Bookings have opened at 1 Hotel Austin, the latest outpost of Barry Sternlicht’s nature-led luxury brand, which will occupy the lower floors of Waterline, at 74 storeys, the tallest tower in Texas, when it lifts the shutters in August 2026.
The 252-room property, including 60 suites, sits at the confluence of Waller Creek and Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin, a short walk from the Rainey Street entertainment district. It forms part of a mixed-use scheme by Lincoln Property Company and Kairoi Residential that has reclaimed a long-neglected stretch of waterfront for public use, reconnecting the Texan capital to its natural waterways.
Kohn Pedersen Fox has designed the tower, with HKS Architects as architect of record. Interiors are the work of Studio MAI in tandem with the in-house Starwood Hotels design team, while landscape practice TBG Partners has stitched the building into its riparian setting through native planting and a sequence of green spaces along the creek.
The hotel takes its cues from modern Hill Country ranches and traditional Texas river houses, reinterpreted through the contemporary biophilic lens that has become the calling card of the 1 Hotels portfolio, which now spans properties from Brooklyn and Toronto to the Mayfair flagship that opened in London. Planted balconies, outdoor terraces and floor-to-ceiling windows blur the line between indoors and out, with the tower itself following the curve of the water below.
For the business traveller, 1 Hotel Austin offers more than 10,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, both indoor and outdoor, with venues overlooking the skyline and the greenway below. Events booked through the brand’s Certified Sustainable Gatherings programme commit to reduced waste, considered sourcing and responsible operations, an increasingly relevant proposition for corporate buyers under pressure to evidence the environmental footprint of business travel.
Many of the guest rooms look out over the Austin skyline, Waller Creek or Lady Bird Lake, while a light-filled lobby framed by expansive wood ceilings and natural stone is designed to function as both social hub and quiet workspace.
Food and drink centre on Alteño Austin, helmed by James Beard Award nominee Johnny Curiel, whose Denver restaurant Alma Fonda Fina holds a Michelin star. The open-kitchen concept pays tribute to the fire-kissed cuisine of Jalisco’s Highlands and the culinary traditions of Curiel’s father, the original alteño, or “highlander”.
A dedicated wellness floor houses a 2,000-square-foot fitness centre opening onto an outdoor terrace, a yoga studio and an outpost of Bamford Wellness Spa, the organic-led concept developed by Carole Bamford. Treatment rooms, including one for couples, take their cues from Hill Country bathhouses, with locker rooms and relaxation spaces designed in deliberately understated style.
Sustainability is woven through the guest experience. The property is pursuing LEED Gold certification, while the brand’s signature 1 Less Thing initiative invites guests to donate gently used clothing to local charities at check-out. In-room filtered water taps and reusable glassware aim to remove single-use plastics from the equation.
The hotel sits within walking distance of Waterloo Greenway, a maturing public park, and the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, a 10-mile loop around Lady Bird Lake that offers a rare urban escape for guests minded to extend a business stay into the weekend.