Now that Fort Worth is one of the top 50 travel destinations in 2024, according to Travel + Leisure, it might be time to get a few hotels on Austinites' radars. Even if staying is out of the budget (can't beat a cheap motel if you're not spending much time in the room), a luxury hotel can be a great anchor during your visit.
A long-awaited hotel has debuted in Fort Worth: Bowie House, part of the Auberge Resorts Collection portfolio, is now open at 3700 Camp Bowie Blvd., with a chophouse-style restaurant and hundreds of pieces of art.
The property is owned by Jo Ellard, who breeds horses and cattle, and is managed by Auberge Resorts Collection, which is part of the Friedkin Group, a privately held consortium of automotive, hospitality, entertainment, sports and adventure companies.
Bowie House, Auberge Resorts Collection is the second property in Texas, joining Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection in Austin. There's also one planned for Dallas.
Restaurant
The signature restaurant is Bricks and Horses — argh, is that really the name? — a Texas-style contemporary chophouse that will specialize in dry-aged local beef. Executive Chef is Antonio Votta, a Las Vegas native who says the menu will offer an elevated spin on cult Americana classics such as Wild Boar Ribs, Lobster Thermidor, and Big Eye Tuna Crudo with Blood Orange Citronette.
There is also:
- The Garden, an outdoor space
- The Billet Room, a "convivial social club"
- The Mulberry Room, an intimate library bar
- The Bar, a bar with cocktails, whiskeys, all-day bites, a double-sided fireplace, and a meticulously restored saloon bar
In spring 2024, there are also plans to open Whinny's — argh, is that seriously the name? — a poolside restaurant serving a Middle Eastern-inspired, Texas BBQ menu of light bites, salads, ice cream sandwiches, and frozen drinks.
Photo courtesy of Bowie House
Rooms
Bowie House has 88 studios, 12 lofts, and 6 suites, several with open-air balconies, boasting a Western-themed decor including hat racks, boot benches, customizable boot shines, white oak floors, woven rugs, textured strié wall covering, linear headboards upholstered in woven leather with stitched belt straps, and curved bar cabinets with sliding tambour doors revealing lacquered aubergine interiors. The signature accommodation is the three-room Goodnight Suite, which comes with its own dining room for eight, and bird’s eye views of the Cultural District.
Photo courtesy of Bowie House
Art
Architectural and interiors firm BOKA Powell has combined modern and Western themes, with brick, cast stone, and glass across more than 10,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, and more than 400 pieces of art by artists such as Ashley Collins, Max Zorn, Don Drumm David Yarrow, and photographer Constance Jaeggi.
"People ask me all the time what the style of Bowie House is, but like the art collection, it’s not any one style, it’s an expression of different elements coming together to create something truly unique," says Jo Ellard. "Sophisticated and comfortable, reflecting its distinctly Texan setting in an entirely original way, Bowie House welcomes everyone who steps inside not as a hotel, but as a wonderful, one-of-a-kind Western home - that was the goal."
Spa
An in-house spa called Ash — argh, is that really the name? these people need branding help — contains five treatment rooms, sauna and steam room, fitness center, nail studio, boutique, and relaxation lounge, with private access to the second floor terrace. Treatments include water dancing, synergistic skin treatments, infrared therapy, non-sleep deep rest massage, an apothecary, and visiting wellness specialists and fitness instructors such as Manjit Devgun, a mindfulness instructor, who'll be on-site December 1-5.
Events
The Nick Fouquet Shop, the French-American designer, will be on-site through mid-February with a custom hat collection inspired by Bowie House, while also offering custom fittings and finishes.
- December 12: Conversations in the Library is a monthly speaker series kicking off on December 12 with Steve Wrubel sharing the stories behind Ride & Ridden’s limited edition wine label designs as you taste.
- December 5: Country music writer Heather Morgan will divulge the meaning behind her lyrics in The Mulberry Room’s first Songwriter Sessions.
- December 7: The Billet Room will welcome Frankie Leonie and Jake Palescic, in the first of regular Thursday Bowie House Records performances.
Seven venues for rental include the terrace of Laney’s Room, the Silverton Room ballroom, the lofty Arcade, or The Billet Room.
