A nature-inspired urban retreat anchoring the tallest tower in Texas
AUSTIN, Texas, April 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 1 Hotels, the mission-driven luxury lifestyle brand founded by Barry Sternlicht, is now accepting reservations for 1 Hotel Austin, an urban sanctuary in the creative heartbeat of Texas. With an anticipated opening in August 2026, 1 Hotel Austin is set at the meeting point of Waller Creek and Lady Bird Lake and anchors the 74-story Waterline, the tallest tower in the state.
Developed by Lincoln Property Company and Kairoi Residential, the extraordinary mixed-use development reconnects the city to its natural waterways and transforms a previously neglected area into a thriving corridor. Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) designed the building, with HKS Architects serving as architect of record. The hotel's interiors have been meticulously crafted by Studio MAI in collaboration with Starwood Hotels design team, while the immersive landscape architecture curated by TBG Partners ties the building to its setting along Waller Creek through native plantings and a series of green spaces.
Drawing inspiration from modern Hill Country ranches and traditional Texas river houses, 1 Hotel Austin interprets these references through a contemporary, biophilic lens. Natural materials, layered textures, and indoor-outdoor transitions shape the design, reflecting Austin's connection to its landscape.
"I've long admired Austin for its creative energy and entrepreneurial spirit," says Barry Sternlicht, Founder of 1 Hotels and Chairman of Starwood Hotels. "It's a place where innovation thrives alongside a deep respect for the environment and community. Even as the city continues to grow and evolve, it has managed to balance progress with preservation. That idea of building thoughtfully and living consciously is at the core of 1 Hotels, making Austin an extraordinary setting for our next chapter."
A Nature-Led Stay Above the City
The architecture of 1 Hotel Austin is intentionally sculpted to echo its setting along Waller Creek, with the tower itself following the curve of the water below. Planted balconies, outdoor terraces, and a collage of façades work together to soften the building's scale and blur the boundary between indoors and out.
Guests are welcomed into a light-filled lobby framed by expansive wood ceilings, natural stone surfaces, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the surrounding landscape. Seating clusters and living greenery encourage guests to linger, work, and gather, creating a space that functions as both a social hub and a quiet retreat.
1 Hotel Austin will feature 252 guest rooms, including 60 luxury suites. Finished with natural materials and tactile details, these spaces encourage rest and reset. Large windows bring in daylight, and many of the rooms have views of the Austin skyline, Waller Creek, and Lady Bird Lake.
The hotel's prime location in the heart of Downtown, just steps from the Rainey Street District, gives guests easy access to Austin's cultural energy, from live music venues to museums. It also offers direct access to outdoor attractions like the Waterloo Greenway, a flourishing public park, and the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, a scenic 10-mile loop along Lady Bird Lake for walking, jogging, and biking.
"The goal was to create a hotel that feels connected to its surroundings in the center of the city," says Raul Leal, CEO of Starwood Hotels. "And we have done that. From the guest rooms and wellness floor to the rooftop and public areas, the spaces are intuitive and restorative. It's designed to support how people actually want to live, travel, and gather in Austin."
Where to Eat and Unwind
1 Hotel Austin features a robust mix of signature Daylife offerings and nightlife options that bring guests together from morning until after dark. From wellness-focused activities like run clubs and sound bath sessions to chef-driven restaurants and rooftop activations, the hotel is conceived as a place to gather, connect, and return to again and again.
The dining experiences at 1 Hotel Austin reflect the region's agricultural richness and creative spirit. The hotel's signature restaurant, Alteño Austin, is led by James Beard Award nominee Chef Johnny Curiel, whose Michelin-starred Denver restaurant Alma Fonda Fina has earned international acclaim. At Alteño, Curiel introduces his signature approach to Mexican cooking, drawing on the bold, fire-kissed flavors of his homeland in Jalisco's Highlands. It's an homage to the culinary traditions passed down by his father, the original Alteño, or "highlander." The restaurant is anchored by an open kitchen that brings that energy and craft into full view.
"We are thrilled to welcome Chef Johnny Curiel to Austin," says Nicholas Demasi, Senior Vice President of Food & Beverage for Starwood Hotels. "There's a respect for tradition in the way he cooks, but also a willingness to reinterpret it, and that balance is what makes his food so compelling. It really resonates with how we think about building restaurants at 1 Hotels: We're creating places that are grounded in their surroundings but continue to evolve."
High above the city on the 16th floor, watr is the hotel's rooftop restaurant and lounge, an open-air destination with a Japanese-leaning menu and an atmosphere that builds from day to night. Anchored by sweeping views of Lady Bird Lake and the Austin skyline, the space shifts from sunlit brunches to a social scene with DJs, flowing cocktails, and a crowd that lingers beneath the wide Texas sky.
Another highlight: Neighbors, a café and wine bar designed as a true local hangout, open from morning to night with entrances from both the lobby and the street. By day, it's a casual spot for coffee, fresh juices, and easy bites; by evening, it settles into a laid-back wine bar with small plates, draft cocktails, and a come-as-you-are atmosphere.
For meetings and events, 1 Hotel Austin offers more than 10,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor space, with light-filled venues overlooking the city and greenway. Through the brand's Certified Sustainable Gatherings program, events minimize environmental impact by prioritizing reduced waste, thoughtful sourcing, and responsible operations.
Wellness, Reimagined
Wellness at 1 Hotel Austin unfolds across a dedicated floor. A light-filled 2,000-square-foot fitness center opens onto an outdoor terrace, connecting movement to fresh air and skyline views. A dedicated yoga studio offers space for focused, mindful practice.
The wellness floor also includes an outpost of Bamford Wellness Spa, developed in partnership with Carole Bamford, a pioneer in organic, sustainable, and holistic living. The spa features a range of treatment rooms, including a dedicated couples room, along with a retail offering featuring Bamford's signature products. Treatment rooms emphasize privacy and simplicity, while locker rooms and relaxation spaces draw subtle inspiration from Hill Country bathhouses. The overall experience is intentionally understated, focusing on restoration, movement, and balance.
A Commitment to Sustainability
Sustainability is woven throughout the guest experience at 1 Hotel Austin. The property is pursuing LEED Gold certification, reinforcing its commitment to responsible design and long-term environmental stewardship.
Guests are encouraged to travel lighter through the brand's signature 1 Less Thing program, which invites travelers to leave behind gently used clothing for donation to local community organizations. Thoughtful details like in-room filtered water taps and reusable glassware reduce reliance on single-use plastics and reinforce the brand's commitment to mindful living.
Booking Information
1 Hotel Austin offers a new way to experience the city: grounded in nature, shaped by design, and deeply connected to its surroundings. Reservations for 1 Hotel Austin are now open. For more information or to book a stay, visit 1hotels.com/austin.
ABOUT 1 HOTELS
As a mission-driven luxury lifestyle hotel brand inspired by nature, 1 Hotels cultivates the best of sustainable design and architecture, together with extraordinary comfort and an unrivaled level of service. With properties among some of the first to receive the prestigious MICHELIN Key distinction, 1 Hotels is inspired by a simple idea: those who travel the world should also care about it. It is, after all, 1 world. 1 Hotels launched in 2015 with the opening of exclusive properties in Miami's South Beach and Manhattan's Central Park, followed by Brooklyn, located on the East River in February 2017; West Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard in June 2019; Toronto in 2021; San Francisco and Nashville in 2022; in 2023, the Hanalei Bay (Kauai) flagship property and Mayfair (London), the brand's first European property; and Seattle, Melbourne (Australia) and Copenhagen in 2025 and Tokyo in 2026. The brand is expanding with properties under development in Cabo San Lucas (Mexico), Paris, Elounda Hills (Crete), Austin (Texas), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), San Miguel de Allende (Mexico) and Hudson Valley (New York). Additional information can be found at 1hotels.com.
ABOUT STARWOOD HOTELS
Starwood Hotels, an affiliate of global private investment firm Starwood Capital Group, is a sustainable hotel brand management company that operates 1 Hotels, a nature-inspired lifestyle brand that launched in 2015 with properties in South Beach (Miami) and Manhattan and includes Brooklyn Bridge (New York City), West Hollywood (Los Angeles), Toronto, San Francisco, Nashville, the Hanalei Bay (Kauai) flagship property, the brand's first European property in Mayfair (London), Seattle, Melbourne (Australia), Copenhagen, and Tokyo with projects in development in Cabo San Lucas (Mexico), Paris, Elounda Hills (Crete), Austin (Texas), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), San Miguel de Allende (Mexico) and Hudson Valley (New York); Baccarat Hotels & Resorts, a luxury brand that made its debut in March 2015 with the opening of its flagship property in New York City, with projects under development in Rome, Florence, Dubai, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Brickell (Miami), and the Maldives; and Treehouse Hotels, which premiered in London in 2019 and now includes Manchester (UK) and Silicon Valley (California), with projects under development in Brickell (Miami), Adelaide (Australia), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), and Miami Beach. Leveraging its marketing, design, operational, and technological expertise, Starwood Hotels is the force behind some of the most groundbreaking and dynamic hotel brands in the world. Additional information can be found at starwoodhotels.com.
ABOUT LINCOLN PROPERTY COMPANY
Lincoln Property Company ("Lincoln") is one of the largest private real estate firms in the United States. Offering a fully integrated platform of real estate services and innovative solutions to owners, investors, lenders and occupiers, Lincoln supports the entire real estate lifecycle across asset types, including office, multifamily, life science, retail, industrial, data center, production studio, healthcare, government, universities, and mixed-use properties, throughout the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe. Lincoln's combined management and leasing portfolio on behalf of institutional clients includes more than 720 million square feet of commercial space. For more information, visit: www.lpc.com.
ABOUT KAIROI RESIDENTIAL
Kairoi Residential is a premier, vertically integrated, multifamily investment, development, and property management company headquartered in San Antonio with offices in Austin and Denver. Since 2003, the partnership has transacted on $9.8 billion across 69,000 multifamily units in many cities and states around the country. For more information, visit: www.kairoi.com.
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