Downtown Fort Worth / Sundance Square

Courtyard Fort Worth Downtown/Blackstone

★★★★★

The Courtyard Fort Worth Downtown/Blackstone is the best-value way to stay in the middle of downtown Fort Worth while still sleeping somewhere with a story. The building is the Blackstone Hotel, an Art Deco tower that opened in 1929 on Main Street, and its stepped brick silhouette and decorative detailing are among the handsomest in the downtown skyline. After a long period of decline, it was restored and reopened under the Courtyard by Marriott flag, and the result is an unusual combination: a dependable, mid-priced chain hotel with consistent rooms and service, inside a building with genuine period character. The hotel's tagline is historic charm with modern comfort, and that is a fair description. Rooms and suites are standard Courtyard — comfortable beds, work desks, good Wi-Fi — with rates that vary by date. The star amenity is the rooftop pool, free for guests, with city views that are spectacular in the early evening. Dining is casual: an on-site Corner Bakery serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, from breakfast sandwiches and pastries to pasta and soups, and the Lobby Bar pours beer, wine and cocktails. Pets are welcome, up to two per room within a weight limit, for a non-refundable fee per stay. The location is excellent: Sundance Square and its plaza are a short walk, Bass Performance Hall is around the corner, the Water Gardens are about ten minutes on foot, and the Trinity Railway Express station for trains to Dallas is close by. Downsides: parking is valet only and pricey, with a higher rate for oversized vehicles, and the room design is functional rather than historic.

Downtown Fort Worth is compact, safe and lively in the evenings, thanks largely to Sundance Square, and staying here lets you walk to dinner, a show at Bass Hall and the plaza without moving a car. The Blackstone's central position also makes it a convenient base for the rest of the city: the Stockyards are about ten minutes north by car, and the Cultural District with the Kimbell, the Modern and the Amon Carter is about ten minutes west.

Room craft: ask for a higher floor for skyline views and quieter nights, choose a suite if you need more room for a family, and confirm the rooftop pool's seasonal hours before you pack swimwear in the cooler months. Valet parking is charged daily, with a higher fee for SUVs and trucks, so travelers arriving from Dallas by train can save money by skipping the car for downtown days.

Who it suits: couples and families who want to be in the heart of downtown Fort Worth at a mid-range price, travelers using the TRE from Dallas, and anyone attending events at Bass Hall or the convention center. Those wanting a Western, cowboy-themed stay should look at the Stockyards hotels instead, and anyone needing free parking may prefer a hotel outside the core.