Hotel ZaZa’s Over-the-Top Magnificent Seven Suites Turn Any Texas Trip Into a Romp

Banned from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, New Mexico, Chicago and all of Europe, what is a wanderlust Texan to do in this time of COVID-19? While no one knows for sure when or if Lone Star State stay-at-home orders will be reinstated, in the meantime we are eyeing traveling (safely) around Texas for a close-to-home romp. And we do mean romp.

We are looking at something more luxe than the neighborhood Holiday Inn and something more exotic than what is found in the four- or five-star national and international chain hotels. We have our eyes on Hotel ZaZa offerings where a standard room is not our ticket for this sojourn. We want one of the group’s over-the-top Magnificent Seven Suites, pockets of whimsy to lift us from the pandemic reality.

Individually themed, the lavishly decorated suites enjoy such enticing names as The Crouching Tiger (Dallas), Black Label (Houston Museum District), Passage to India (Houston Memorial City), and The Orient Express (Austin). Each can transport overnight guests on a fanciful journey if their imagination is willing.

Hotel ZaZa owner and CEO Charlie Givens and design firm  Duncan Miller Ullman, both of Dallas, have collaborated over the years creating the well-imagined posh retreats. While regular rooms are sophisticated and comfy, the suites are altogether different. We are not talking understated elegance here. We are talking bold, eclectic, colorful and fun.

They range in size from more than 600 square feet to as much as 2,200 square feet and amenities include separate living and dining areas, kitchens and multiple bathrooms.

The Venetian-themed Dangerous Beauty Suite in Dallas features a Botticelli style mural while The Orient Express Suite in Austin is plush with tapestries, rich paneling and heavy carpeting. Houston’s Black Label Suite boasts a furnished terrace with a storied soaking tub, two bedrooms, a full kitchen and dining room. This palace on high has views to the Texas Medical Center and Rice University.

“The whole idea of the hotel is to feel like the home of a well-traveled friend that has collected things from all over the world,” is how Givens put it in an Austin Monthly article about the opening of the Austin hotel. “There are oddities and curiosities, great photography and artwork, and cool sculpture — just a certain randomness that has a real magic to it.”

If the Magnificent Seven Suites are too rich for your blood, Hotel ZaZa offers a number of playful “concept suites” such as the smashing Casa Blanca in the Museum District and the Backstage Suite with rocker vibes in the Austin property.