Austin hotels

This South Austin hotel combines residential sensibility with upscale hotel amenities for an experience that is as luxurious as it is comfortable. Colton House features 80 suites – organized by studios, one-, two-, and three-bedrooms – with spacious living and dining areas.
Full kitchens, complete with cookware and appliances, plus washer and dryer sets, make select suites ideal for extended stays, while balconies and soaking tubs make others more desirable for an urban escape. The rooftop pool features private daybeds and chaise lounges, a 24-hour gym boasts Peloton bikes and a private yoga studio provides the perfect space for hosting retreats and classes.
Simona’s, the hotel’s on-site coffee and cocktail lounge, is home to a food truck serving family-friendly classics like avocado toast, burgers and grilled cheese throughout the day.

If you prefer to rest your head downtown, my top hotel recommendation is The Austin Proper Hotel. This is the boutique group’s fourth property and the only one outside California. The 32-story hotel marries the vision of Handel Architects with award-winning interior designer Kelly Wearstler, who has expertly enrobed the property in contrasting textiles and an earthy, neutral palette.
The 244-room hotel also has a LEED Gold certification, resulting in rigorous environmental standards like reclaimed irrigation systems, energy-efficient LED lights, and insulated windows. McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality leads the culinary program, which spans from elevated Mediterranean cuisine at The Peacock to breezy coastal Mexican food and cocktails at La Piscina, located on the rooftop pool deck.
That same level also features Verbena, a true getaway for rest and relaxation, plus a state-of-the-art fitness center, which looks out onto Austin’s Second Street District below.

This luxurious, bohemian hideaway – named for the patron saint of music and poetry – is tucked away on a side street off busy South Congress Avenue, Austin’s famous shopping and entertainment district. Each of the 14 rooms takes design inspiration from the 1960s and 1970s, with unique details like technicolor walls, modern screen prints right next to black-and-white photos, and turntables (guests can borrow vinyl from the hotel’s lending library).
Though the vibe here is artsy and relaxed, the amenities are top-notch. Each room features Geneva speakers and luxurious mattresses from Hästens. The best place to start your vacation is with a cocktail in the richly hued lounge, where breakfast and a succinct (but tasty) all-day menu are offered.
Then slip into one of Bunkhouse Hospitality’s signature serape bathrobes and relax at the pool under the iconic neon sign spelling out “SOUL.”

If you want to stay in a place that feels like quintessential Austin, look no further than the South Congress Hotel. The spacious lobby is bathed in earth tones, with pops of orange and blue, and tropical plants aplenty. This same Craftsman aesthetic carries through to its 83 rooms, which are beautifully curated with details like handmade pottery, bronze lighting fixtures, white subway tile and local artwork.
The hotel features rooms looking out onto the main drag or the Travis Heights neighborhood, plus suites featuring private balconies overlooking either the midcentury-inspired rooftop pool or downtown. There’s even a bunkroom, with two sets of queen-sized bunks, perfect for bachelorette parties.
Rooms also boast luxurious amenities like custom bathrobes, soaking tubs, walk-in rainfall showers and locally sourced mini-bars. Pro tip: the city’s best omakase, Otoko, is located inside the hotel, but you’ll want to book far in advance to score seats.

Soak in some of my favorite views in the city at The Loren at Lady Bird Lake, a 108-room boutique hotel offering expansive 180-degree views of the lake and Austin city skyline. The sleek, classic rooms, letting breathtaking waterfront views take center stage through floor-to-ceiling windows, and there are suites with private balconies.
The Loren spared no expense in using the finest European linens, plush bathrobes, and Malin + Goetz products. Relax with a massage or facial from Milk + Honey’s on-site spa or at the rooftop terrace’s infinity pool.
The hotel’s state-of-the-art, 24-hour fitness center features yoga studios, and a spin studio, and you can even check out kayaks and paddleboards to use on Lady Bird Lake. Book dinner at Nido, where French culinary technique meets local ingredients in a sophisticated setting, and enjoy a cocktail on the rooftop terrace while gazing into the glowing night skyline.

Music lovers will feel right at home at Hotel Van Zandt, a boutique property adjacent to the rollicking Rainey Street bar district. The hotel is named after iconic Austin singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt, who is memorialized throughout the hotel.
Chic guest rooms are outfitted in dark wood and teal tones and come with a number of different customizations: queen or king beds, accessibility features, pool or downtown views, suites with sitting areas, and spa rooms with oversized soaking tubs.
The hotel’s restaurant, Geraldine’s, features a stage with live music nearly every night of the week, and the attached pool deck boasts an exceptional view of the city skyline, especially at sunset, plus a fireplace for rare cold nights. Fun fact: the pool also features underwater speakers, so you don’t miss a beat!

If you want to stay in the center of vibrant East Austin, book a room at the ARRIVE Hotel, where you’ll be surrounded by bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and breweries. 83 hip guest rooms are spacious and comfortable, with contrasting textures like concrete floors, blond wood bedframes, and white subway tile, with splashes of color from local artwork, succulents, and printed wallpaper.
Choose from studios, doubles, spacious corner or balcony rooms with city views or the Kinda Suite, which features added space for sitting and dining. I just love the hotel’s colorful and breezy restaurant, Vixen’s Wedding, which is accented by paper lanterns and large macrame pieces.
Be sure to book a dinner here to enjoy their unique and flavorful Goan and Portuguese-inspired cuisine, and end with a nightcap at the rooftop Gin Bar.

For a unique stay just south of Zilker Park, book a room at the Carpenter Hotel, a designer’s dream set in a former 1948 Union hall. The boutique hotel features 93 rooms and a palette that is as minimal as it is chic, blending concrete, exposed brick, raw wood, and blue subway tile.
Much of the vintage Texas relics that serve original interior and exterior details were preserved: antique stadium speakers play music in the lobby, bowling alley banquettes serve as seating, and the restaurant and lobby both feature pecan wood sourced from trees from the hotel’s own backyard.
The on-site restaurant draws locals in for its fresh offerings and a great weekday happy hour, and both the pool and adjacent Quonset hut host great performances, film screenings, and other fun events (underwater two-stepping lessons, anyone?).

There isn’t a more iconic hotel in Austin than The Driskill, which was the city’s first hotel when it was built in 1886. The limestone and brick Romanesque Revival exterior leads to a lobby with sweeping marble floors, stately columns, a stained-glass dome, and oil paintings of the cattle baron and politicians who used to stay here.
The hotel’s 189 rooms are classic and understated, while seven luxurious suites offer city views and luxurious additions like fireplaces or balconies. The elegant Driskill Grill reopened in 2021, with its dining room once again serving high-end steaks and seafood, and a nightcap at the Driskill Bar – with its dark wood, cowhide, and leather – is also essential.
The hotel is said to be haunted by several apparitions. Try asking one of the staff members for information; they are usually happy to share details on the history, as well as their own experiences!

Located just off the main stretch of South Congress, the 89-room Hotel Magdalena sits on the former site of the Austin Opry House, where Willie Nelson created a 1,700-seat music venue in the 1970s and built apartments for musicians and their crews. Images from those times grace the walls of the common areas and hotel rooms.
Though the rooms are on the smaller side, they’re beautifully designed, with vivid Spanish tile, custom walnut built-in beds and colorful throw rugs and pillows. Suites provide extra space in the form of screened-in porches, and the grounds also offer plenty of space to bask and socialize, from the pool area to the umbrella-shaded seating at Summer House, the hotel’s all-day restaurant with a California-inspired menu.
Be sure to book The Equipment Room, a beautiful listening room for audiophiles and cocktail lovers alike (If you’re anything like me, you’ll never want to leave!).