Dallas/Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center.

Three Hip Hotels in Plano Texas

By Max Hartshorne

During a stay in Plano, Texas I had the pleasure of touring three relatively new hotel properties. Each one had their own particular appeal...but they all seemed to me to be a step ahead of their competition in guest-centric innovation and continual eye on the ball.

The occasion of our visit was the Plano Balloon Festival, the second largest event in the US for this friendly aeronautic sport. Harsh desert winds wreaked havoc with some of the hot air balloons, my pilot decided she didn't want to fly and risk a bumpy landing.

We can also heartily recommend a funky tasty roadhouse located just outside the city. Love and War in Texas features live rock and roll and the patrons enjoy the ambience of picnic tables in a covered outdoor terrace. So we got rock and roll, great big slabs of barbecued beef, and no balloon aerobatics. Below are reviews and comments about three hotels in this city near Dallas.

Dallas/Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center (www.marriott.com).

My hotel room was huge...Texas huge. I felt that they had everything covered. There was a giant living room, and a comparably huge bedroom.

Some Guests want Free Internet

Some guests didn't like the fact that there was no free Wi-fi here. From TripAdvisor: "Great hotel in a non descript area of Texas called Legacy, Plano. Sylvia very helpful as I was not able to do an internet connection in our suite. I was surprised as they charged $12 per day! Hard to get help from the internet provider, think I was talking to Pakistan, India? Marriott get on it. Why not free internet? The room service and food were excellent, however.

Another guest and his family were thrilled with it all. "This Marriott hotel is very nice and the staff are so polite and welcoming. The rooms, fitness center, and other facilities, are all very clean, well designed and up to date. We'll be staying here again and again. I stay in Marriotts every month, and I'd say this the hotel and it's staff make this a must see, not to be overlooked are the great rates.

Was traveling with my kids and they had an adjoining room, and the attendant at the front desk gave them special kids themed door key cards, which my wife and I thought was a nice touch, and the kids loved. Concierge lounge not open on the weekends, which would have been nice. Overall, great value, great staff, great hotel, you won't be disappointed.

Entrance to Nylo Hotel, Plano Texas. photos by Max Hartshorne

NYLO Hotel (www.nylohotels.com).  

This hotel is located in a big field that once grazed cattle. But inside, it's all NYC meatpacking district. The entrance is all exposed pipes and ducts.

Music filters through every part of the place, nonstop hip grooves that would annoy me if I stayed more than a night or two.

The rooms were decorated unlike most hotel rooms, more assertive and defined here.

With brick walls and dramatic arched windows, the rooms have an anti-hotel feel to them. Loft Kings have beds on elevated platforms and every one has free wifi. Plus there is a good amount of room on the desk to get work done should that be necessary.

"Treated Us Like Royalty"

One guest gushed about this hotel. From TripAdvisor: "This was my first time at NYLO in Plano and it completely exceeded every one of my expectations. My wife and I spent New Years Eve at the bar in the hotel at NYLO and I must say it was beyond belief. The staff treated us like royalty and the setup was beyond belief! There was a huge jumbotron set up outside with tables, two outside bars, a hot dog stand, and even lights that really made you feel like you were attending a members only elite celebration in the heart of New York. The food and drinks were outstanding and you never had to wait. I've attended plenty of New Years Eve parties and this is one party and hotel I cannot wait to go back to!!!

But another guest said it was more like a five-story nightclub than a hotel, since even in his fourth floor room, the music from the first floor pool area was very loud. "I called the front desk, and they said it would stop...at 1 am!"

Another guest made NYLO a staycation destination, since they live in Plano! My wife and I stayed at Nylo over Thanksgiving along with our niece and her boyfriend for a "staycation". My wife & I had a suite with a very large balcony and our niece & boyfriend stayed in a regular room next door. We chose NYLO because it's near our house and because they have concrete floors we were able to bring our dog, niece's dog & boyfriend's dog with us. The rooms were spartan/minimalist but very comfortable and inexpensively priced. This isn't a Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton but the staff was very friendly and we enjoyed our stay. Room Tip: Get the suite with the balcony.

Entrance to Aloft Hotel, Plano Texas.

Aloft Hotel
www.alofthotels.com/plano
6853 North Dallas Parkway Plano

Here not only are the rooms cozy but the common areas are cozy fun too. It's bright and shiny everywhere, rooms have a device that charges anything you can turn on. They call it 'loft inspired design,' to me that means this comfy colorful cool. They have a bar that is also nicely laid out called XYZ bar. Eclectic beats, sassy dj mixes and cool tunes are the order of the night.

Perfect Location

From TripAdvisor: We stayed here overnight for a quick shopping trip.
- The location was perfect for that -- right off the highway, close to many malls, a high end restaurant/movie center (Legacy), Ikea, etc.
- the lobby was noisy because of the busy bar, but the rooms were quiet
- the rooms were setup well to watch TV, sleep and use you iPad and things. The bed was better than budget hotels too.
- the decor was cool, maybe not piled off perfectly, but still far better than the chains
- it was a good value
- my husband loved the rain shower

Room in Aloft Hotel, Plano.

And here is what one guest thought about the place.

"I'm in my 30s, I can appreciate the young and fun atmosphere, and the lobby and bar area are very cool...but come ON. The modern aesthetic is cute but wears thin very fast when you realize your hotel room looks like a prison cell, complete with the lowest-grade furniture money can buy. I'm talking dorm room. Bed is very low to the ground and uncomfortable. The closet is a joke, I could barely get 3 dress shirts and my 2 pairs of dress pants in there. .

Internet is terrible...it's so slow it is unusable. And the location? You're basically marooned on the wrong side of a highway with NO restaurants or stores that are even remotely walk-able (not by distance, but by danger of walking across an extremely busy highway intersection!)

Max Hartshorne is the editor of GoNOMAD.com. Read more TripAdvisor reviews of Plano hotels.

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