Hotel at a Glance: Holiday Inn Dallas-Richardson

Some of the world's largest telecommunications and networking companies have offices in the city of Richardson, located about 15 miles from Dallas. The Holiday Inn Dallas-Richardson is well-equipped for business travelers—it offers several conference rooms with high-tech amenities. If you have downtime, you can check out any of the five malls in the area, including Galleria Dallas, which boasts more than 200 shops and an indoor ice skating rink.

• 1655 Bar & Grill: Dine on Southwestern-inspired pub food at the onsite restaurant. (currently closed)
• Take a train ride to Dallas: The DART can get you downtown in just 30 minutes.
• Take a dip in either indoor or outdoor pool. (currently closed)
• Relax with a Thai or Swedish massage available on site, from Dee Thai Massage for an additional fee. This deal includes a $25 massage credit (per stay) valid at the massage studio.

Richardson, Texas: Telecom Corridor and the University of Texas at Dallas

Though it’s just 14 miles north of Dallas's city center, Richardson has an economy and a university all its own. More than 5,000 businesses operate within its city limits, many located downtown on Main Street. Several international companies, including some of the world’s largest—AT&T, Verizon, and Samsung, among others—have offices in the aptly named Telecom Corridor, a 25-million-square-foot high-tech business region.

Richardson is also home to the University of Texas at Dallas, a highly regarded science-and-engineering university comprising more than 50 research centers and institutes. For an in-depth look at the campus, schedule a guided tour with the school, or take a self-guided tour that goes past the student union, the Student Services Building, and the 3.5-billion-year-old rock outside the Founders Building.