Visionary hospitality group checks into South Austin with biggest hotel ever

Bunkhouse Group, the visionary hospitality company behind properties such as Hotel San Jose, Hotel Saint Cecilia, and Marfa's El Cosmico, is checking in with its biggest hotel to date. Hotel Magdalena quietly opened on South Congress in late September, forming the cornerstone of the trendy Music Lane development.

At 89 rooms, the Magdalena is the largest hotel to date for the Bunkhouse brand, which sold a majority stake of its company to Standard International in 2016, but still oversees much of the day-to-day operations and design. By contrast, the Saint Cecilia, which shares a property line with the Magdalena, has just 14 rooms, while nearby the San Jose boasts 40.

Checking in and checking out
Guests of the Hotel Magdalena are greeted by a massive heritage oak with branches snaking through the first two levels and setting the tone for the '70s lake house vibes that inspired the design. Impeccable landscaping by Ten Eyck Landscape Architects is weaved throughout the property, and adds cohesion to the hotel's four distinctly different buildings, designed by the San Antonio-based Lake Flato Architects.

Exterior walkways connect the spaces, adding another element of the lake house look. The walkways, notes a release, are composed from mass timber, or wood that has been glued together under pressure or nailed in layers. Mass timber is not only stronger than traditional materials, but more environmentally friendly. The Magdalena, according to a release, is the first mass timber hotel constructed in North America. (Like all things chic, mass timber has already caught on in Europe, according this article by the Yale School of the Environment.)

Hotel rooms are outfitted with their own color scheme — red, blue, yellow, or green — reenforced by custom Spanish tile and accented with walnut wood built-in beds and inlay desks, Sferra bed linens, and Santa & Cole lamps.

Each room is outfitted with windows at both ends (to help facilitate a cross breeze, notes a release, which is very lake house) and poured concrete floors. Even the TVs are thoughtfully placed, hidden behind a curtain so as not to draw focus from the design.

Amenities galore
Outside the rooms, there is much to explore including the hotel's thoughtful lobby shop — a Bunkhouse calling card. The shop itself is naturally very, very cool, offering a mix of locally made goods, sundries, and hard-to-find books. The space, with its Scott Newton photographs lining the walls and in the incense-filled air (another classic Bunkhouse moment), also sells vintage-inspired bathing suits and Magdalena-branded gear for those ready to fully commit to their (temporary) new digs.

And what's a lake house-inspired hotel without the, ahem, lake? The guest-only pool bar surrounds a 900-square-foot pool, complete with stamped concrete tile walls and loungers. Just above the pool area sits an event space. That building, like the rest of the hotel, was built at a different elevation, a design choice meant as an "homage to the slopes of Barton Springs."

Leading the hotel's onsite restaurant, Summer House on Music Lane, is Austin hospitality vet Jeffrey Hundelt, who previously worked at Launderette and Fresa's. As executive chef, Hundelt has crafted a menu focused on grilled local meats and seasonal vegetables. Both menus are currently available for in-room dining, and the restaurant opens to the public in November.

A breakfast menu of classic fare — think eggs in Purgatory, a breakfast sandwich, and pastries — gives way to an accessible all-day menu that will feel familiar to Launderette fans. (Hot tip: the delicious Forager isn't to be missed and don't skip dessert.)

A beverage menu rounds out the options, including a wine program boasting "a vast selection of bold wines with a focus on sparkling varietals including organic and biodynamic producers." Cocktails, including frozen drinks and classic hot-weather sippers, and a locally sourced beer list are also available.

The Magdalena is the first first mass timber hotel constructed in North America and was assembled in pieces.

Photo by Nick Simonite

The Magdalena is the first first mass timber hotel constructed in North America and was assembled in pieces.

hotels openings

Airline News

American Airlines employs new tech in Austin to catch early boarders

American Airlines

American Airlines cabin

In what feels like an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, American Airlines is expanding a new system to catch passengers who try to sneak ahead in line.

According to a release, the airline is deploying a program it previously tested in which technology is used to deter passengers who try to board before their official group has been called.

Passengers who try to board early will not only hear a beep when they scan their boarding pass, but a tattletale message will pop up on the scanner, alerting the American Airlines employee of the passenger's correct group.

If a customer boards before their assigned group is called, the new software will not accept the boarding pass. In these instances, the American team member will invite the customer to rejoin the line when their boarding group is called.

The airline trialed this modern technology over the past month at Albuquerque International Sunport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and Tucson International Airport. It will now be deployed at more than 100 airports across the U.S., including Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

According to a story in the NY Post, airline employees have a name for these people: “gate lice."

A statement from American Airlines says that those passengers who are paying for early access should get their just desserts. People who are paying extra are mad when others get the same benefits.

"The new technology is designed to ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding with ease," it says.

Surely a factor is the way American Airlines' current boarding system has become an exercise in the haves vs. the have-nots, with nine levels of boarding groups, from elite status members and credit card holders all the way down to the Basic Economy nobodies. It's gotten worse since the pandemic, with extra charges applied to every element of flying, including a charge if you want to choose your own seat.

As an explanation of why people might do it, the NY Post cites a theory that travelers try to get ahead "out of a tendency of conformity and a sense of competition."

Public shaming is a powerful motivator, and Larry David fans would surely agree that line-cutters should always be called out — but in this case, there is an actual valid reason for trying to get a jump in line, and that can be summed up in two words: overhead bins.

Too many travelers place their luggage in overhead bins that are not located over their seats. Who has not seen the guy breezily stash his suitcase in whatever bin is closest? And this is an inequity that is not addressed by flight attendants, who admittedly have enough on their hands.

But the fact remains that if you get on the plane when your boarding group boards, the odds are slimmer that your designated overhead bin is going to have room for your suitcase.

If the airline is not going to enforce the overhead bin situation, then it's hardly fair to blame gate lice for worrying about where their suitcase is going to end up — or worse, whether they'll face the horror of having to get their bag checked at the last minute because some other passenger stole their overhead space.

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