GOSTELOW REPORT—”My two daughters teach me a lot about social space, which helps considerably in attracting our local weekend drive business,” says Dirk Burghartz, general manager of Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, and regional vice president of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.
The 431-key urban resort saw 67% average occupancy in 2018 with average stay of two nights. Weekday is around 65% corporate, supplemented by individual travelers, primarily from in-state, California and New York. There are weddings most weekends (kosher food can be brought in from an outside partner that also caters bar mitzvahs). And at weekends, there is also the millennial drive market. The biggest catchment area is the metropolis of Dallas-Fort Worth.
Burghartz’s daughters have helped him appreciate that Instagram is the best way to get through to younger consumers. The hotel has between five and 10 couples in-house every weekend, and they are invariably still child-free.
“They are drawn to travel, especially where they can have local, customized experiences,” he said. “Our services and amenities are a big draw — there is so much to do on property. People can drive here, typically between 4 and 7 p.m. Friday, park their car and never feel like they have to leave until they check out, usually as late as possible Sunday morning. They are looking for a relaxing stay, so they love going to the pool and booking spa appointments.”
Even the local millennials will not remember the resort’s history, but some may have heard from their parents about the Carpenter farm that was there. A hundred years ago, or less, much less, Las Colinas was one big Carpenter-owned farm in the middle of Texas. In the 1980s, influential developer Ben Carpenter started talking with legendary hotelier Georg Rafael about creating a resort, perhaps along the lines of Rafael’s Turnberry Isles, north of Miami. But, as so often happens in the ever-changing world of business, plans changed, and Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas opened in 1986.
The hotel is on 400 acres of land that today also hosts two golf courses. There are six tennis courts, three rackets courts and a serious Sports Club with indoor and outdoor pools and a gym large enough to have a peripheral walking circuit, as a mezzanine gallery. The 750 family memberships to the club mean that anything up to about 5,000 individuals use the facilities of both club and hotel, which helps create the buzz that weekend visitors like.
“We truly believe in giving back to the community, and we do so through raising money for the local cancer center at Baylor Scott & White Health – Irving Medical Center, along with donating goods and services to local schools and other nonprofits in our area,” Burghartz said.
The hotel’s sustainability initiatives are undoubtedly favored by guests, including millennials. “Taking care of our environment is second nature to our grounds and landscape team. We are a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, and we support an array of natural grasses, plants and wildlife habitats around property.” Water conservation is the cornerstone of TPC Four Seasons golf course’s environmental program: 100% of the water used there is reclaimed, via Dallas County Utility and Reclamation.
Burghartz is positive about the future. “I truly believe that in five years, our resort will be the leading staycation destination in Texas. We will have had some substantial renovations that will put us at the top in terms of product quality.”