Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/557531
renderings courtesy of the Westin Austin doWntoWn "In AustIn our weekdAys Are full—we've never hAd the hotel supply for All the people who wAnt to throw conventIons here—but our weekends Are off-the-chArts busy."— matt green The Westin Austin Downtown adds 366 hotel rooms and over 19,000 square feet of convention space, and it features a heated rooftop pool and bar (pictured below). developing the 243-room boutique Austin Proper, set to break ground at Nueces and Second Streets at the end of the year. "Austin has always been a little coun- tercyclical to that. Our weekdays are full—we've never had the hotel supply for all the people who want to throw conventions here—but our weekends are off- the-charts busy. Everybody considers Austin their little vacation destination." When Austin's largest hotel to date, the JW Marriott, debuted in February mere blocks from the Austin Convention Center, it opened up more than 1,000 rooms to guests. But now, more home- grown offerings, with a strong emphasis on local f lavor, are coming in. The 16 -story Hotel Van Zandt, which is affiliated with the Kimpton brand based in San Francisco, looks to bring some upscale groove to the Rainey Street district when it opens this month. "When people check in, we want them to feel like they're walking into the home of some- body who's super cool," says Joe Pagone, Van Zandt's general manager. "It's going to be luxuri- ous, but approachable and a little gritty, like Austin itself." And then there's the Hotel ZaZa, a Texas boutique chain with outposts in Dallas and Houston, planning to open on Fourth Street between Guadalupe and Lavaca in 2017. "Besides creating a level of service that [would match] any five-star hotel in the country," says Benji Homsey, president of brand and development for Texas-based Z Resorts Management LLC, "our hotels have a soul, which is why we have a cult following." Even international corporate brands know the city demands true local flavor. "Our vision was to design a hotel that embodied the spirit of Austin," says Kristofer Carlson, general manager of The Westin Austin Downtown, which opened on Fifth and San Jacinto Streets in July. The 366-room hotel, which boasts a rooftop pool with an unobstructed view of green space, offers 19,000 square feet of meeting space, and has rooms named after the city's legendary honky-tonks (Broken Spoke and Continental Club) and Texas musicians like Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Meanwhile, the Fairmont is building a 37-story, 1,068-room hotel with 100,000 square feet of meeting space just down the street from the Four Seasons in 2017, assuring that there will always be a home away from home to hang your hat in Austin. AW CHECKING IN Hot hotels opening this fall. THE BANDLEADER: Hotel Van Zandt This 319-room boutique hotel, named for beloved Texas singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt, offers live music nightly on a stage separating the restau- rant, Geraldine's, from the glamorous pool deck. A local director of music and social programming was hired to ensure that the hotel books the best bands, the lobby's vinyl collection is on point, and guests have the best possible playbill. 605 Davis St., 877-202-2191; hotelvanzandt.com. Opening in September; rates begin in the high $200s. THE TOURIST HOT SPOT: South Congress Hotel Bringing serious swag to the Travis Heights area, this sexy boutique, with 71 carefully curated rooms and 12 posh suites, is courtesy of New Waterloo, which counts La Condesa, Sway, and Hotel Ella among its properties. Set on South Congress between Monroe and Milton Streets, the hotel enhanced its impressive cache when it was revealed that chef Paul Qui is opening his latest restaurant endeavor, a 12-seat omakase-menu sushi bar, Otoko, here. 1603 S. Congress Ave., 512-920-6405; southcongresshotel.com. Opening in September; rates begin in the high $200s. THE ITALIAN OASIS: Hotel Granduca "We're an Italian piazza in the hills of Austin," says general manager Joseph Violi. On a quiet hill- top near Bee Caves and Loop 360, the 194-room hotel, opened by developer Giorgio Borlenghi and family, who own Granduca in Houston, promises the best of Northern Italian luxury and cuisine. Amenities include a saltwater pool and grand ball- room with hand-painted murals. 320 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., 512-646-3007; granducaaustin.com. Opening in October; rates begin at $300. THE EASY GETAWAY: Hotel Emma Grandparents in town to watch the kids? Then head to San Antonio for a weekend at the Hotel Emma, a 146-room jewel, set inside the historic Pearl and overlooking the northern part of the River Walk. Live a little in the 3,000-square-foot lobby, which boasts a full bar with communal tables, a library, a market, and a new restaurant, Supper, from Executive Chef John Brand, that will focus on fresh farm-to-table cuisine. 136 E. Grayson St., 210-223-7375; thehotelemma.com. Opening in October; rates begin at $325. 96 AUSTINWAY.com HautE propErty