Tag: Austin Hotels
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7 Unlucky Hotels That Just Can't Catch A Break
In honor of St Patrick's Day coming up this Sunday, we thought we'd take a look back at a few hotels that just can't seem to catch a break. If any leprechauns are reading this right now, take note. You've got your work cut out for you!
#7: Le Parker Meridien.
We thought it was bad enough when a random construction accident managed to flood the entire Knave Cafe at LPM. But it turned out the hotel had more bad luck coming, when Hurricane Sandy tore through Manhattan, toppling a nearby crane, and causing Le Parker Meridien to be evacuated. Here's to a cheerier 2013.
#6: JW Marriott Chicago.
The JW Marriott Chicago made plenty of headlines (though not the good kind) this past fall when an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease claimed the lives of three guests who stayed there over the sumer. The Chicago Dept of Public Health reported that the hotel "fully cooperated with the ongoing investigation," and concluded by saying there was no further health threat at the hotel. Still, we're probably going to lay off those hot tub parties for a while.
#5: Revel Resort.
This $2.6 billion resort was supposed to be the saving grace of Atlantic City, but after barely a year of being open, it announced it was planning to file for bankruptcy. Ouch! Hurricane Sandy couldn't have helped things either. We feel like they need a lucky charm or something to bring them back from the dark side, but then again, if a four-night Beyonce run during opening weekend didn't manage to do it, we're not sure what will.
Four more unlucky hotels after the jump!
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Austin's The Driskill Will Now Become A Hyatt Hotel
As many people already know, Austin, TX is currently in the midst of the South By Southwest festival, in which music venues, event spaces, and, yes, hotels, are overrun with artists, musicians, filmmakers, tech start-up hopefuls, and pretty much anyone with a bent towards modern-day media culture.
Which makes this a pretty good time for Hyatt to announce their recent acquisition of the city's historic Driskill Hotel. The Statesman reports that Hyatt bought the iconic hotel (and classic SXSW celeb hangout) for $85 million, and plans to spend another $8 million renovating the place over the next two years.
Comprised of 189 rooms, and originally built in 1886, the Driskill occupies a bustling corner of downtown Austin and remains the city's most beloved historic hotel.
According to hotel lore, the original structure was named after Jesse Driskill, a cattleman who wanted to build the "finest hotel south of St. Louis." Looks like he had the right idea, as 126 years later, the hotel is not only thriving, but also incorporates its colorful past into its current identity (case in point: the Cattle Baron Suite).
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Westin Returns To Austin For Fairmont And Marriott Face-Off
A room at the Westin Austin at the Domain
2015 will be a busy year for Austin, Texas. We’ve looked at the 50-story Fairmont Austin that will add 1,000+ rooms on the corner of Cesar Chavez and Red River Streets, promising views-galore over Lady Bird Lake and the city. Another 1,000+ rooms come courtesy of the JW Marriott Austin, on Congress Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Streets.
If all of that wasn’t enough, Starwood has just announced the Westin Austin Downtown, on East 5th and San Jacinto, opening in spring 2015. With its 326 rooms, that means hotel capacity will increase by a staggering 2,400 rooms within a five-block radius.
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In Texas, Bigger Isn't Necessarily Better At The Omni Austin's New Suites
After a drawn-out renovation process that completely overhauled the top five floors of the building, Omni Austin has reconfigured its suite options, creating twenty-five new one-bedroom suites.
Though the hotel had previously offered suites, it nixed a bunch of the pre-existing two-bedroom suites in order to cut down on space that guests apparently weren't even using. Which sounds a little strange when we put it like that—Texas is generally known for doing everything bigger than the rest of the country. However, if it's a space efficiency issue, then we totally get it. Bigger is better, most of the time. Until, that is, you end up paying for extra beds you're not even sleeping in...
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A Massive Fairmont Hotel is Coming to Austin in 2015
It may be a ways off but come 2015, attendees at the South by Southwest festival will have an additional 1,000 hotel rooms open to them, thanks to Fairmont Hotels.
The high-end hotel chain announced their plans for a new hotel close to the Austin Convention Center at the northeast corner of Cesar Chavez and Red River Streets. which will span 50 stories, making it the largest building in downtown Austin. Detes are still scant but the hotel will cost about $350 million to build and will feature over 70,000-sq.ft. of function space and the aforementioned 1,000 hotel rooms.
The hotel's design will also use several green building elements and will seek LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. But best of all, guests here will be able to get free WiFi so long as they join the Fairmont Presidents Club loyalty program. Sigh, too bad it's three years away though.
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A Hotel Stay Is Never Boring When Jedis Fight In The Lobby
In the ever-expanding universe of Twitter, there is one particular trend @HotelChatter happens to quite enjoy: candid hotel photos. These pics range from stunning views to anti-views to celebrity tomfoolery and everything in between. And we can't get enough of 'em! Every Monday, we commemorate our favorite "Twitpic of the Week." Got a favorite of your own? Want to show off your sweet suite? Send it in!
We don't know exactly what might have prompted this awesome public display of nerd-dom (Star Wars convention? Flashmob? Family reunion?), but we are so very glad @k4ng took the time to capture these saber-wielding Jedis in the lobby of the Renaissance Austin. And what better place: with all the rooms looking down onto the lobby, pretty much every guest had front row seats to the show!
On our last visit to Austin, most of the hotels were full up with SXSW musicians, filmmakers, attendees and media types. But clearly, the real magic happens about a month later...
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Ooh-ing and Aah-ing From The Glass Elevators At Omni Austin
You don't really want to look down when you're plunging nineteen stories in a glass elevator. But of course, you do look down. Because the view is awesome. Here's a quick snapshot we took from inside the elevator at Omni Austin, which, we admit, we rode like a five-year-old on a Ferris wheel over and over again.
Interestingly, the hotel is housed under the same roof as an office tower. So when you look down on the lobby from above, you can also look directly across and into the windows of the neighboring offices. Whose occupants didn't look nearly as amused to be inside their glass cages as we were to be inside ours. Then again, theirs weren't motorized.
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Old-School Roadside Motor Court Hotels Will Soon Be Popping Up All Over Southeastern USA
Nevermind the untold legions of Best Westerns, La Quinta Inns and Econolodges that dot highways all around the country. A Texas-based hotel company is attempting to bring back the classic American motor court with a new brand of "ranch tech" properties that are modeled on the old roadside motels from the 1950s.
Which technically went out of style in the 60s during Eisenhower's Federal Aid Highway Act. But hey, that was fifty years ago, and who's to say Americans still can't be thrilled by a cool motel concept? The first of these, named the Lone Star Court, will open in Austin in 2013, and, appropriately, will feature live music, a fire pit, and a dipping pool.
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SXSW Hotels Might Want To Keep An Eye Out For This Rapper
Ah, hotel room trashing. Sure, it's a bit of a cliche, but clearly it hasn't gotten any less cool for musicians and celebrities who have a little extra energy—and cash—to burn.
Last year, Complex magazine ran a video of young Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller offering his "guide to hotel living." And as you can probably imagine, he isn't the most attentive of guests (think loose cigarette butts, alcohol spills, food fights, and plenty of other, weirder messes).
Right now, we're down in Austin checking out the bands for SXSW. And we couldn't help smiling a little when we spotted Mac Miller out and about. He certainly looks harmless, but then again, maybe his animal side only comes out once the hotel room door closes...
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Where To Eat Pancakes in Hotels For National Pancake Day
Yup, today is National Pancake Day—always kinda sneaks up on ya, doesn't it?
In an effort to raise awareness for Children's Miracle hospitals, IHOP is offering a free short stack to every customer that walks into the restaurant today. Which is awesome. But, at the same time, it's IHOP, and we like to think our palates are slightly more refined.
Instead, consider a pancake breakfast at a hotel today. Not a guest? Not a problem. These hotel restaurants are all open and accessible to non-guests—trust us, the food is so good, they're worth the trip. And yes, we've managed to come up with more suggestions than just the pancake machines at Holiday Inn Express hotels. If we wanted to make our own, we'd just have stayed at home!
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The NY Times Avoids the Falling Glass at the W Austin
Finally, there's some good news for the W Austin which recently had to deal with not one but two separate incidents involving falling glass from their hotel, the latter which actually forced closure of the hotel for 11 days.
The New York Times has just written a rare glowing review of the hotel with the reporter not even mentioning the shattered glass which injured guests by the pool or the recent closure but rather highlighting the hotel's four bars:
Austin doesn’t have many good hotel bars, so the four on the ground floor of the W are welcome additions. The rooms flow into one another and feature circulating waiters and scattered chairs and sofas (and two fireplaces) that make them comfortable spots for hanging out. There are thousands of vinyl records you can have played on a stereo.
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The W Austin Reopens With A Hint Of Confidence
Glass panels may be sexier, but for now, wood will have to suffice at the W Austin, which re-opened this weekend after an 11-day hiatus. The accident-prone hotel had to concede defeat when cascading glass panels were quickly turning the surrounding area into a hazard zone. So far, only one lawsuit has been filed against the W.
The above photo shows construction workers diligently re-installing 1,000 industrial wooden panels into the same balcony fixtures where the glass had once been. A city building official explained that in order to fully endorse the re-opening of the hotel, W required the approval of not one but two local engineering firms.
