Austin has never been particularly shy about building upward. But the newly opened 1 Hotel Austin is trying something a little different: bringing a bit of the ground with it.
Set where Waller Creek meets Lady Bird Lake, the nature-driven luxury hotel anchors Waterline, the 74-story tower rising near the Rainey Street District. Its curved architecture follows the creek below, while planted balconies, native landscaping, natural stone and wood-heavy interiors are meant to soften the usual glass-and-steel downtown experience.
The hotel features 252 guest rooms, including 60 luxury suites, with many overlooking the skyline, Waller Creek and Lady Bird Lake. The location also puts guests within easy reach of Waterloo Greenway and the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, which is useful if your preferred Austin itinerary involves equal parts tacos and pretending those tacos require a recovery walk.
Alteño Austin, the hotel’s signature restaurant, is led by James Beard Award nominee Chef Johnny Curiel, the chef behind Denver’s Michelin-starred Alma Fonda Fina. His menu draws from the fire-driven cooking and traditions of Jalisco’s Highlands, with an open kitchen putting the technique on display.
On the 16th floor, watr brings a Japanese-leaning menu to an open-air rooftop overlooking Lady Bird Lake and downtown. The space shifts from daytime brunch to cocktails, DJs and a livelier evening crowd. Because this is Austin, apparently even a sustainability-minded hotel understands that a rooftop eventually needs a DJ.
At street level, Neighbors may prove to be the most useful addition for people who are not checking into a room. The café and wine bar has entrances from both the lobby and street, serving coffee, juices and casual bites during the day before transitioning into wine, small plates and draft cocktails at night.
Wellness gets an entire floor, including a 2,000-square-foot fitness center with an outdoor terrace, yoga studio and Bamford Wellness Spa. The hotel also includes more than 10,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space.
Sustainability is built into the property beyond the greenery. 1 Hotel Austin is pursuing LEED Gold certification, uses in-room filtered water taps and reusable glassware, and participates in the brand’s 1 Less Thing program, which allows guests to leave gently used clothing for donation to local organizations.
For a downtown hotel occupying part of Texas’ tallest tower, 1 Hotel Austin is making a noticeable effort not to feel detached from the city below. The real test, of course, will be whether Austinites adopt its restaurants, rooftop and café as their own. That part cannot be designed into the building. It has to be earned.