Southlake Hotel undergoing renovations, joins Marriott brand
By Tori Couch
The Southlake Hotel, formerly known as the Cambria Hotel Southlake, has joined the Marriott brand and is undergoing numerous renovations as part of a repositioning under new management.
Coury Hospitality, a Dallas-based company behind Hotel Vin in Grapevine and The Sinclair in Fort Worth, will manage The Southlake Hotel and oversee the changes, which include the planned additions of upscale dining and entertainment. Once the work is complete, the hotel off Texas 114 will be included in the Marriott Tribute Portfolio as The Elmore Hotel, with an expected transition in spring 2025.
“You’re sort of pushing the boundaries of upper upscale luxury just like the Vin,” Tom Santora, Coury’s chief growth and strategy officer, said in an interview. “I think it’s going to be the kind of place where everybody’s coming after work.”
The Southlake Hotel will remain open through construction and repositioning and is in the Marriott International reservation system so guests can earn rewards.
The most visible changes will happen in the lobby and dining area, where Coury will remake the space into a restaurant called Sagewind. It will feature a bar and seating area near the hotel entrance that then leads into the main dining area. The restaurant will be chef-driven, but Coury has not recruited a chef yet, Santora said.
Sagewind will be required to serve at least two meals per day as part of the Tribute Portfolio.
A speakeasy will also be hidden inside the restaurant. The speakeasy does not have an official name right now, but the current design has it hidden behind a library of books and a fireplace. For those familiar with Hotel Vin’s speakeasy, Magnum, Santora said this one will provide a similar element of mystery and surprise for guests.
“You think you’ve seen it all,” he said. “People might stay here and not even know there’s a speakeasy here.”
Coury will add another gathering place called Abbey Social to the back side of Sagewind. Coury envisions Abbey Social as an indoor/outdoor bar that extends into the pool area. Other planned additions to the pool area include landscaping, cabanas, fire pits and bocce ball.
Coury is targeting end of this year to begin construction on the downstairs eating area. Capacity for Sagewind and Abbey Social are still being determined.
“We’re working through the different seating assignments,” Santora said.
Coury also will put in new artwork and carpet and make other design changes to the hotel’s meeting rooms. It will add fireplaces to the patio behind the meeting rooms. Coury will update all 177 hotel rooms with furniture on par with other Marriott Tribute hotels, Santora said.
Even walking up to the hotel might feel a little different with a planned fountain wall and upgrades to the portico and landscaping.
Coury will place renderings of The Elmore Hotel in the lobby soon. The name The Elmore comes from a desire to capture the essence of life’s invitations and the unique experiences life offers, Coury said.
The hotel will keep the “white label” name The Southlake Hotel until all the requirements for a Marriott Tribute hotel are met.
“Coury’s position is that our hotels become the living room of that community,” Santora said. “Our goal is to basically change the market. We will hopefully change part of Southlake. People will come here for The Elmore.”