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New music-focused Austin development combines hotel, condos, and venue

UMusic Hotel & Private Residences Austin

A rendering of the property, with another building extending off-screen to the right.

Rendering courtesy of UMusic Hospitality & Lifestyle

Austinites who want the absolute minimum number of steps from their front door to a music venue have an upcoming community to consider. UMusic Hotel & Private Residences Austin, an effort owned by White Rocks and developed in partnership with Universal Music Group, will bring 150 hotel rooms, 600 private residences, and a new amphitheater to a 71-acre site at the intersection of Southwest Parkway and Highway 71.

A representative says an opening is projected for the first quarter of 2029, with construction beginning in the first quarter of 2027. Residences are on sale now. Different units cost $850-$1,450 per square foot depending on variables like locations, views, and more.

There is already one UMusic Hotel operating in Madrid, Spain. The Austin location will introduce private residences for the first time.

The keystone of the property will be White Rocks Amphitheater, an open-air venue that takes advantage of the natural surroundings. More than 70 percent of the site will "remain green open space," the release says. There will also be a performance venue inside the hotel, plus professional recording and content studios.

Music is the center force of the property, but it's not the only thing to do at the hotel. There will also be a bar, a nightclub, a comedy club, dining, a rooftop pool and fitness center, and a spa and wellness center.

At the spa, visitors can get traditional treatments like massages, facials, hair, makeup, and manicures, while the wellness center offers weight training, steam rooms, hammam (a Southwest Asian or North African bath), plus more advanced technologies including red-light therapy, peptide therapy, cryogenic chambers, and more. Sometimes the amphitheater will host yoga, weight training, and other physical events.

Similarly, the residences will have access to their own set of amenities including private pool an fitness facilities, underground parking, and common areas, the release says. They can visit the hotel anytime and enjoy the culture there, too.

"The result is a living environment that offers the peace of a private retreat alongside the vibrancy of an international cultural hub," the release says.

Since nature is such a big part of the plan, the developer has a number of sustainability commitments going into the project. Those include a mostly hidden plant for hot and cold water and power, microgrid energy tech, a closed-loop water system that developers say complies with a 100 percent water reuse goal set by the city, and DarkSky compliant practices that help reduce light pollution, which is better for wildlife and seeing stars. That will help at monthly stargazing events held at the amphitheater.

The developers have also committed to the creative community that made them want to work in Austin to begin with; things like allocating a portion of ticket sales to a perpetual endowment for local artists and nonprofits, setting up paid gigs for emerging talent, and partnering with schools and other cultural institutions, sometimes for mentorship opportunities.

“Our vision is to create places where culture is made, shared, and celebrated," said UMusic Hospitality & Lifestyle president Jordi Solé in the release. "This property combines performance, wellness, nature, and community into a single living ecosystem, reflecting Austin's creative spirit on a global stage.”

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CONVENTION BET

JW Marriott unveils redesign as convention landscape changes in Austin

Photo courtesy of KTGY

The newly renovated lobby at the JW Marriott Austin features refreshed interiors inspired by the Texas Hill Country, with warm wood tones, limestone textures, and contemporary gathering spaces.

One of Austin's centerpiece hotels is showing off a new look inspired by the Colorado River, the waterway that has long shaped the city's identity. The renovation at the JW Marriott Austin spans the lobby, guestrooms, and more.

The 1,012-room hotel, which opened in 2015 as Austin's second major convention headquarters hotel after the Hilton Austin, has completed a property-wide refresh that replaces its former palette of Texas-inspired golds and browns with cool blues, flowing forms, and updated finishes inspired by the river.

White Lodging, which developed the JW Marriott on Second Street and several other downtown Austin hotels, once again turned to KTGY for the redesign. The firm also designed the hotel's original interiors.

A renovated corner king room at the JW Marriott Austin features updated furnishings, contemporary finishes, and floor-to-ceiling windows.Photo Courtesy of KTGY

The redesign extends through all 1,012 guest rooms, introducing new carpeting, lighting, decorative accents, and artwork that celebrate both the river and Austin's creative spirit.

The refreshed design was intended to create a calming counterpoint to the city's energy, drawing inspiration from the natural flow of the river while maintaining a connection to the culture and character that have helped make Austin a destination for visitors from around the world, according to KTGY.

The renovation comes as downtown Austin's hospitality industry adjusts to the temporary closure and replacement of the Austin Convention Center. Just two blocks east of the hotel, construction is underway on the replacement facility, which closed in 2025 and is expected to reopen in 2029.

Convention Center Site Construction crews work on the future Austin Convention Center after the project team removed roughly 850,000 tons of rock and dirt from the downtown site to prepare for the expanded facility. Photo posted June 12.Facebook/Austin Convention Center

Austin's convention hotel market has expanded dramatically over the past two decades. The Hilton Austin opened in 2003, followed by the JW Marriott and Westin Austin Downtown in 2015, and the Fairmont Austin in 2018. As downtown's hotel inventory grew, city leaders began planning for a larger convention center capable of hosting more and larger events.

When completed, the replacement facility will nearly double the convention center's rentable event space, opening up Austin to some of the nation's largest training sessions and conferences. The Austin Convention Center continues to post time-lapse videos and a newsletter for construction updates. Excavation and foundation work is underway across the six-block site as crews work toward completion at the end of 2028 and a planned reopening ahead of the 2029 spring festival season.

New Austin Convention Center The redesigned Austin Convention Center will feature new exhibit halls, meeting space, and outdoor gathering areas along Waller Creek. The JW Marriott Austin is visible in the downtown skyline at left.Facebook/Austin Convention Center

Visit Austin has already secured 27 events for after the convention center reopens, representing more than 238,000 hotel room nights and an estimated $205 million in economic impact. Additional campus-style group events (those held at multiple venues) booked during the redevelopment period are expected to generate about 161,000 hotel room nights and nearly $38 million in hotel revenue.

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