Texas Hotel News

Austin's new luxury hotel to be one of the priciest in Texas — and it's not downtown

Houston developer Giorgio Borlenghi began work this week on the Hotel Granduca Austin, an Italian-styled luxury hostelry that will command some of the highest nightly rates in Texas. Built on a hillside site in West Austin, the nine-story, 194-room boutique hotel is scheduled to be completed late next year, near the northwest corner of Bee Caves Road and Loop 360.

Granduca will compete in a rarified league with the Four Seasons and a handful of other Austin hotels in the highest tier of room rate, service and luxury amenities. Room rates are expected to be $300 a night or more.

The new hotel will be the second hotel bearing the Granduca brand name. The original Hotel Granduca, which has an average daily rate of $340, opened eight years ago near Houston’s Galleria and is on our list of the best hotels in Texas. Hotel Granduca Austin is a joint venture between Borlenghi’s Houston-based Interfin Companies LP and Riverside Resources of Austin.

“It’s in an area of town that’s underserved by hotels. It’s only 15 minutes away from downtown and from UT,” says Hotel Granduca owner Giorgio Borlenghi.

Austin is by far the strongest hotel market in Texas, with citywide room rates and an average occupancy rate of 75 percent, which is basically as good as it gets, says hotel consultant Bruce Walker of Source Strategies. The only city to come close to Austin is Houston, with a 69 percent occupancy rate, but other major Texas cities are far behind Austin.

“Austin is a very, very vibrant and amazing hotel market,” Borlenghi says.

Location, location, location
At first, Borlenghi began looking in downtown Austin for a new hotel site. But large parcels were not available, and several major new hotels are currently under construction downtown, including the 1,000-room J.W. Marriott.

He soon located this Westlake area site off Bee Caves Road and marked out the five acres for planting the Granduca hotel flag.

“It’s in an area of town that’s underserved by hotels. It’s only 15 minutes away from downtown and from UT,” Borlenghi says. “It gives us the opportunity to create our own market and something different, offering a real alternative to people traveling to Austin.”

Borlenghi, who was born in Italy, says the hotel will have an in-house restaurant featuring northern Italian cuisine similar to the Houston hotel’s Ristorante Cavour – recently named one of the best Italian restaurants in Houston.

Gromatzky, Dupree & Associates of Dallas is the architect for the Austin hotel. Ermy Borlenghi Bonfield of 3-E Designs Inc. of Houston, Giorgio Borlenghi’s sister, is handling interior design of the property; his son, Alex Borlenghi, who graduated from UT last year, is working on the hotel as vice president of development for Interfin.

Room rates for the Hotel Granduca Austin have not been established. But Borlenghi says he hopes transport to Austin the success he’s had with the Hotel Granduca in Houston, one of the top-grossing hotels in the state, in the all-important “revenue per available room” yardstick used by the hospitality industry.

“The four most successful hotels in Texas are the Four Seasons in Austin, the Hotel Granduca in Houston, the W in Austin and the Driskill in Austin,” Borlenghi says. “The average daily rate we have in Houston is $340, which is really at the top of the market. Austin’s Granduca will be quite similar.”

The Hotel Granduca in Houston is a member of “The Leading Hotels of the World,” a designation sought for the Austin property as well. Borlenghi says the long-range goal is to expand the Granduca brand to other markets in Texas and around the nation.

Giorgio Borlenghi and wife, Cathy, are owners of the Houston Hotel Granduca.

Cathy Borlenghi and Giorgio Borlenghi, owners of Hotel Granduca

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Giorgio Borlenghi and wife, Cathy, are owners of the Houston Hotel Granduca.

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Aerie in the sky

Nature-inspired hotel checks into Texas' tallest tower in Austin

Photo by Chase Daniel

Rooms at 1 Hotel Austin settle in simple and natural design.

A luxury hotel chain is checking into Austin, adding the Texas capital to a cohort of a dozen North American cities. Called 1 Hotel Austin, the 252-room stay is designed to blend with nature and tap into sustainable hospitality in the new Waterline building — the tallest tower in Texas. Reservations are open now for the hotel, opening in August.

A press release explains that 1 Hotel Austin looks at its surroundings where Waller Creek and Lady Bird Lake meet "through a contemporary, biophilic lens." Designers used natural materials, textures, and transitions from inside to outside — like balconies and terraces with plants, or floor-to-ceiling windows — to create a feeling of connecting with the natural world.

Foodies may already know that a highly regarded restaurant from Denver is moving in as the hotel's signature restaurant. Called Alteño Austin, the concept by Chef Johnny Curiel shows off cuisine from the Highlands of Jalisco, where he has a family connection.

$Alte\u00f1o Austin$ Alteño currently only has one location — the original — in Denver, Colorado, and one more on the way in Charleston, South Carolina.Rending courtesy of 1 Hotels

“There’s a respect for tradition in the way [Chef Curiel] cooks, but also a willingness to reinterpret it, and that balance is what makes his food so compelling," said Nicholas Demasi, senior vice president of food and beverage at Starwood Hotels, in the release.

There will also be two other food and beverage concepts: Watr, a "Japanese-leaning" rooftop restaurant and lounge designed to entertain guests from day to night, and Neighbors, a café and wine bar that can be accessed from the lobby and the street for coffee, juice, small plates, draft cocktails, and more, depending on the time of day.

1 Hotel Austin rooftoop Watr This rooftop restaurant will serve a Japanese-inspired menu.Rending courtesy of 1 Hotels

Focusing more on the amenities than the rooms, which include 60 luxury suites, the release draws attention to the building's proximity to the Rainey Street District and downtown, making both day and night activities easily accessible. Guests also have a direct connection to the more outdoorsy portion of town via the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail around the lake.

Wellness amenities include a run club, sound baths, a 2,000-square-foot fitness center, and a yoga studio. Bamford Wellness Spa will operate a space offering retail and treatments, including couples' experiences. The spa claims inspiration through Hill Country bathhouses, placing a premium on simplicity and restoration.

1 Hotel Austin guest bath This guest bath is spa-like with a dramatic view.Photo by Chase Daniel

The hotel is working on its LEED Gold certification, which would verify that the property has earned certain credits in materials, energy, waste management, and more. Gold is the second highest certification. Sustainability initiatives at the hotel will include adopting waste reduction practices for hosted events, supplying reusable in-room glassware, and introducing travelers to the 1 Less Thing program, which encourages them to leave behind a piece of gently used clothing to donate to a local organization.

“I’ve long admired Austin for its creative energy and entrepreneurial spirit,” says Barry Sternlicht, founder of 1 Hotels and chairman of Starwood Hotels. “It’s a place where innovation thrives alongside a deep respect for the environment and community. Even as the city continues to grow and evolve, it has managed to balance progress with preservation."

1 Hotels Austin entrance The dramatic entrance exemplifies the transitional design from inside the building to nature outside.Rending courtesy of 1 Hotels

1 Hotel Austin is located at 96 Red River St., Austin. Reservations are open now at 1hotels.com. Available August room rates are currently discounted and start at $377.

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