Three's company
3 Austin hotels book spots in Condé Nast Traveler's coveted annual awards
Austin is a hot spot for travelers, and now we have a definitive ranking to prove it. Three local hotels just landed in the top 50 of Condé Nast Traveler's annual Readers' Choice Awards: The Driskill, the JW Marriott Austin, and Hotel Granduca Austin.
Celebrating its 35th year, the annual list collates the best hotels, airlines, cruises, and islands — all chosen by the magazine's readers from around the world.
Four total Texas properties made the list, with one Houston entry:
- The Driskill (No. 3)
- JW Marriott Austin (No. 8)
- Four Seasons Hotel Houston (No. 19)
- Hotel Granduca Austin (No. 29)
Snagging a coveted spots in the top five, the historic Driskill earned a nod as the most "authentically Texas" hotel. The magazine notes its "iconic limestone-and-brick facade," and "light, bright guest rooms" with details such as the "Civil War–era pistols that have been repurposed into lamps." The famous 1886 Chocolate Cake also earned a mention: "It costs $8 per slice, and is worth every penny."
Also enjoying the limelight in the top 10 is the JW Marriott Austin, which the magazine touts for its "prime location, of course, just minutes from the Blanton Museum of Art, Lady Bird Lake, and several hundred music venues."
Houston's Four Seasons' equally "prime central location" in Bayou City helped secure its No. 19 spot. Condé Nast calls out the all-marble and mahogany interior, which "manages to straddle the line between Texas traditional and contemporary."
And last in Texas, but not least on the global list by a long shot, Hotel Granduca Austin earned its No. 29 spot for the "innocuous stucco exterior," which "belies serious magic: a European palazzo-inspired courtyard, stationed on the building's backside. The magazine's praise continues" "this hotel feels worlds away from downtown-hipster Austin ... Request a room on a higher floor, which have small Juliette balconies and views all the way to downtown."