Planning a trip to Austin? Well, we’ve got you covered. Below, Austin homegirl & travel journalist Becca Hensley shares the best boutique hotel stays in Texas’ capital.
Austin Proper Hotel
5 Stars | Website | Austin-Bergstrom Intl. Airport (AUS)
244 | 1 swimming pool; Pet friendly; Fitness center; Free WiFi | 2
Sixth Street; South Congress Avenue; Austin Convention Center
2nd Street District awaits outside the Kelly Wearstler imagined Austin Proper, a medley of eye-catching extravagances and festive moods. Refuel at The Peacock, a Mediterranean restaurant-cum-lobby bar, splash in the 5th-floor-sited pool (small-batch tequila libation in hand), and gaze at vistas of Lady Bird Lake.
Thompson Austin
4 Stars | Website | Austin-Bergstrom Intl. Airport (AUS)
229 | 1 swimming pool; Pet friendly; Room service; Bar | 1
O Henry Museum; Austin Museum of Art; Waterloo Park; Texas State Capitol
Austin’s flirtiest hotels, newly arrived Thompson Austin and Tommie Austin, come as an adjoined pair, not quite separated at birth, but similar—like your favorite, handsome twin friends. Poshly planted downtown, they share restaurants and a fourth floor pool and lounge. Tommie’s riff is micro-lifestyle, while Thompson rolls out the proverbial red carpet.
Kimpton Van Zandt
4 Stars | Website | Austin-Bergstrom Intl. Airport (AUS)
319 | 1 swimming pool; Pet friendly; Room service; Bar | 1
Ladybird Lake; Texas Music Museum; Texas Music Museum
A doorway to Rainey Street District’s merry bars and mayhem, Kimpton Van Zandt rises from its sidewalks, a boon for the nightcap crowd. Hip, created with a musical theme, and named for a famous local musician, the hotel harmoniously references ATX’s tuneful heritage at every turn. Nightly happy hour and rooftop pool rock.
Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection
5 Stars | Website | Austin-Bergstrom Intl. Airport (AUS)
54 | 1 swimming pool; Pet friendly; Fitness center; Free WiFi | 2
Texas State Capitol; Sixth Street; Lady Bird Lake; Lake Austin
Play Great Gatsby at Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection, a sophisticated hotel with a Jazz Era mansion at its heart, ideal for sequestering. Kitted out in a residential neighborhood near downtown with English gardens and Lutie’s, a stellar eatery, the new hotel features canny design by the stupendous Ken Fulk.
Hotel Magdalena
4 Stars | Website | Austin-Bergstrom Intl. Airport (AUS)
89 | 1 swimming pool; Pet friendly; Bar; Room service | 1
O Henry Museum; Austin Museum of Art; Nicholas Dawson Park
Appropriately located on Music Lane in SoCo, Hotel Magdalena by Austin’s acclaimed Bunkhouse, occupies a leafy landscape once owned by Willie Nelson, and formerly home to the Terence Motor Hotel. Now conjuring a modernistic treehouse ambiance, the new, 89-room hotel incorporates peaceful elements, such as elevated walkways and a 900 square-foot, guests-only pool.
Hotel Zaza Austin
4 Stars | Website | Austin-Bergstrom Intl. Airport (AUS)
159 | 1 swimming pool; Pet friendly; Room service; Free WiFi | 1
Republic Square; Texas State Capitol; Lady Bird Lake and Hike & Bike Trail
With specialty-themed suites humorously named things like “About Last Night,” urbane, playful, made-in-Texas Hotel ZaZa celebrates the arts at every turn. Anchoring the Warehouse District, funky and gorgeous at once, its plethora of art appeals to aesthetes. The buzzy nightlife and pool scene draws crowds.
