NYLO Dallas/Las Colinas Celebrates Grand Opening

• 
  SAVE
• 
  SHARE
• 
  TEXT SIZE
• 
  PRINT
• 
  COMMENT
• 
  PDF

. September 23, 2009

SEPTEMBER 23, 2009 - NYLO Dallas/Las Colinas had its grand opening, Aug. 20, as the newest property by hospitality innovator, NYLO Hotels.

More than 1,000 guests packed The Loft - NYLO's signature restaurant/bar - and adjoining ballroom and patio to celebrate NYLO-style with live band, deejay, creative cocktails and cuisine, and art auction to benefit Make a Wish Foundation.

"The hotel is Las Colinas' latest and greatest," says John Russell, CEO, NYLO Hotels. "Offering plenty of shopping, dining, nightlife and green spaces, Las Colinas is home to 2,000-plus corporations and just a few minutes from one of the world's busiest airports. We're proud to be part of this thriving community."

A Movable Feast

At the grand opening, NYLO shined the light on cuisine with its latest innovation - the human buffet. Around the expansive pool patio, servers wearing white hoop skirts-turned-buffet tables offered mini lobster sliders, sushi, sesame-seared tuna, and grilled figs topped with blue cheese and prosciutto.

The Loft at NYLO Dallas/Las Colinas serves up global cuisine with a Texas spin. At the opening, there were creative cocktails, like Lexus Lemonade spiked with VOX Vodka. Moving from the patio to The Loft to the library, guests found inventive pairings of comfort classics and 21st-century fare: barbecue brisket sliders, mini burgers with tomato jam, chicken skewers doused with tasty Thai chili, veggie kabobs spiced with mint chimichurri, and more. Dessert in the ballroom hit the spot with fresh fruit, chocolate-dipped strawberries and delectable cheesecake bites.

Music and Art in the Mix

In a grand opening directed by Patrick O'Neil, NYLO's executive vice president of operations, The Loft at NYLO Dallas/Las Colinas made its debut as a culturally rich gathering place, primed for art and nightlife.

Entertainment came from live performances on the patio by Johnny Lloyd Rollins, a Texas rocker featured in the NYLO Uncovers CD series. Rollins infuses his music with sounds from Elvis, to McCartney to Johnny Cash in a unique mix. At the NYLO party, he electrified the crowd with his straightforward lyrics attached to driving rock rhythms and glorious melodies. In the ballroom, guests danced to sounds spun into the night by a top Dallas deejay. Additional entertainment came from fire dancers in a dazzling display around the pool.

A silent auction raised $750 for Make A Wish Foundation, with original artwork donated by area artists. NYLO maintains close ties to the local cultural community through its art competitions. At the opening, guests perused paintings and photos by up-and-coming artists, including "Longhorn Love" by Jennifer Moreman, which won first place in the NYLO Dallas/Las Colinas Art Competition last spring. This painting of a Texas longhorn in vibrant shades of red, yellow, blue and green is on display in the hotel guestrooms. The entire hotel offers opportunities for art gazing, with works rich in Texas imagery, from nature to artistic renderings of oilrigs, horses and bulls.

Design-Driven

One of NYLO Dallas/Las Colinas' strongest lures is its design, with interiors by The Johnson Studios, Atlanta. Bill Johnson embraces the brand's urban loft aesthetic and Texas itself as his main influences. Glass walls frame the hotel lobby and The Loft. There are exposed brick walls and polished concrete floors. Beneath soaring ceilings are fanciful Texas touches: black chandeliers shaped like longhorns, throw pillows dressed up in black-and-white cow print and carpeting adorned with stars in a playful nod to the Lone Star State.

Partygoers were hotel guests, fashionable locals from nearby businesses and residences as well as hotel vendors and corporate clients. Sponsors included Lexus, DIAGEO and Beam Global Spirits & Wine.

"We're delighted with the enthusiastic outpouring of support we've received from our neighbors and guests," says Lisa Klaker, the hotel's general manager. "The Las Colinas community has been very good to us, and this party was an opportunity for us to say thank you to our good friends."

Upcoming events on the NYLO Dallas/Las Colinas social calendar include a not-to-be-missed Halloween party as well as weddings, private parties, a fireman's ball and a symphony orchestra gala.