Austin, Texas story
A Beacon of Texas Hospitality
Imagine stepping off a dusty, late nineteenth-century street and straight into the height of luxury. In 1884, a man named Jesse Driskill bought a plot of land in the heart of down…
Read the story
Imagine stepping off a dusty, late nineteenth-century street and straight into the height of luxury. In 1884, a man named Jesse Driskill bought a plot of land in the heart of downtown Austin with a grand vision. By 1886, he completed his masterpiece: a stunning Romanesque Revival hotel.
It was immediately hailed as one of the finest hotels in the entire country, a true beacon of Texas hospitality. Over the decades, the landmark grew, adding a thirteen-story annex in 1930 designed by Trost and Trost. In 2013, Hyatt purchased the property and began an eight million dollar renovation to keep its historic charm alive.
Today, it stands proud as the oldest operating hotel in Austin, proving that true elegance never goes out of style. Let's keep walking and see what other legends this city holds.
Updated June 2026