Quick Hotel Summary
| Category | Details |
| Hotel | Westin Dallas Stonebriar Golf Resort and Spa |
| Location | Frisco, TX |
| Brand | Westin (Marriott) |
| Room Type | Deluxe King |
| Price Paid | 245.00/night |
| Length of Stay | 2 nights |
| Booking Method | Corporate travel agent |
⭐ Overall Rating: 8 / 10
The Verdict
The Westin Dallas Stonebriar Golf Resort & Spa is a solid option for travelers who need to be in the Frisco or Plano area, particularly business travelers visiting nearby corporate offices. While the location is far from downtown Dallas and not especially walkable, the hotel offers comfortable rooms, excellent fitness facilities, and a surprisingly strong breakfast at its Herd and Hearth restaurant. Service was friendly and efficient, and the golf course views add a pleasant touch in an otherwise office-heavy area. Overall, it’s a dependable Marriott option with good amenities, though the rooms are beginning to show some wear.
Location
Despite having Dallas in its name, the Westin Stonebriar is located in the booming North Dallas suburb of Frisco and right on the border with neighboring Plano. If you need to be in the area you are probably a business traveler because the neighborhood is teeming with corporate offices. That said, while I’m not a golfer the hotel does have a golf course so maybe you’re in town for that, but my money is on a business trip. The location is very convenient for any of the major offices nearby, but you’re going to be disappointed if you need to be in downtown Dallas as it’s a 20 plus mile journey and during rush hour can easily be over an hour in traffic. On the other hand, you are only 20-30 minutes from DFW. Expect to pay about $50 for an Uber.
Long story short the area is not designed for walking. It’s cut up by highways and large roads…and few sidewalks. There are a number of hotels in the area and most are connected to a small area of restaurants that are walkable. The area around the Westin has less walkable restaurants when compared to the nearby Renaissance or Marriott Legacy, but there are a lot of options within a $10-15 uber ride. Despite the limited selection, there is an excellent dive burger bar around the corner called Kenny’s Burger Joint which I highly recommend. The III Forks steakhouse next to Kenny’s is good as well.
Booking and Price
I booked this trip through our corporate travel agent and paid a rate of $245/night for a traditional king room. Local taxes added another $40/night bringing the nightly total to about $285.
Marriott loyalists have a bunch of comparable properties in the area to choose from nearby and my usual strategy is to just book the cheapest option from the Westin, Renaissance and Marriott Legacy. What I find remarkable is how dramatic the difference the prices can be on any particular date among the three given from my perspective they are very similar. It’s definitely worth shopping around. There are also Aloft, Sheraton and other lower tier Marriott properties in the area so no shortage of options.
Check-In Experience
I arrived relatively late in the evening and while I didn’t need help with my luggage, there was no one there to help me up the 3 steps to the lobby. The lobby is an open space with the check in desks to the left and an open concept bar and restaurant to the right. My memory says that this had been reinvented since my last stay at the Westin, but I could be confusing it with another hotel. There was no one in line with two agents at the front desk ready to help me. The check in was quick and I was informed I’d been upgraded from a traditional king to a deluxe king (I’ve had upgrades to massive suites at this property previously, but no such luck on this trip).
As a Marriott Ambassador guest, I was also asked if I’d like 1000 points, breakfast or an unnamed property amenity. I elected for breakfast and the agent checking me in said she was surprised because almost everyone takes the points. I’ve never seen stats on that, but I always assumed more people took breakfast as that would seem to be the better value given what a hotel breakfast can cost. However, again remember most guests are probably business travelers with expense accounts so maybe they’re taking the points more often?
While the check in area was empty when I checked in around 9 PM, the lobby bar area was hopping with live music and what I’m guessing was a convention group of some sort.
Room
As mentioned, I had booked a traditional king which is marketed as being 320 square feet and I was upgraded to a deluxe king which is marketed as being…also 320 square feet. I’ve looked at the pictures online and I honestly have no idea what the difference is between the two. Regardless, while the room was showing a little wear and tear, it was comfortable and well set up for a quick business trip.
The Westin Stonebriar is a large and long hotel and my room was a decent walk from the elevator. If given the choice I always prefer distance from an elevator so I wasn’t complaining even if it meant getting a few extra steps in.
Upon entry through a short entryway with some closet space on the left and a good sized bathroom to the right was the main part of the room featuring a king size Westin heavenly bed, two sitting chairs, a small round table, and a desk type area under the TV. Beside the bed were plenty of outlets to charge my many devices. As a consistent feature with the Westin Brand, the Heavenly Bed was very comfortable.
The bathroom featured a large glass shower and Westin’s house brand White Tea toiletry products in large refillable containers. Unlike my wife who travels with all of her own bath products, I’m not very picky. That said, I always find the smell of Westin bath products to be pleasant and unobjectionable.
High speed internet was free for Bonvoy members and the connection was fast and easily supported streaming. I also was welcomed by a welcome “amenity” consisting of a couple bottles of water, chocolate almonds, trail mix and a York Peppermint Patty. Hey, it was better than nothing.
I had a view over the golf course and in an area filled with highways and office buildings, that was unusually nice (even for a non-golfer like myself).
Hotel Amenities
For a hotel that I still think is mostly filled with business travelers, the hotel offers a lot of amenities. In addition to the standard gym, the hotel has a spa, the aforementioned golf course, and even an indoor virtual golf game. The hotel also has a large outdoor pool that is probably great in the Texas summer heat, but less useful in January.
While I didn’t get to personally use most of the amenities, I did visit the gym both days and it was fantastic. Very large and with a huge variety of equipment. And virtually empty both mornings I went (although it was a little later than what I imagine is peak time). If you’re a workout person while traveling, this is a top notch hotel fitness center.
Food and Beverage
The Westin Stonebriar offers several different dining venues. First is Beans and Barrell attached to the lobby bar which offers take away breakfast and coffee in the morning and drinks and other light bites the rest of the day. While I didn’t have a chance to eat here, I did grab a Shiner Bock at the bar before going out to dinner one night and the service was quick and friendly.
The Westin’s all day restaurant is Herd and Hearth which is also where breakfast is served in the morning. When I walked in the first morning the place was empty at 8:30 am which is odd in my experience, but maybe consistent with the check in agent’s report that no Bonvoy elites ever took the free breakfast option. And I have to say that is a huge mistake among my fellow elites. The breakfast was fantastic with plenty of options and not just the standard breakfast fare, but also local spins on classics like the Texas Benedict. I sampled the chilaquiles my first morning and the burrata and avocado toast the second morning and both dishes were excellent and tasted very fresh. I’m always a little concerned about freshness when I walk into a deserted restaurant, but the dishes certainly made me think there was a lonely cook in the kitchen making things to order with a lot of care.
Unfortunately, due to work commitments I didn’t get to try any other food or room service at the Westin, but there is also an outdoor venue (which probably wasn’t open given the cold weather and no one using the pool) and food available in the Top Golf virtual golf suite.
Service
The service at the Westin Stonebriar was generally good even if not terribly personalized. Everyone I encountered was friendly – especially the lonely servers at breakfast – and absent my initial arrival with no front door staff, met or exceeded my expectations for a standard domestic US hotel.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Often reasonable rates for the area
- Excellent breakfast included for Bonvoy elites
- Excellent fitness facilities
Cons
- Rooms are showing some wear and tear
- Rooms can be a long walk from the elevator
- Not a lot of restaurants within walking distance
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