When it comes to cool hotel openings in the United States, Austin always has something new to show off. The Texan capital’s latest hospitality premier is The Loren at Lady Bird Lake: a five-star stay housed in a sharp steel and glass building overlooking the Colorado River and the city’s skyline.
With just 108 rooms, the boutique hotel debunks any “everything is bigger in Texas” pre-conceived notion you had before.
Head through the lobby’s glass doors, and you arrive at an open space with a décor pays homage to its surrounding verdant environs, from the stretches of greenery at neighboring Zilker Park to the oodles of trees lining the proximate riverfront: lush plants spool out of an exposed concrete wall in the center, fringing a vignetted seating area with furniture kitted out in varied shades of grey. Sleek woodwork cleanly frames a recessed check-in desk. To the right of it is the Café at the Loren: a spacious coffee shop with indoor & outdoor seating that invites locals and guests to get work done while peering out expansive floor-to-ceiling windows.
Guestrooms employ emerald hues and mid-century furnishings, from pendulum alarm clocks to spherical retro-style lamp fixtures. Double-head showers and vertical tiles dominate the bathroom’s design narrative. Again, floor-to-ceiling windows foster a spacious feel while embedding prime vantage points of the Colorado River and Austin skyline. Heed our advice and ask for one of the 18 rooms with balconies.
The top-floor restaurant Nido boasts an expansive rooftop patio with inviting outdoor furniture that, once again, offers sensational views of the locale. The restaurant’s menu, Modern American with tings of Texas Hill Country provenance, offers a range of delicious dishes — do yourself a favor and order the Mussels Flatbread.
Illustrious wellness company Milk + Honey is at the helm of the hotel’s spa: ten treatment rooms, steam showers, and a lounge area come with it (opt for one of their facials).
Guests will also love the rooftop infinity pool, perfect for hot Texas days, and the 24/7 fitness center.
Top Takeaways
Location: Austin, Texas
Rating: Five-star
The vibe: An uber-sleek Texan hotel that doesn’t feel quintessentially Texan at all.
Food + Drink: Nido, the hotel’s rooftop restaurant that makes itself available for all three meals of the day, serves up Modern-American-meets-Texan-Hill-Country cuisine with a side of sensational Austin cityscape views. The Café at the Loren is the hotel’s urbane-tinged coffee shop.
Amenities: Pool, fitness center, coffee shop, free-WIFI, and a spa
Any personal neighborhood recs? Yes! If you like going on a nice jog to further explore the destination you’re visiting, you’ll enjoy running the path alongside the Colorado River. Zilker Park is right next to the hotel — head to Barton Springs, an au naturelle watering hole where you can leisurely swim on a hot Austin day. We love a cool neighborhood at HAP — and Austin’s South Congress area — a 20-minute walk from the hotel — boasts a wide range of independent stores, restaurants, and coffee shops: Head to Aba for Israeli food and outdoor patio greatness; Neighborhood Goods, a concept store chock full of wares & trappings from different independent brands; plus Allens Boots, an ATX staple equipping cowboy boots aplenty.
Our favorite thing about the hotel: The hotel’s coffee shop is perfect for getting work done. Plus, rooms’ floor-to-ceiling windows and their favorable views of the city pique our interest.
What’s nearby?: Zilker Park, Barton Springs, Lady Bird Lake, and Austin’s South Congress neighborhood.
Rooms: 108
Pricing: Rates start at $300/night
Closest Airport: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
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