An old dry-ice factory in Fort Worth’s Cultural District has transformed into one of the city’s most highly anticipated destinations: a sleek, new boutique hotel.

Hotel Dryce, located just across from Dickies Arena, opens its doors this Friday. It’s the passion project of Fort Worth Barber Shop owner Jonathan Morris. The entrepreneur also hosts a new series called “Self Employed” about small business owners on Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network.

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“What we wanted to evoke was a very authentic version of what Fort Worth is,” Morris said to a crowd during a preview of the space. “Something that locals would recognize and was not necessarily a caricature of the city.”

The 21-room hotel features a chic lobby bar and café, as well as a dry ice pit in the front courtyard. Morris and his business partner Allen Mederos kept things local. Fort Worth architecture firm Bennett Benner Partners designed the hotel, and Dryce partnered with art gallery Art Tooth to exhibit works from local BIPOC artists throughout the space.

Hotel Dryce features 21 rooms decked out with work from Fort Worth artists. Photo by Miguel Perez.

“It comes down to the people. Their energy and the community is what makes Fort Worth particularly special. We wanted to present that to visitors 21 rooms at a time,” Morris said. “But, this space is also made to be a local gathering place to express who we are: Funkytown, Cowtown and Panther City.”

In January, Forbes listed Hotel Dryce as one of the year’s “most highly anticipated hotel openings” in the world. Dryce shared the honor with new hotels opening in Turks and Caicos, Cancun, and Los Angeles. The hotel has also gotten a shout-out from “Travel + Leisure” and “Fodor’s Travel.”

Got a tip? Email Miguel Perez at mperez@kera.org. You can follow him on Twitter @quillindie.

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