Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center

The checking in and checking out process was smooth! We loved everything from the room to the waterpark. The housekeeping staff was on top of everything and made sure our room was spotless each day. Room service arrived early every time less than 20 minutes. The resort was spotless and valet is quick and easy.

Nice place to take the family. Lots to do here. Many nearby locations via shuttle bus. Highly recommend.

I wanted to share my recent experience at the Gaylord Texan for anyone considering a visit, especially for the ICE exhibit. I booked a trip for my dad's birthday, and the highlight was supposed to be the ICE event. Unfortunately, the exhibit was canceled two days in a row due to technical issues. This really threw off our plans because we waited around the hotel instead of doing other activities, thinking it would reopen. When I tried to get compensation, they initially said they couldn't help because I booked through a third party. Eventually, they agreed to waive the resort and parking fees and add 5,000 Bonvoy points. However, the next day, I noticed the points weren't there and the credits hadn't appeared. We also ate at their Riverwalk Cafe buffet, which was $32 per person plus extra charges, and the food was just okay, with a mislabeled stew that was actually pork not beef. Now I'm seeing some confusing pending charges on my credit card that don't match what they emailed me. I'm giving it a little time to see what posts and then I'll follow up if needed. Final Tip: If you're thinking of going to the ICE exhibit, plan for the possibility of cancellations. They usually send an email by around 10 AM if they're canceling that day, so check your email each morning. We missed out on other activities in Dallas because we were waiting around the hotel to avoid extra parking fees and make sure we didn't miss the exhibit time--only to have it canceled again. So definitely double-check and be ready to adjust your plans. If I had to do it again I'd go somewhere more centralized to our activities and would leave this as an option not a main reason to visit as they are not reliable and definitely not worth the cost.

We visited ICE! at the Gaylord Texan yesterday with our two kids, hoping for a fun Christmas outing, but it just didn’t live up to the hype. Things started off on the wrong foot with $40 for parking, which felt outrageous and set the tone for the rest of the visit. The ice sculptures were okay, but honestly not that exciting or magical. After a few minutes, it all kind of felt the same, and our kids were miserable from how cold it was. Even with the parkas they give you, they just wanted to rush through and leave, so we didn’t really get much enjoyment out of it—and even if we had, the whole thing felt extremely overpriced for what it was. We checked out the Christmas market afterward, hoping for something more festive, but that was another letdown. Everywhere we walked, it seemed like someone was trying to sell us something. Everything was overpriced, from snacks to souvenirs to photo ops, and the atmosphere wasn’t charming or cozy—it just felt like a money grab dressed up as a Christmas event. By the time we left, it really felt like the focus was more on getting into guests’ wallets than creating a good holiday experience. Between the insane parking fee, the cold and not-so-fun walkthrough, and the disappointing market, it’s definitely not something we’d do again.

It is our 8th year to take our family for 3 nights around Thanksgiving to start off the holidays. I make reservations in June and got 4 suites at over $700 a night each with main atrium views for everyone as always. This year the rooms were terrible. They were in a side atrium and 2 were facing the alleyway after being told they were atrium views while checking in. The rooms had been updated cheaply. Doorknobs on backwards, no robes or extras, small tables with 2 chairs instead of the ones that seated 6. Less furniture so no where for coffee maker etc. The morning of check out our water in our room was turned off from about 8AM until 11:30AM with no warning. We had to go down to one of the other rooms to shower, brush teeth, toilet, etc., after trying to repeatably reach someone that could help or knew what was going on. About 11:30 as we were preparing to check out a maintenance man showed up and said they were doing an inspection and the water in our section was cut off but they just turned it back on. We got a lot of I'm sorry for the inconvenience but no offers to compensate or fix any of our inconveniences. The restaurants, activities, ICE were all wonderful but the new rooms are a Motel 6 level not a Marriott. SEE pics below of views and coffee maker in closets.