This is part of the new lobby in the Lumen, located directly in front of the concierge desk. (Courtesy of Flicker)
Clear sparkling glass windows wrapping around the face of the new Lumen Hotel directs the eye straight to the new heated pool, open 365 days a year. A new rooftop terrace overlooks SMU, with views of downtown Dallas. The lobby is lighter, brighter, and more welcoming.
The boutique hotel on Hillcrest finished its renovations on Aug. 15, exactly two years after beginning the project. The completion was celebrated with a grand reopening party on the terrace in early September. In addition to the new look, 34 guest rooms were added, and existing rooms were completely renovated, for a total of 91 spotless new rooms.
“The entire project has been very well received by our guests. We transformed from the original hotel to almost a brand new product,” General Manager Brian Harris said.
Many of the Lumen’s guests are relatives of SMU students or people visiting the university, including campus speakers and other guests of the school. The hotel is located directly across from SMU on the Hillcrest side.
“I think the renovations at the Lumen made a huge improvement, and I will definitely be staying there again,” SMU parent Kim Klein said. Her daughter Allie is currently a junior at the university, and she has been staying there since the first parent’s weekend Allie’s freshman year.
The hotel reached its 5-year mark, and that is what triggered the renovation officials said. It reaches capacity nearly every weekend, and that demand encouraged the expansion.
The whole project took place in three phases. The first phase was the redesigning of the existing meeting spaces and lighting throughout the hotel. The second phase was the new building with 34 new guest rooms, the pool, the rooftop terrace, lobby, and living room. In the last and final phase, the restaurant was moved from the back of the hotel to the front, and renamed “The Front Room.”
“We chose to do it in three phases so that we never had to completely close the hotel,” Director of Sales and Marketing Randy Elmore said.
With all of this expansion taking place, a need for more staff created 60 new jobs at the hotel. The positions ranged from valet people to a front desk concierge. The management at the hotel remained the same throughout the remodel and expansion.
The first room the eye sees when entering the hotel is the lobby, which was completely redone. It is lit with more natural light than before, and welcomes guests with two large, cheery, and brightly colored sitting rooms with panoramic views of the pool.
The pool can be heated to 120 degrees and is open year round. Plush lawn chairs and shaded cabanas surround the water, perfect for a lazy Sunday. The patio area is also new, featuring an outdoor fireplace perfect for a chilly Texas evening.
“We were one of the only hotels in the area that didn’t have a pool. It’s a great amenity to have, especially in the leisure months,” Elmore said.
The rooftop terrace is available to guests of the hotel at any time during their stay. It features an inviting sitting area and plenty of space for private events.
“I think the rooftop will attract lots of new customers to the Lumen. I know Dallas socialites are always looking for fun new places to host events,” Highland Park resident Jessalyn Phillips said. She graduated from SMU this past May.
The majority of the guest rooms added in the expansion were standard rooms, with a king size bed or two doubles. But also included were two Grand Lux suites. They are the only two in the hotel, and have separate bedrooms and living rooms with views overlooking the pool.
For more information on the expansion, and for reservations at Hotel Lumen, visit their website at www.hotellumen.com. If interested in the rooftop terrace space for a private event, contact the sales office at 214-247-2131.
https://smudailycampus.com/news/metropolitan
This shows the view of the pool looking out from the lobby, which can also be seen when driving down Hillcrest. (Courtesy of Flicker)
