HALL Park Hotel
Audio By Carbonatix
At the mention of the word “Frisco,” the brain immediately envisions bronzed and blonde bombshells practicing high kicks in the end zone, suburban cookie cutting and some of the worst rush-hour traffic you’ll ever experience. Not often does the city evoke thoughts of luxurious vacations with decadent food, thought-provoking contemporary art collections or wine lounges reminiscent of Napa Valley, but that should change. Because HALL Park Hotel has just that, and it was recently named the ninth best new hotel in the country by USA Today. It’s also the only Texas hotel to make the list.
The hotel’s restaurant, Palato, led by Eric Sakai, who learned the craft of pasta in Italian trattorias, was also named one of the best hotel restaurants in the country. And if eating buttery carbs (which you can order via room service, by the way) wasn’t enough to satiate your inner Italiano, they also have pasta-making classes.
The hotel is owned by Craig and Kathryn Hall, who have arguably the most versatile and impressive resumes of any couple in North Texas. Craig Hall, who has become a pillar of the local fine arts community, made a name for himself with high-risk, high-reward real estate investments beginning in the 1980s when he purchased a rooming house for $4,000 before he even turned 21. Millionaire status soon followed, and after a few bankruptcies early in his career, he upgraded to billionaire.
His wife, Kathryn, equally as impressive, started as a city attorney in Berkley, California. Her career advanced in the private sector, and by 1997, she had secured a role as the U.S. ambassador to Austria, serving under President Bill Clinton.
The two eventually bought a vineyard in California, which they still own and operate. Craig has since become a notable investor in arts and startups, including being one of the earliest supporters of Theranos, the controversial blood-testing technology that landed Elizabeth Holmes in a federal prison for 11 years. This was before anyone knew her machine never worked. Maybe when she’s done with her stay at the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, she can plan a stay at HALL Park Hotel.
Although maybe not, because according to a 2022 sentencing memo, Hall doesn’t reflect fondly on his investments.
“Simply put, Holmes’s actions were loathsome and un-American,” he said in the memo, according to Bloomberg News.
We digress. Aside from investing in wine and medical research, the Halls boast an enviable art collection, a significant portion of which they share with the public at HALL Park. Furthermore, the development boasts the largest private collection of Texas contemporary art, which is open to the public in the Texas Sculpture Garden on the premises.
Props to the Halls for staying in line with the Dallas billionaires of the past by preserving and contributing to the region’s art scene and bolstering the hospitality industry along the way, rather than flying celebrities to space.
So the next time you’re planning a staycation, skip the Statler and the Adolphus and head over to Frisco for dinner and a stroll through the sculptures.
