Stanton House in El Paso, Texas
Will Ross, January 13, 2025
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Remedies for competing interests are on display on the counter of rooms at Stanton House – a hangover recovery kit pairs with weighing scales, with refined interiors and spacious floorpans encouraging a restorative stay. Located in downtown El Paso within the shadows of two of the town’s legacy hotels (now Plaza and Paso del Norte), the Stanton offers the freshest and most design-orientated stay within the city. Though the city sprawls to the west and east from downtown, the Stanton is located near the free streetcar – a connector for various highlights for athletic travelers.
The historic 1912 furniture building has been redesigned by Ann Tucker of Austin-based Studio A Group and Jack Sanders/Design Build Adventure to include 42 rooms, contemporary art, and restaurant Taft-Díaz. The property blends American and Mexican cultures, carefully navigating the worlds of contemporary art and German toiletries (Malin+Goetz).
Room types vary in size, details and location. LightWell King/Queen feature a glass wall with the hotel’s signature, while Superior King/Queen offer views of Mexico and the United States border.
Superior King/Queen: Offers views of Mexico and the United States border. Deluxe rooms offer more space, while premium rooms designed with balconies.
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The hotel’s additional offerings include a well organized gym, a spa for treatments and Taft-Díaz on the ground floor. A handsome bar and espresso setup faces this, serving a reduced menu including tacos.
Venture beyond the Stanton for tacos at Taconeta which comes with a James Beard nomination. There is currently no preferred specialty coffee offering so use the Stanton’s in-house coffee bar.
Training Notes
El Paso’s West Texas, Bordertown image may not immediately convey health-wellness-athletics city, but its foundations are supported by good infrastructure for visiting runners, cyclists and swimmers.
Runners will note the Franklin Mountains State Park escarpment to the north of town, reachable within less than two miles from Downtown. Scenic Drive reveals a two-mile route with stunning city and mountain views, also a regular interval / tempo location for University of Texas, El Paso who train at Kidd Field to the West (open during evenings, access from the East).
Slightly beyond the city centre are other pieces of trail infrastructure to note – A Rio Grande Trail / Riverpark (west, dirt trail and Thousand Steps Trailhead (paved, East).
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Cyclists can get hold of hire road bike rentals via Crazy Cat Cyclery – they rent the Revolt Gravel/Road model from Giant, as well as hardtail mountain bikes. Bike routes generally route north for longer distances, toggling between the Rio Grande River and the overlooking Franklin Mountains, or east for rides less than 50km. See El Paso bike routes assembled by Crazy Cat.
Two 50m competition pools are located on the flanks of town but perhaps too far from the time-poor visitor (West and East). But the most convenient pool can be found south of Stanton at Armijo Aquatic Center – just note that it’s 25 yards.
Review based on a stay in Room 306 in January 2025. For more information, visit stantonhouse.com