Skip to Content

Austin’s Historic Driskill Hotel Begins Renovations and Restoration Ahead of 140th Anniversary

The 1886 landmark launches a full restoration with new guest rooms, dining concepts, event spaces and design updates by 2026

The front entrance of The Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas, which will remain open during a major renovation set for completion in 2026.
The front entrance of The Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas, which will remain open during a major renovation set for completion in 2026. (Photo courtesy of the Driskill Hotel)

The Driskill Hotel’s multimillion-dollar renovation will update all 189 guest rooms and suites, the lobby and common areas, meeting and event spaces, and its food and beverage program, while adding a 2,800-square-foot ballroom, a cocktail bar, and a retail space named Stark & Sisters in honor of the hotel’s early leadership.

Pixiu Investments, Woodbine Development Corporation and Hyatt Hotels Corporation, which own the property, are leading the project with design direction from Dallas-based SWOON, the studio. The work will be completed in phases and is scheduled to coincide with the hotel’s 140th anniversary in December 2026.

Phase one, debuting in fall 2025, will focus on the 110 tower guest rooms that were built in 1929, the new ballroom and fitness center, and three culinary concepts in partnership with Austin-based MML Hospitality. The Driskill Bar and Driskill Grill will reopen under the direction of New York chef April Bloomfield in her Texas debut. MML will also launch The Victorian, a cocktail lounge at Sixth Street and Brazos.

Phase two, set for completion in summer 2026, will restore the lobby, grand staircase and original 74-room historic guest tower, and unveil Stark & Sisters.

Rendering of The Driskill's Tower Guest Rooms. (Image courtesy of The Driskill)
Rendering of the renovated Tower Guest Rooms at The Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas, scheduled to debut in fall 2025. (Image courtesy of The Driskill)

Texas’s first luxury hotel

Built in 1886 by cattle baron Colonel Jesse Driskill, the downtown property was Texas’s first luxury hotel and quickly became a gathering place for politicians, cattle barons, oil tycoons and dignitaries from around the world. President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson were frequent visitors, and the hotel has long been associated with political events, high-profile celebrations and Austin’s social scene.

“In addition to preserving this Texas treasure’s storied legacy and unique traditions, this historic renovation will bring Texans together from all over the state to enjoy the Grand Dame of our state in fresh and new ways,” said T. Dupree Scovell, managing partner at Woodbine Development.

The Driskill will remain open during the renovation, which is scheduled to be complete in time for its 140th anniversary in December 2026.

RELATED: Ottine Mineral Springs: The Next Big Thing in Wellness is Right Here in Central Texas