The Hilton Anatole held the unveiling of its Trinity Corridor last night with a reception featuring "small bites and summer sips." The corridor, which is the newest addition to the $125 million remodeling, is essential is quite literally just an air-conditioned walkway for guests to get to different parts of the hotel complex without ever having to step outside. Why hold an event unveiling a glorified hallway? Because it's actually very cool.
The Anatole is the largest Hilton hotel in the world in terms of size and conference space. It was bought and initially used to house the Crow family's art collection. There are more than a thousand art pieces displayed around the hotel, which is the largest collection of any U.S. hotel.
But does it rival your local motel's southwestern décor? That's a tough question, but many of the museum-quality pieces do come from Trammel and Margaret Crow's priceless collection of Asian art. Some other highlights include Reuben Margolin's kinetic sculpture, "Nebula" and G. Marcel Suchorowsky's "Nana."
And did we mention pieces of the Berlin wall? Actual sections, removed from the hallowed grounds of the once vodka-soaked confines of East Berlin, are installed in the Trinity Corridor. From its quaint communist upbringing, to its Hasselhoff-induced destruction, the wall is now resurrected at the corridors entrance. By the way, there's actually graffiti tag in Berlin that says, "David Hasselhoff saved the world from communism."
The two sections were painted by German artist Jurden Grope and are signed, "Berlin 1990." They weigh in at more than 11,000 pounds, and they're tagged with an array of political commentary. The Anatole has had these pieces for some time, but have just recently moved them inside.
Other parts of the renovations, which over a hundred guests saw last night, included an "Austin style" giant firepit, which may not meet its full potential until the colder months. There is also a 350-square-foot herb garden, which is used by the Anatole's 5-star restaurant, Nana, as well as for organic cocktails served at some of the hotel's bars.
The Anatole is home to some world-class restaurants and some world class art. And if you don't ever see yourself taking your lady friend/gentleman caller to Nana or shelling out a couple hundred for a suite, take your beloved for a free and romantic date to see some of the beautiful artwork.
