Luxury lodging

Mega chain tucks 2 luxury hotels into downtown Austin high-rise

The Thompson Hotel guest room Washington, DC

A room in the newly opened Thompson Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Photo courtesy of Hyatt

The Hyatt hotel chain plans to open two boutique properties next year in downtown Austin.

The 200-room Thompson Austin is on tap for East Fifth and Brazos streets, as is a 200-room sister property branded as tommie (with a lowercase T). Hyatt Hotels Corp. mentioned Thompson Austin in a January 28 release, but spokeswoman Jorian Weiner declined to provide details about tommie Austin.

In December 2019, the Austin American-Statesman reported that tommie Austin, a “micro-lifestyle hotel,” and Thompson Austin, a luxury hotel, will be part of a 32-story, mixed-use tower currently under construction.

The project is reminiscent in style to Marriott's The Otis and AC Hotel Austin near the UT campus. Though separate brands, the two hotels share the same San Antonio Street building. Those hotels open in mid-February.

The world’s first tommie property, a 212-room, eight-story hotel in Los Angeles, is set to open this year. The developer describes tommie Hollywood as a hotel that “will cater to artists and entrepreneurs alike, serving as an incubator of ideas, collaboration, and exploration.”

Founded in 2001, New York City-based Thompson Hotels says it “delivers a new take on modern luxury and tailored stays for guests with connections to world-class culinary offerings, arts and entertainment, and groundbreaking design.”

“Each location offers a stunning, carefully layered, and dynamic urban or resort setting that molds into the surrounding community,” Thompson Hotels adds.

The Thompson hotel in Austin won’t be the first in Texas. This summer, the brand is opening a 162-room property near downtown San Antonio that includes a condo component. A 219-room Thompson hotel is scheduled to open this fall in downtown Dallas.

Hyatt already is on track to open a 200-room Hyatt Centric hotel next year in downtown Austin. In addition, the Chicago-based hotel chain plans to open a 95-room Hyatt Place property this fall at North FM 620 and Bullock Hollow Road in Northwest Austin, near Lake Travis.

hotels

The Big Picture

Contest-winning photos show the Texas Hill Country in a new light

Hill Country rattlesnake photographed by Bill Weekley

“Danger in the Wildflowers” by Bill Weekley

This testy shot by Bill Weekley won second place.

The Hill Country is looking its best in a new round of award-winning photos. In them are landscapes, surprise moments with hard-to-find creatures, and one shot that highlights the beauty of the old-fashioned architecture. The winners of the photo contest organized by the Hill Country Alliance are available to look at in this article, and Texans are encouraged to carry the images forward through 2025 with a wall calendar.

The premise is both proud and cautious; as beautiful and thriving as the Hill Country is, heightened development is known to bring problems along with progress to rural towns. The Hill Country Alliance, a coalition of more than 85 area organizations that focus on natural and cultural preservation, has created the contest as an initiative to visually preserve the region.

There is national interest in the Hill Country, although no one sees it quite like locals. CNN named the Hill Country one of its 24 best places to visit around the world in 2024, and in 2023, motorcycle classifieds site Cycle Trader named the Twisted Sisters outside San Antonio as one of the best scenic routes in the country. Just days ago, William Chris Vineyards in Hye made the World's Best Vineyards list for the third year in a row.

More than 550 entries were submitted to the alliance this year, but only four won prizes, and of course nine more make their way onto the calendar (if you count the cover).

Grand prize:

$\u201cSunset\u201d by Jesus Corona$ This shot by Jesus Corona features wildflowers bathing in the sunset in Bexar County.“Sunset” by Jesus Corona

First place:

$\u201cGruene Nights\u201d by Gary T. Ray$ Gary T. Ray caught Gruene Hall and the surrounding buildings at the perfect dusk moment.“Gruene Nights” by Gary T. Ray

A release announcing the winners extolls the beauty of sunsets. "However, just as a sunset is fleeting, the health of our region can also be precarious," it warns. "This balance is particularly evident in current drought conditions, and HCA’s water program is focused on protecting our most delicate resources – like clear, flowing waters and the natural infrastructure we rely on to keep springs bubbling."

Second place:

$\u201cDanger in the Wildflowers\u201d by Bill Weekley$ It's amazing that Bill Weekley found this rattlesnake among sunny wildflowers and much more ominous skies.“Danger in the Wildflowers” by Bill Weekley

Third place:

$\u201cGray Fox up a Tree" by Mike Zarella$ This gray fox may look like he's sitting on the ground, but Mike Zarella caught him sitting in a tree in Blanco County.“Gray Fox up a Tree" by Mike Zarella

Many of the submitted images were of animals. "So much of the photography submitted in this annual contest reminds viewers of their own connection to the region’s delicate web of life," the release says. "This urgency underscores the importance of the HCA’s work to advance local land stewardship and conservation efforts that directly benefit the wild creatures and open spaces of the Texas Hill Country."

People's choice award:

It's not surprising viewers were enchanted by this welcoming road, which seems to lead into a future with more Hill Country blooms and beauty.Bluebonnet and Live Oak Road by William Shelton

The images above are featured on the calendar (even if they're not a full page), along with other selections that highlight unique geography, beautiful pollinators, cacti, and the darkening night sky.

Hill Country Alliance calendar The rest of the calendar images.Mockup courtesy of the Hill Country Alliance

The Hill Country Alliance works in five major areas, which are represented in some way in the images above: land, water, night sky, community, and collaboration.

This year's calendar ($15) is available now at hillcountryalliance.org. Other items like an illustrated map and apparel are also available in the online store. More information about the coalition's work (with more amazing photos sprinkled in) is available here.

The release credits the following photographers with work featured in the calendar:

Airon Mothershed
Alan Zhou
Ashley Campbell
Aspen McCallum
Baba Arimilli
Carol Serur
Carolyn Whiteside
Daniel Gomez
Delaney Kempf
Donna Chance
Elvis Canoy
Gary Sertich
Jackies Wise
Jacob Saunders
Jeff Newton
Jennifer Bauerkemper
Jess Brown
Joseph Richards
JP Sanchez
Katherine Carvajal
Kim Smith
Lisa Hood
Matthew Guthrie
Meghan James
Michael Tidwell
Michael Wight
Nicky Scott
P. Michael Jones
Patty Robertson
Paul Huchton
Shelby Sckittone
Steffen Baumgart
Stephen Isenhower
Tim Speer

hill country photography nature conservation

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The Big Picture

Contest-winning photos show the Texas Hill Country in a new light