4* The Stoneleigh

If you tend to find beige hotel interiors mildly depressing, ZaZa should cheer you up. It’s colourful, theatrical and occasionally gloriously over the top, with artwork everywhere and some themed suites that make even the standard rooms seem restrained. Uptown gives you plenty of bars and restaurants within walking distance, and the hotel’s own Dragonfly bar and pool area are sociable enough that you don’t necessarily need to rush straight back out. A particularly useful perk is ZaZa’s house shuttle, which operates within a three-mile radius — enough to cover much of central Dallas and the Cedar Springs area. The gayborhood isn’t quite close enough to call this a nightlife hotel, but getting there is easy. GayMapper tip: a fun option for couples or friends who want the hotel itself to have some personality rather than simply providing a bed between nights out.

Canopy hits quite a nice middle ground for an LGBTQ+ Dallas trip. You’re close enough to walk to Cedar Springs — roughly 12 minutes — but you’re also in Uptown, with West Village restaurants, bars and cafés immediately around you. Getting around is unusually easy by Dallas standards too. Cityplace/Uptown DART station is close by and the free McKinney Avenue trolley runs through the neighbourhood, so Downtown and the Arts District don’t automatically require another Uber. The hotel itself has a relaxed, contemporary feel, and the rooftop bar is genuinely worth knowing about for skyline views and a pre-dinner drink. GayMapper tip: one of the better choices if you want gay nightlife within walking distance but don’t necessarily want to wake up right in the middle of it.

The Joule is for travellers who want to stay right in Downtown but don’t want the hotel to feel remotely corporate. The restored 1920s bank building is packed with contemporary art, while the giant eyeball staring back at you from across Main Street rather sets the tone. This part of Downtown has plenty of restaurants, bars and coffee close by, and the Arts District and major central sights are walkable. The hotel also runs a house-car service for trips within three miles, which is genuinely useful in a city where distances can look deceptively short on a map. Cedar Springs still isn’t a walk, so this is a Downtown choice rather than a gayborhood choice. GayMapper tip: probably our pick of the central luxury hotels if good design, food and a sense of place matter more to you than being near the gay bars.

Dallas hotel prices can get rather enthusiastic, so SOVA is a welcome option if you’d rather save some of your budget for actually enjoying the city. The catch is right there in the name: these really are micro-rooms, and some don’t have windows. What makes SOVA interesting is everything around them — a friendly, sociable atmosphere, cocktail bar, tiny speakeasy and a location that puts Downtown, the Farmers Market and Deep Ellum within easy reach. It can work particularly well for solo travellers who don’t want to disappear into an anonymous chain hotel every evening. Cedar Springs needs a rideshare, but you’ve got plenty going on closer to home if you don’t fancy crossing town every night. GayMapper tip: best for a short stay when location, atmosphere and price matter considerably more than having enough floor space to practise your choreography.

Rosewood Mansion manages a fairly unusual trick in Dallas: it gives you genuine five-star luxury while keeping the gayborhood within walking distance. The hotel feels tucked away on leafy Turtle Creek, but head a few blocks towards Cedar Springs and you’re suddenly amongst Dallas’s main LGBTQ+ bars and clubs. That makes it particularly attractive for a special trip where you want to enjoy the scene without actually staying above it. Back at the hotel, The Mansion Bar is worth an evening in its own right, especially when there’s live music, and the service has the sort of polished-but-personal reputation you’d hope for at this level. GayMapper tip: expensive, yes — but if you want a special-occasion hotel and still intend to spend Saturday night on Cedar Springs, the location is rather difficult to improve on.

The Highland Dallas, Curio Collection by Hilton, suits a slightly different Dallas trip. It’s up by SMU and Highland Park rather than Downtown or Oak Lawn, so choose it if you like the idea of good neighbourhood restaurants, shopping and a more polished residential feel around your hotel. One big advantage is transport: SMU/Mockingbird DART station is just across the road, with Red, Blue and Orange Line services making Downtown and other parts of Dallas much easier to reach without a car. There are also restaurants, shops and a cinema around Mockingbird Station itself. For a night on Cedar Springs you’ll still want a rideshare, so we wouldn’t pick The Highland for a nightlife-led weekend. GayMapper tip: best for repeat visitors or anyone who wants to see more of Dallas than Downtown and the gayborhood — with unusually useful public transport thrown in.