Overview

This was my second time staying at Hotel Drover. The first time wasn’t the best experience with multiple issues including gross noncompliance with Marriott elite member benefits. I had a friend that was visiting Texas for the first time and wanted to stay somewhere “uniquely Texas”, so I decided to give this hotel another try since it is quite a special experience.

Rack rate: $1,400
Room booked: Standard 2 Queen
Room received: Standard 2 Queen
Awards: Michelin 1 Key Hotel

Check-In

Valet was quick to come over to help unload my vehicle when I arrived at the curb. I came right around the peak check-in time at 3PM, and the main lobby was bustling with patrons occupying almost every seat in the lobby area and bar. All the staff at check-in were busy assisting other guests when I arrived, so I waited a couple minutes before being helped. Given it was a Saturday, the busiest day of week to stay at this hotel, and the fact that I needed 2 queen beds, I was not offered any room upgrades at check-in. I was glad to hear that my room was ready, since the official check-in time was not until 4PM. I was offered a welcome beverage during the check-in process, which is some cocktail that I didn’t get the name of, but I saw it had Tito’s vodka mixed in.

Since I am a Marriott Titanium Elite member, and the hotel did not have a club lounge, I was provided with breakfast vouchers for two people. I will provide more details on how that voucher works. The welcome gift was either 1000 Marriott Bonvoy points or a $10 Food & Beverage credit usable at the bar or 97 West. I chose the $10 F&B credit since I had an upcoming dinner reservation at 97 West.

The Room

We went up to our room to drop off our luggage and take a quick break before heading back out to explore the Fort Worth Stockyards. I took this time to admire the decor and cowboy theming of the hotel room. The room was spacious for 2 and would fit 4 people.

The bathroom was very functional. I liked that the toilet was in a separate room with a fan and sliding door for extra privacy. The sink basin was deep and the water pressure from the faucet was very good. There was even a dental kit provided which is surprising to see at a US hotel. Usually you have to call down and request one to be delivered to the room.

Our room had a Juliet balcony and a view of Fort Worth downtown, which honestly wasn’t the most impressive skyline. The clouds did make for a nice picture since it just finished raining.

The mini-fridge is stocked with beverages for purchase, leaving very little room to put your own personal belongings. Unlike Vegas, this fridge does not have weight sensors that will automatically charge your credit card if you accidentally move something around. About a third of the desk space is also taken up by snacks and other travel essentials that are all for sale at a ridiculous markup. I had little interest in paying $8 for a bag of potato chips so I didn’t pay much attention to what items were there.

Stockyards

A big seller of Hotel Drover is its location. It’s steps away from all the bars, shops, and the Cowtown Coliseum where the weekend rodeo is held. We went out to watch the cattle drive, which happens twice daily at 11:30AM and 4PM.

Dining

We had a 5PM reservation for 97 West, which is the restaurant located inside the hotel. The restaurant serves upscale Texan cuisine. If you are interested in dining at 97 West for dinner, I highly recommend making a reservation at least a month in advance. If reservations are not available on OpenTable, I’m sure the hotel concierge can work out some magic to get you a seat if you’re staying at the hotel.

For our appetizer, we ordered the El Classico ($16) to share. It included a trio of dips–queso, guacamole, and salsa–with a generous portion of chips. My friend likes trying a mocktail wherever he dines so he ordered The Bluebonnett without the vodka.

For my main entree, I went with the New York Strip-Chicken Fried Steak ($32). The name of the dish was a bit confusing, but it is a breaded New York strip fried in the way you would usually fry a chicken fried steak. So there’s no chicken in this dish at all, even though it really does look like fried chicken in the picture. The pile of mashed potatoes was huge, which I definitely didn’t finish. My friend got a half rack of ribs ($23) which also seemed like a lot of food.

The appetizer and entree got us both stuffed so we skipped out on dessert.

Since we are Titanium Elite members, we got a voucher for breakfast the next morning at 97 West. This aligns with Marriott policy with providing the option of 750 bonus points or breakfast for 2 guests if an Autograph Collection hotel does not have a concierge lounge. Hotel Drover does not have a concierge lounge. The voucher gives you 2 options: A) You can get the Ranch Hand Breakfast, which consists of a breakfast protein, two eggs, potatoes, and toast, or B) You can order anything off the menu and $15 will be deducted from the total. So for 2 guests that would be a $30 credit towards breakfast. On top of that, each guest can also get a non-alcoholic drink.

I decided to try the Tex-Shouka since I thought the Ranch Hand Breakfast was a bit basic. Although the dish looked nothing like nor tasted anything like shakshuka, I thought the flavors were decent. It didn’t blow me away though. I think I would’ve preferred a regular shakshuka but I appreciate the creativity.

My friend ordered the Lobster Omelette which was delicious but it’s one of the more expensive brunch items at $28.

Facilities

The lobby has a bar which gets quite busy on weekend evenings. We noticed that most people at the hotel bar were probably just bar hopping and not staying at the hotel. There is a section in the lobby reserved for hotel guests that was completely unoccupied.

The “backyard” of the hotel is a serene area away from the hustle and bustle of the Stockyards just steps away from the hotel. However, this area can get quite loud and busy in the evenings since there is an outdoor bar (in addition to the indoor lobby bar). There is also seating for 97 West that faces the backyard, which makes for a nice view while dining out.

The hotel has an outdoor pool in the back of the hotel. There was no one at the pool when I went to check it out, likely due to the fact that it was only 75 degrees outside that day.

The hotel has a gym that is on the smaller side but functional. I checked it out in the evening and I was the only one there. There is a good variety of cardio machines and weights to work with.

Closing Thoughts

Hotel Drover definitely captures the energy of the Wild West with its cowboy atmosphere. I think this is one of the properties that makes Marriott’s Autograph Collection special, and I can see how they were awarded 1 Michelin Key. Room rates on weekends are always over $1000 a night which is quite steep, but if you can get a good deal using your Marriott points or stay on a weekday, I think staying here will be a very unique and fun experience for you.