Less is more: New downtown Dallas hotel offers plush but small rooms

A new downtown Dallas hotel has a lot to offer but not a lot of space.

The SOVA Hotel is opening its doors soon on the eastern edge of downtown in a three-story historic building on Commerce Street.

The creation of Dallas twin brothers Blake and Brandon Shirk, the new hotel has just 39 plush but small rooms.

At an average of 120 square feet, SOVA’s rooms are about half the size of a typical accommodation.

“When the lights are out, you really can’t tell how big the room is,” Blake said. “You have your bed and your bathroom.

“The furniture was custom designed by us and made in Guadalajara,” he said. “Everything was designed by the inch.”

Customers will check in at the ground floor lobby bar.

“Our front desk agents double as bartenders,” Blake said. “We are going to be really focused on social and the community.”

He said staff will provide guests with local recommendations for everything from walking tours to where to find yoga and when to visit museums.

“At the end of the day, the goal is to provide a clean, comfortable place to stay,” Blake said.

The micro hotel is scheduled to open at the end of May.

The project has been in the works since early last year but got delayed because of COVID-19.

Backed by more than two dozen individual investors, the Shirks have been working to get the project to the finish line. “We were very confident that the need for travel would return,” Blake said. “That gave us the persistence to continue. "

Raised in North Texas, the Shirk brothers, 27, went to Texas A&M. They spent some time in California and traveling the world before coming back to Dallas.

Brandon said the Dallas project was inspired by unique hotels and hostels the twins visited.

“What we are trying to do is pull the best from around the world in a new concept,” Brandon said. “We want to deliver it in a way that’s a little bit more comfortable for Americans.

“There aren’t going to be any bunk rooms,” which are common features in European hostels, he said. “Everyone has their own private room and individual baths.”

And unlike some no-frills spots overseas; the SOVA rooms will have luxury furnishings. “We’re looking at luxury-grade Eucalyptus sheets from Austria,” Brandon said.

The average daily room rate at the SOVA will run about $129.

“We want to be at about a 30% discount to the average rate downtown,” Brandon said.

The brothers chose the building at 2015 Commerce because it’s in the middle of the new East Quarter redevelopment, which has offices, restaurants and residential space.

“The building was really cool to us,” Blake said. “It used to be a Nash automobile dealership back in the day.

“There are brick walls and hardwood floors we have maintained.”

Plus, the location is within walking distance of Deep Ellum, the Farmers Market and the heart of downtown.

The Shirks hope the new Dallas SOVA Hotel will be the first of multiple locations for their brand.

“We think there is demand for this concept in any urban core,” Blake said.

SOVA Hotel

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