City: Dallas, TX

Category: Accommodations

Telephone: (214) 748-1300

Address: 1530 Main St.

Description: A Starwood property, the Joule opened in 2008 after an extensive makeover of the 1920s Dallas National Bank building rendered 129 rooms and suites. The renovation by New York architect Adam D. Tihany offers modern lines filled with black-and-white photos by son Bram Tihany, a designer who gave the rooms a posh, contemporary feel with lacquered wood surfaces and dark-tiled showers. There’s a 20th-floor, $5,000-per-night penthouse suite with two bedrooms, two terraces, a pool table, and an entertaining kitchen. The lobby is a piece of artwork in itself: There’s rotating black iron gear meant to evoke the age of oil in Dallas’s heritage, and in the adjacent Charlie Palmer Restaurant, there are gold turbines in the ceiling, making you think that Howard Hughes might walk through the door any moment. A wine cellar offers an extensive selection, along with retail prices for takeaway bottles. The hotel pool sits on a cantilevered rooftop, surrounded by clear walls for a view of the city. A fitness center, 24-hour concierge, and meeting rooms are on-site, too.