4 Best Hotels in Austin, Texas

East Austin’s landmark, ARRIVE, is a masonry structure shaped as a giant piece of abstract art. The 2019 build has an industrial bohemian aesthetic and features 83 guest rooms, a Spanish restaurant, and a patio bar. The boutique hipster hotel fits in nicely on this trendy nightlife stretch of East Sixth Street. Guests can access some of the most sought-after bars and restaurants in town by foot, bike, or car. (Safe street parking can be scarce, however). The on-site Lefty's Brick Bar is a casual neighborhood bar and courtyard restaurant, and there's also a spacious rooftop patio. The staff is friendly and eager to help a younger-skewing clientele who don't mind the sparse amenities.

In The Proper's first foray outside California, Interior designer Kelly Wearstler spent years traveling Texas collecting vintage pieces for the Austin outpost. The result is a breath of West Coast cool with a hint of spice breezing through downtown’s Second Street corridor. The rooftop deck, lobby lounge, and patio restaurant have become fixtures to local somebodies.

Lake Austin Spa Resort is a chance to go off the grid without venturing too far from the city (it’s just a 30-minute drive from downtown). There are 40 boutique cottages and bungalows nestled in this Texas Hill Country resort, and guests stay on an all-inclusive basis with nutritious dining and wellness experiences part of the package. Treatments and personal training sessions are available for an additional fee.

Downtown may have become a step-and-repeat of chain establishments, but The Line is one of the few places that proudly holds on to Austin’s revered musical heritage. This was previously a jazz club that broadcast live on local radio in the sixties. Now a medium-sized hotel with a boutique feel, the strings keep on strumming across vibey social spaces including a lakeside pool, taco shack, and terrace bar.