In 2014, Fort Worth-based Jonathan Morris set out to reinvent the barbershop experience, opening Fort Worth Barber Shop, which remains one of the Texas city’s most original grooming establishments for men. The entrepreneur is also the host of Self Employed, an unscripted series on Magnolia Network that follows Morris as he documents small businesses across the U.S.
As if that didn’t keep him busy enough, Morris is the co-founder of Memo Hospitality Group with business partner Allen Mederos. They are currently developing Hotel Dryce, a 21-room boutique hotel in Fort Worth’s Cultural District. Located in a former dry ice factory, the property, designed by Morris and local architecture firm Bennett Benner Partners, is expected to open this spring.
What will Hotel Dryce bring to the Fort Worth community? Hotel Dryce will give visitors a local’s view of our city. We feel uniquely positioned to introduce visitors to Fort Worth’s diverse community of people and places that are dynamically pushing our city into its future. We’re creating a very chill spot for discovery and authentic connection.
Can you tell us about the design for the hotel? Every element of Hotel Dryce is designed to evoke a sense of chill. We want our guests to feel the soul of the city in a relaxed, laidback environment that winks at the past, but also looks to the future of Fort Worth. We very intentionally married the existing dry ice warehouse to a modern building that brings the hotel into the 21st century.
How will Hotel Dryce be different from other boutique offerings? It is going to be small, intentionally. Everything in Texas doesn’t have to be bigger, and we want to lean into that in order to curate authentically local experiences for our guests. By doing so, I believe we can introduce a new Fort Worth—with a new vibe and fresh faces and spaces that are impacting the city—to guests who stay at Hotel Dryce.
This article originally appeared in Boutique Design’s Spring 2021 print issue.
