Ch-ch-changes
Austin's newest boutique hotel on the rise next to iconic Hole in the Wall
A dilapidated Jack in the Box will soon be the site of Austin's newest boutique hotel. (And if there is a more perfect sentence to capture the city's changing landscape, we'd like to hear it.) A rep confirmed that demolition has begun on the long-shuttered fast food restaurant, located on the corner of 26th and Guadalupe streets, thus making way for a Moxy Hotel.
The spot is perhaps most notable for being next door to the iconic Hole in the Wall, a venue that was in danger of closing in 2015. Back then, the owners were able to ink a five-year deal to keep the 45-year-old institution on The Drag.
As is the trend for many major hotel chains, Moxy is the cool, experience-driven brand for hospitality giant Marriott. "There’s a drink waiting for you with your room key and someone at the bar that wants your number," the brand teases on its website. "Moxy is for play ... Jenga, karaoke, maybe a little game of spin the bottle? Here, you can get away with it." The hotel also has its own hashtag (#AtTheMoxy).
Among the amenities offered by Moxy are full bars; specialty coffee; Wi-Fi; curated artwork; grab-and-go bites; and something called "low-tech playtime," which one can only assume is that thing you do when you put your phone down and actually talk to another human being.
The hotel will be operated by White Lodging, which is currently building The Otis and AC Hotel Austin, a massive dual-branded project located just a few blocks away from the Moxy at 1901 San Antonio St.
In an email, Mike Banas, director of communications and corporate affairs for White Lodging, says The Otis and AC Hotel Austin project is slated to open in February 2020, a slight delay from its original fall 2019 projection.
White Lodging also operates Moxy hotels in Chicago and Louisville, the latter of which is under construction. Though he didn't reveal a timeline for the new Drag outpost, Banas did promise more details soon.
