Great part of DFW to stay and play. The dogs are always welcome and we love that. Beds are great and the place is nice. 4th floor rooms with wrap around balconies are nice. Great little pool area and rooftop terrace for parties.

Have stayed at Lumen a number of times. The hotel has been recently renovated. Kudos to Kimpton for adding a very cool vibe, nice pool, great restaurant (I believe it is independently owned), and trying to create a great small hotel. Location remains outstanding. Close enough to downtown and to Greenville Avenue to enjoy, right next to SMU, and sitting in the midst of Dallas' high-end neighborhood Highland Park. Unfortunately, the hotel is noisy. Many rooms have a view of a cinder block wall, thus resulting in a dark room. Additionally, the shower is located in most rooms facing the bedroom. I guess if you are alone it is ok, but when traveling with anyone else it is just plain strange. Overall I am going to give the Lumen an "A" for effort and a "C" for results.

Third stay for us at the Lumen and I have to say I was more aware of the little things this time that keep the hotel from getting a "very good" rating. As mentioned below, the walls are thin and noise is a factor. The sound of opening and closing doors up and down the hall seems to rocket through the corridors. The hotel has expanded and almost doubled its size, though, and it could be that the new wing is better (we were in the original hotel wing). The so-called "king deluxe" room is quite small and dominated by the bed and a huge chair. There is a tiny closet and no other storage. It's a great room for a single traveler but cramped for a couple staying for several days and equipped for several changes of clothes. On the plus side, the new roof deck is amazing and a great place to spend a warm autumn afternoon. The new lobby is airy and beautiful. The lobby bar is ample and the service was good there. The Lumen is great for proximity to SMU. Just know that if you're choosing it for that reason, you'll be making some tradeoffs.

Kimpton does a very good job, and they've done so here. Very comfortable rooms and personable service. Cool decor and ambience.

But, on the negative side, the rooms are small, and the walls are thin, exposing sounds from the hallway and other rooms. They've done nice work, transforming the awful old Park Cities Inn, but they should've been more generous in reconstructing the rooms.

If you want to be near SMU, this is a desirable pick.