Enjoying the Gaylord Texan Resort for Less
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Since my first daughter was born, most years we head to New York City in late November or early December to see the real Santa at Macy's on 34th Street and partake in other holiday offerings such as ice skating in Bryant Park, seeing the over-the-top window displays, viewing the Rockefeller tree, watching the Rockettes, and visiting cousins from Connecticut. While the city is always a little nuts around the holidays, it is also a ton of fun for a young family.
However, this year we changed things up a bit and decided to instead visit the real Santa in Dallas before Thanksgiving (in case you didn't know, he makes his trek up to New York City after Thanksgiving). We made this holiday switch-a-roo plan for two reasons. First, we wanted to experience all of the holiday magic that the Gaylord Texan has to offer and there just isn't time and money to do both that and NYC in the same month. Second, we wanted to then head from Dallas to Kansas to visit grandparents on their home turf since we hadn't done that in over a year.
I have seen friends' amazing pictures from the Gaylord Texan on Facebook for years, but we hadn't made the trip ourselves until last weekend. Let me say that if you live within a reasonable distance from Dallas and you love all things Christmas, then go ahead and pencil this trip in right now.
Because their holiday offerings are so extensive (and potentially expensive if you aren't careful), I'm going to break my tips and review into two posts. In this first post I'll talk about the hotel and how to book it for less, and then in the next post (which I promise to get out this week), I'll talk about their holiday activities and how to save some money on them.
The massive 4.5 acre Gaylord Texan is located in Grapevine, Texas, which is 15 - 20 minutes from Dallas and about 10 minutes from DFW airport. This resort first opened in 2004 and is now under the Marriott umbrella with 1,384 rooms and 127 suites and still growing.
It is a huge resort located in a tourist area near a Great Wolf Lodge, Embassy Suites, and the adorable Grapevine downtown. I'm sure it is fabulous year-round, but it is extra special around the holidays with over 2 million twinkling lights and a themed holiday experience each year. This year, they featured a 'Twas the Night Before Christmas theme in their 9 degrees indoor ICE! indoor sculpture experience.
While I think ICE! is the main draw, they also have indoor snow tubing, Cookies with Mrs. Claus, a Build-A-Bear workshop, outdoor ice skating, snowball throwing, an Elf on the Shelf breakfast, and of course the big man himself, Santa Claus. I promised not to get too far into the activities in this post, but hopefully, that gives you a flavor of why this resort is now a must-do recommendation of mine for holiday loving families!
Book the Gaylord Texan for Less
It will likely surprise no one that the Gaylord Texan can get very expensive around the holidays when demand is through the roof for all this holiday excitement. Standard rooms can easily go over $300 per night once you include all the taxes and fees, so this is a good time to consider using your Marriott Rewards points earned with the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card or similar.
Standard rooms at the Gaylord Texan are 35,000 Marriott points per night. For our pre-Thanksgiving date we were able to get a room on a Marriott Rewards rate for about $190+, so we decided to go ahead and use cash this time and save points for another time since I can usually do better with my Marriott Rewards points than that return. In hindsight, points may have been the way to go because the cost of activities really added up, but at least we are halfway to earning a Marriott MegaBonus free night now. Another really good way to book a stay might be with a Marriott 35,000 point certificate you earn each year with cards such as the:
- Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express
- Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express
- Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card
- Marriott Rewards Business Premier Plus Credit Card
I highly recommend keeping an eye on the Gaylord Facebook pages if you are planning a visit as they do offer some early season discounts and flash sales.
Review of the Gaylord Texan Room
The regular check-in line was quite long when we arrived, but thankfully the Marriott Elite line was pretty short and saved us a decent amount of time.
Mommy Points Tip: Remember that The Platinum Card® from American Express offers you SPG Gold status which matches to Marriott Gold status.
During the check-in process, we were asked if we wanted an atrium view upgrade. At first I assumed this was a perk of having Marriott Gold status which does include complimentary space-available upgrades, but in this case, the hotel was not offering a complimentary view upgrade, but rather a paid view upgrade. As pretty as the atrium is with the lights, we declined the option to pay more for a different view, and frankly, it felt a little strange of a question given that Golds are technically eligible for room upgrades. I was totally fine with our room, but I would recommend they skip over asking elites if they want to pay more for a different view.
Our room was on the fourth floor and was a standard room with two queen beds, a double vanity with a separate room for the toilet and traditional tub/shower combo. It was indeed a standard room, but one that was totally adequate and comfortable for our family of four for the night. The only hitch was that one of the two elevators that served this section of the hotel was broken for the duration of our stay which led to some elevator crowding at times.
Upon request were granted a 2PM late check-out which was perfect for squeezing in an early afternoon nap for our two-year-old though housekeeping did come to the room twice before 2PM even though we had late checkout secured.
Gaylord Texan Dining and Pools
The resort itself has both an indoor and outdoor heated pool available, which is great for year-round fun! The indoor pool was much larger than expected, though the outdoor pool, while quite nice, was smaller than I would have guessed for a resort with 1,000+ rooms. However, after I left the resort I learned there is also an entire separate water park that is open during the summer that you get wristbands for when staying at the Gaylord.
Even without the holiday lights and activities, the massive Gaylord Texan atrium has tons of beautiful foliage and even its own River Walk element.
On our next visit, I hope we eat at the River Walk Cantina as it looked like a cute and festive spot for a meal.
While that restaurant looks like a lot of fun, do be aware that the Gaylord Texan is a little lacking when it comes to mid-range or budget meal options. There were a few full-service spots like the Cantina, but otherwise, for lunch, you could get a pre-made cold sandwich or wrap with chips and a drink for $15, but that was about it outside of room service or a full-service spot. That said, UberEats could be a solid backup plan if you didn't feel like retrieving your car to leave for lunch. If you do leave the property, you can reach many different affordable options including Chick Fil A, Jason's Deli, and more within about 10 minutes.
For dinner, we got in the car and headed to Hard Eight BBQ, a solid BBQ option that was about 10 - 15 minutes away by car. A hearty dinner for four there came to about $50, when a similar dinner would have easily been than double amount that at the Gaylord.
While we are on the topic of nearby places, my parents stayed the night at the Element DFW, about 5 - 10 minutes away, so that we could reduce expenses a bit as that property can be had for less than $100 and it would earn me a SPG stay credit since I'm going for Platinum status via a double stay bonus promo. While I didn't stay there, they had no complaints about this property and it offers a complimentary breakfast.
When budgeting, be aware that there is a $20 resort fee and a $31 per day valet fee at the Gaylord. Self-parking is also available for $22 per day. Since Josh flew to Kansas before we did, he used their $15 transportation service to DFW which does not require reservations and leaves on the hour and half-hour.
I'm glad that we stayed at the Gaylord while enjoying their holiday offerings since we have a little one still napping, but if we didn't have a napper still in the crew, because of all the costs involved with staying there, I don't think I would personally do it for longer than a night given the more affordable nearby options. But for the full experience, it is worth staying at least one night and crossing your fingers that late check-out is available.
Do not expect a holiday trip to the Gaylord Texan to be an inexpensive endeavor, but the expenses for your hotel stay can be reduced if you use points, go early in the season, and/or jump on a flash sale. For a holiday-loving family, it will be money or points well spent.
Stay tuned for information on the holiday events and activities and how to save a little cash on those.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.