The Knox

Auberge Resorts Collection brings its resort sensibility to the Knox Street neighbourhood of Dallas, with 140 rooms and suites designed by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio. The hotel is the centrepiece of a four-acre, roughly one-million-square-foot mixed-use development beside Highland Park, and Auberge also manages the 48 private residences in the same project. Auberge was appointed operator in May 2023, a few months before ground was broken in December 2023, and the opening is slated for 2026. At 140 keys, The Knox is smaller than most luxury hotels in Dallas, which gives it the profile of a neighbourhood address rather than a downtown convention hotel.

The place

The Knox Street neighbourhood of Dallas, next to Highland Park and with the Knox Street shopping and dining district at its door. The site sits on the Katy Trail, the 3.5-mile public walking and cycling path, and the project adds a half-acre park that connects directly to it.

The four-acre development is far more than a hotel. Besides the 140-key Auberge hotel and 48 condominium residences, it includes about 150,000 square feet of boutique office space anchored by ISN Software, more than 100,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space across the ground and second floors, and a 27-storey multifamily tower of 173 apartments. The developers, MSD Partners, Trammell Crow Company, The Retail Connection and Highland Park Village Associates, say the aim is to preserve the authentic character of Knox Street while adding new uses to it. Construction financing of more than 619 million dollars came from Beal Bank, arranged by JLL Capital Markets.

The concept

Hotel interiors are by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, the Swedish practice best known for layered, maximalist interiors such as the Annabel's club in London. For The Knox the studio worked from the vibrancy and charm of Knox Street and, in Auberge's words, set out to honour the area's historic roots, a markedly richer register than the restraint the brand uses at many of its resorts.

The residences follow a separate design track. Dallas interior designer Chad Dorsey has furnished them with custom pieces and handcrafted details. There are 48 condominiums ranging from about 2,500 to more than 15,000 square feet, priced from 4.5 million dollars, with several sales at eight-figure prices described as records for Dallas condominiums; buyers are largely long-time Highland Park and Preston Hollow residents. Owners get a private residential club with a bar and lounge, a sunroom, an indoor pool and a fitness centre, plus access to the hotel's amenities.

Auberge chairman Dan Friedkin framed the hotel around locally driven food and beverage, cultural experiences and a wellness program.

Dining & wellness

Dining is placed at the core of the offer. The hotel has a sophisticated second-floor restaurant arranged as two intimate rooms, a series of living rooms and outdoor lounges with food and beverage service, and an outdoor pool bar. The Auberge spa offers holistic, all-natural treatments and a state-of-the-art movement studio, alongside a fitness centre, and the hotel has event spaces. Beyond the hotel itself, the development's 100,000 square feet of ground-floor and second-level retail and restaurants are arranged around the park, so guests step out into a dining district rather than a single hotel restaurant.