STEPHEN MONTOYA
The pool deck on the sixth floor of the newly opened Le Mèridien Celebrates Grand Opening Fort Worth Downtown, a Marriott hotel brand, located at 811 Commerce St. was the place to be Thursday Oct. 3.
This date marked the grand opening of the newly refurbished 188-room hotel, which included mimes, some adult beverages, a DJ, light snacks, and two synchronized swimming displays.
Le Mèridien Celebrates Grand Opening itself, which is located in the former Hotel Texas Annex Building, was designed by Dallas-based design firm Premier. The aesthetic in Le Mèridien Celebrates Grand Opening is distinctively midcentury modern with design elements like floor-to-ceiling windows that offer stunning views of the Fort Worth skyline.
Le Mèridien Celebrates Grand Opening ’s interior boasts new colors and design elements while also honoring the aesthetics of the building’s past. In partnership with both Blueprint and Remington Hospitality, Le Mèridien Celebrates Grand Opening offers guests and locals 5,000 square feet of event space, including a ballroom and several breakout rooms.
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Also onsite at Le Mèridien Celebrates Grand Opening is the Bouvier Brasserie restaurant, an eatery that combines Parisian elegance with some good ol’ fashioned Texas spirit.
But that’s not all.
Le Mèridien Celebrates Grand Opening also has a rooftop lounge called ANNEX, which has a menu full of craft cocktails paired with some live music.
Chase Chasteen, general manager at Le Meridien Fort Worth Downtown, says he’s glad to see this building revitalized since it sat dormant for nearly two decades.
“Everything is brand new in the building, and the designer at Premier, Leslie Wynne, she did an excellent job with the design,” Chasteen says. “Everything is just so fresh and new, and we are excited to show it off to everyone.”
The actual building itself was built in 1928 where it served as a garage until 1968, when the remaining floors were added on top of the original five. This is when the structure was turned into the Annex Texas Hotel. This hotel operated until 2008, when it closed its doors before sitting vacant for 18 years.
The sixth-floor pool deck, which already existed, was completely redesigned by Premier to include trees, and a new glass railing system that allows attendees to gawk at Fort Worth’s stunning skyline.
“We are all about savoring the good life and then helping bring our guests back to the era of glamorous travel,” Chasteen says. “And so, we think that we did a great job of that with this hotel.”
