Watching the sunset at Bar Belmont is about to get even better.
So says Bunkhouse Management, an Austin-based hotel management and ownership company that recently partnered with the Belmont Hotel. Other Bunkhouse properties are boutique hotels in Austin — Hotel San Jose and Hotel Saint Cecilia.
Kevin Osterhaus, Bunkhouse vice president of operations, says his company approached the Belmont asking to work with its team to enhance their offerings and grow their business, and Bunkhouse employees have been in Dallas since July putting together a conceptual plan to evaluate the hotel’s services and amenities. "Obviously, the Belmont is a wonderful staple of that community," says Osterhaus, a former Dallas resident. "We love what Belmont owners have done to make it part of the Oak Cliff community."
The goal, he says, is to improve on what is already there, starting with the bar.
Osterhaus says that the bar is clearly one of the Belmont Hotel‘s most signature experiences, frequented by not only hotel guests but also neighborhood residents as well as drawing in people from all over the metro area. Renovations — which Bunkhouse describes as blending "minimalist modern furnishings" with "rich bohemian and Moroccan accents" — will begin with the bar, then move to the lobby and terrace. Renderings of all three and further details can be viewed in this slideshow.
Changes to these gathering spaces should be complete in early spring 2009, and Bunkhouse will begin work on revamping the guest rooms in summer 2009. Other changes include a new chef at Cliff Cafe — Robin Gill-Lacy, formerly of Whole Foods, who had worked with Belmont Hotel general manager Susan Alarcon during her 18 years at Whole Foods. (Osterhaus recommends the fried egg sandwich on the Cliff Cafe‘s new breakfast menu.)
Osterhaus says he is excited about the new development taking place caddy corner to the hotel, as well as recent additions like restaurant Jack’s Backyard down the street. "It’s a great way to be in the mix of Dallas," he says.
