1 Hotels, the sustainability-minded brand backed by Starwood Hotels, has arrived in Texas. 1 Hotel Austin occupies part of Waterline, a 74-storey mixed-use tower that's now the tallest building in the state, right where the Rainey Street District meets downtown and the city's parklands.
The property has 252 rooms, including 60 suites, spread across 10 guest floors. Rooms lean residential: oat-coloured fabrics, woven textiles, stone vanities in the bathrooms, and floor-to-ceiling windows framing Lady Bird Lake, Waller Creek or the downtown skyline. In-room extras reflect the brand's wellness and low-waste ethos — filtered water taps, glassware made from recycled wine bottles, yoga mats and organic Bamford bath products.
Design throughout draws on Central Texas. Locally quarried limestone, oak, and reclaimed wood from historic American buildings sit alongside more than 4,000 plants from over 30 species, plus a living plant wall. The lobby is deliberately loose and living-room-like rather than formal, with wood ceilings and full-height windows.
Food is a big part of the pitch. There are three venues: Alteño, a campestre-style restaurant with an open kitchen and a glass-walled private dining room; Neighbors Café and Wine Bar at street level, which moves from breakfast through to cocktails with a vinyl soundtrack; and watr, the rooftop concept that debuted at 1 Hotel South Beach, now 16 storeys up with views over the skyline and Lady Bird Lake. Menus follow seasonality and low-waste practices, sourcing from Texas farms and finding uses for ingredients that might otherwise be tossed.
Wellness gets a dedicated floor: a fitness centre opening onto a terrace, and a yoga studio that hosts classes for guests and locals alike. The Bamford Wellness Spa has six treatment rooms and a couples suite with a steam shower, styled after Texas Hill Country bathhouses and cabins. Events are covered too, with over 10,000 square feet of space including a 4,500-square-foot divisible ballroom and three boardrooms with skyline views.
Art is woven in rather than an afterthought. Nate Page turned the imprint of a historic Rainey Street bungalow into an installation running through all 10 guest corridors, while Christian Kasperkovitz painted a mural at Neighbors using pigments made from clay collected at Waller Creek. Works from Alejandro Bataille, Jimena Bedoya, Vince Skelly and Sarah Lesher round out the collection.
The property is chasing LEED Gold certification, in line with the brand's waste-reduction focus. Founder Barry Sternlicht called Austin a natural fit for a brand built on nature and sustainable living, pointing to the site's position alongside Waller Creek and the trail around Lady Bird Lake.
For travellers, this is the first chance to try 1 Hotels in Texas — a solid option if you want a wellness-forward, design-heavy stay within walking distance of Rainey Street's bars, the Lady Bird Lake trail and downtown Austin, with rooftops and restaurant scenes that work for both visitors and locals.
