The Haywood El Dorado, part of the Tapestry Collection by Hilton, is officially open for business.
The new boutique hotel has 70 rooms for occupancy and hopes to bring a different lodging experience than what othre local guest lodgings have to offer.
“Tapestry is a new boutique brand that falls under Hilton. And tapestry for us means weaving in local and regional culture. We’ve incorporated a lot of things that are El Dorado and Arkansas specific,” Greg Marquart, general manager of The Haywood, said. “We have furniture and paintings by Arkansas artists. Some of the paintings include a portrait of Arkansas Gospel singer, Rosetta Tharpe. Opposite Tharpe’s portrait is a painting of Levon Helm, another Arkansan and drummer for The Band.”
The exterior of the hotel has a contemporary look that doesn’t try or want to compete with the historic charm of downtown El Dorado. When you first enter The Haywood, you will be greeted by a lot of mid-century modern elements, vibrant colors and plush fabrics and throw pillows that are pleasing to the eye.
The attention to detail was purposeful to make the premise unique.
“Because it is a tapestry brand, for people that travel and stay in hotels a lot; when you walk into our lobby, you won’t necessarily know what brand of hotel you’re in. The architects and interior designers did a great job making this place feel residential. You don’t feel like you’re in a hotel, you feel like you’re in something completely different,” Marquart said.
Some of those design and architectural details include a spa pool off the courtyard; an outside lounge area complete with floor to ceiling light-stained wood paneling; a fireplace centered; and another sitting area with a fire pit. There’s also an outside patio that overlooks Washington Street and the Murphy Arts District.
Another design element Marquart encouraged local residents to come and enjoy is the fully stocked bar.
“We have some Rock Town Vodka and Bourbon that is distilled here in Arkansas. We have full beer, liquor and wine by the glass available. And we’ve brought in a lot of popular alcohols that travelers tend to like,” Marquart said.
One unique alcohol that is available for purchase is the rare but famous cognac, Louis XIII (13th); a bottle that runs upwards of $4,000 will be available to purchase by the ounce. And the hotel will keep to a special tradition around this cognac.
“The tradition is, whomever buys the last ounce or drink of the bottle, will be able to keep the bottle and its display casing,” Marquart explained.
Because of COVID-19, the hotel was not able to have a grand opening ceremony. But it hopes that in 2021 it will have a special event celebrating its addition to the community and being a part of the festivities around the 100 year anniversary of the Busey-Armstrong well that struck oil in 1921 in El Dorado.
“We love to give tours if people want to see it. Come by, walk around the lobby. Have beer or a cocktail at the bar. You don’t have to be a hotel guest to enjoy the bar or the food and drink aspect of the hotel. So we invite everyone to come and enjoy what The Haywood has to offer,” Marquart said.