friendly holiday in Dallas.
