Making room

Dutch brand makes Texas debut with 17-story hotel in downtown Austin

The new downtown Austin hotel is scheduled to open late next year.

Courtesy of citizenM

A late 2023 opening is set for a 17-story luxury hotel being built in downtown Austin.

Dutch hotel chain citizenM is constructing the 344-room property at 617 Colorado St. in conjunction with New York City-based real estate investment and development firm Turnbridge Equities. It’ll be the brand’s first hotel in Texas.

A 2020 filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Registration puts the hotel’s price tag at $67 million.

“As an exciting cultural center and an influential tech and business hub, Austin has been on our radar for years,” Ernest Lee, citizenM’s managing director for the Americas, says in a news release. “Now, with the city’s emergence as one of North America’s most important knowledge hubs, it is cementing its place on the national stage.”

Klaas van Lookeren Campagne, CEO of citizenM, says the Austin hotel is part of his company’s “vigorous growth strategy” in the U.S. and Europe.

Amenities at the hotel will include a gym, pool, and rooftop bar. Each room will feature a king-size bed with European linens, a high-definition TV with streaming options, a rain shower, and tablet- or smartphone-controlled TV, blinds, lights, and thermostat.

The hotel will display contemporary art, photos, and objects from local artists.

Amsterdam-based design firm Concrete is handling the interior work, with Richmond, Virginia-based Baskervill serving as architect of record and Providence, Rhode Island-based Gilbane as general contractor. Denver-based Design Workshop has been tapped for landscape design.

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A New Frontier

Ultra-low cost airline adds 4 new nonstop flights from Austin in 2025

Photo courtesy of Frontier Airlines

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New low-cost, nonstop flights are on the horizon for Austin travelers. Budget-friendly carrier Frontier Airlines will double its nonstop routes from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) in 2025 by adding four new destinations to its docket.

According to a release, Frontier will launch nonstop service from Austin to Orlando (MCO), Chicago (ORD), Cincinnati (CVG), and Phoenix (PHX) in March 2025. The four new routes join its existing nonstop service from Austin to Atlanta (ATL), Cleveland (CLE), Denver (DEN), and Las Vegas (LAS).

Service to Orlando and Chicago begins March 6, 2025, and will operate three times a week. Service to Cincinnati and Phoenix follows on March 7, 2025, and will be available twice a week.

In conjunction with the announcement, the discount airline is promoting fares as low as $49 each way for the new routes on select travel dates. The special rates are available for Frontier's Discount Den members through November 25 only.

A review of standard fares for March travel on the new routes shows prices ranging from $253-$289 round trip per person.

“It’s fantastic to see our partners at Frontier expand their offerings to AUS customers,” said AUS CEO Ghizlane Badawi in the release. “Providing ultra-low cost nonstop flights to our community plays an important role in giving options to travelers and making air travel accessible for Central Texans.”

A reminder for future Frontier travelers: The low-cost airline currently operates out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport's South Terminal, along with Allegiant Airlines. In 2026, both airlines will relocate to the main Barbara Jordan Terminal, as the South Terminal is slated to close amid airport expansion plans.

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