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Culture / Travel

Bowie House Hotel is Texas’ Elevated Hub of Cowboy Culture

If Ralph Lauren and "Yellowstone" Had a Love Child

BY // 05.29.24

If you’re making a trip out yonder — and by out yonder, I mean out west to Fort Worth — you have a new spot to rest your head and park those cowboy boots for the night. Bowie House, Auberge Resorts Collection, has opened, and I recently decamped for a two-night stay to experience its offerings. Auberge, long known for its luxury retreats (with a Dallas Auberge opening 2026), has created a hotel that embodies the spirit of Cowtown — perhaps best described as the love child of Ralph Lauren’s Rhinelander mansion in New York City’s Upper East Side (if it were premiering a new Western collection — chic and sophisticated, but still denim) and the Dutton family ranch in Yellowstone.

Avid equestrian and Bowie House owner Jo Ellard retained architecture and interiors firm BOKA Powell to create a sleek, contemporary building with gravity-defying glass features and interiors that combine warm brick and cast stone. The homey (if said home was owned by a Tex-illionaire) wood vaulted foyer lobby pairs weathered limestone floors, plaster walls, and arched openings with intriguing art and furniture.

I love Fort Worth — I even resided there once — and its small-town-in-a-big-city vibe. In fact, shortly after checking in, I was back at the valet station and bumped into local It-girl Olivia Kearney with her power attorney husband, Jeff Kearney. She gave me a two-minute rundown on the hotel, which she said has become a frequent gathering spot for all of Fort Worth’s swellegant set as well as one of actor Jon Hamm’s watering holes while he’s shooting Landman in Fort Worth, created by Yellowstone’s Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, which also stars Billy Bob Thornton.

And, you may run into stunning supermodel Bella Hadid, who recently bought a ranch in Fort Worth to be near her new cowpoke boyfriend, rodeo star Adan Banuelos, who is in the National Cutting Horse Hall of Fame.

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The hotel’s jewel box Mulberry Room features “Maridadi (2/3)” by Kenyan artist Thandiwe Muriu.

Inside Bowie House in Fort Worth

Bowie House is located on Camp Bowie Boulevard, at the center of the action in Fort Worth in the 30-block promenade of acclaimed museums, with the Modern Art Museum, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, and the Kimbell Art Museum all just a short walk. It’s also steps from the Will Rogers Memorial Center, so this will be your future home away from home during rodeo season.

The resort’s 88 studios, 12 lofts, and six suites recall the pioneer spirit of the West. Quite a few boast balconies, and all have spectacular views of the Cultural District or lush courtyard gardens. If you want to live like a cattle baron, book the three-room Goodnight Suite with dining room for eight and eagle-eye views of the surrounding neighborhood.

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Then there’s the art. Ellard has filled the rooms and public spaces with works from her vast collection — a trove of 400 pieces she’s amassed through the years. Many are for sale, should guests fall in love with one. Local art stars such as painter David Bates and photographer Steve Wrubel are mixed with international talents Drea Cofield, Miles C. Goodwin, and Leszek Skurski. I
was given a tour by gallery director Emily Gregoire and was intrigued by the work of Nairobi-born Thandiwe Muriu, which I also happened upon recently at the Dallas Art Fair.

I could wax poetic about all the gathering spaces, but my personal favorite was The Billet Room — the hotel’s game room that has the feel of a members-only club. You’ll find a bespoke pool table, with intimate seating areas for a tête-à-tête over a whiskey or marg.

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Fine-dining restaurant Bricks and Horses is a local favorite.

Bowie House’s supper-club-style spin on Texan cuisine is showcased in three dining and drinking venues. Make a reservation at Bricks and Horses, overseen by executive chef Antonio Votta, in a space that embodies Texas horse culture. Cozy up in a leather banquette beside suede wall paneling and elegantly rustic chevron wood floors amongst the massive horse photographs by Constance Jaeggi.

The menu draws on the region’s ranching legacy, with local food sources such as 6666 Ranch, owned by Taylor Sheridan and an investment group, which is rumored to be the location of the Yellowstone spin-off 6666. I had the lobster thermidor, wild boar ribs, and the revolving pie cart (which I adore) before adjourning to the Mulberry Room, the hotel’s library space for aperitifs, where only a quote from Yellowstone’s thorny Beth Dutton could end the evening on the right note. “Every so often, you say something that makes me think you’re smart. And then I look at you, and that thought fades.”

I love a witty and cutting cowgirl.

Montage at JW Marriott

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