It’s spring. We’re a week into Fiesta. The Spurs are in the playoffs. South Alamo Street, the artery connecting downtown San Antonio to all the energy of Southtown, is finally open (two years behind schedule). It’s a good time to be a San Antonian. But for those not so blessed, fret not: The downtown hotel options just got a bit more luxe.
The Monarch, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, opened in March right in the middle of it all, overlooking Civic Park at Hemisfair and located steps from the historic La Villita, the convention center, and the River Walk. The two-hundred-room, seventeen-story hotel is owned and operated by San Antonio’s Zachry Hospitality and sits across the street from the group’s Hilton Palacio del Rio, the beloved hotel known for its unique modular design that was completed just in time to host visitors to the 1968 world’s fair.
I booked a staycation at the Monarch in early April, curious about how such a high-end hotel would fit in with the often rowdy River Walk scene I knew from my youth, or with the buttoned-up convention center crowd next door. After checking in, I walked through the calm, light-filled lobby, past the floor-to-ceiling windows, and beyond the shaded outdoor patio to pay a visit to La Mariposa, a massive custom art installation made in collaboration with local artists. The three monarch wings made from 350-pound stained glass pieces create an archway that glows at night, a beautiful addition to Civic Park’s growing attractions.
Nods to the migrating monarch butterfly, the inspiration for the space, designed by San Antonio–based Overland Partners, carry throughout the sculptural lobby and the hotel’s three restaurants. They can even be found in small design elements like the whimsical, sloping headboards in the guest rooms.
The hotel’s crown jewel is Aleteo—Spanish for “flutter,” a reference to the Monarch’s muse—a chic indoor-outdoor rooftop restaurant and bar with sweeping, near-360-degree views of downtown on one side and the glowing Tower of the Americas on the other. The restaurant serves Yucatán-inspired cuisine, anchored by entrées like slow-roasted cochinita pibil and a perfectly seared black-garlic skirt steak over a bed of spicy roasted corn. You can order five distinct salsa styles to accompany your meal, and the menu also features a dedicated raw and cured section—the amberjack aguachile is a must—plus a tequila- and mezcal-heavy cocktail list. (I opted for the Nebula, made with sotol and butterfly pea flower tea, a hazy purple delight.) Aleteo is just one of the hotel’s three restaurants, all led by executive chef Jae H. Lee; the others are Oak & Amber, a high-end steak-and-seafood concept just off the main lobby, and the Nectarie Cafe, which offers a full coffee-and-tea menu along with an enticing pastry case.
The Monarch is hoping to carve out a unique space in downtown’s hotel scene, just down the street from stylish newcomers Kimpton Santo and the Plaza San Antonio and nestled among River Walk standards. While some properties upriver have struggled—Hotel Havana closed in October and the Thompson foreclosed this year—Hemisfair seems to be thriving amid an influx of developments and major plans for a new Spurs arena. To help usher in that new era, and the tourism it will bring, the Monarch is going all in on luxurious details such as a full-service spa and a rooftop plunge pool and bar. While the claustrophobic fitness room, with its limited machine options, leaves room for improvement, guests can sign up for an array of classes, including sound-bath meditation and morning yoga under La Mariposa.
While the at times busy and noisy surroundings could puncture the Zen-like atmosphere inside the hotel (especially if and when Spurs fans go honking), it’s nothing some nightstand earplugs and blackout curtains can’t quell. And if those surroundings are calling you, I recommend taking a predinner stroll through La Villita to shop for local art, then popping into Casa Guipzot, a tasting room for Mexican wines, before heading down to the River Walk. This is one of the river’s rowdier stretches, but it’s hard to beat the colorful backdrop for a photo atop one of the stone bridges. Just be sure to make it back to the Monarch in time for sunset from the seventeenth floor. Guest room rates start at $364/night.
La Mariposa, a $2 million art installation outside the hotel, adds another whimsical feature to Hemisfair.
Courtesy of The Monarch San Antonio
Warm tones and thoughtful design elements welcome guests in the lobby of the Monarch.
Courtesy of The Monarch San Antonio
Guest rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows with views of downtown or Civic Park.
Courtesy of The Monarch San Antonio
Aleteo offers a rooftop dining experience with intimate indoor seating and wraparound outdoor views.
Courtesy of The Monarch San Antonio
Guests can book a full suite of facial and body treatments at the Spa at the Monarch, along with contrast and light therapy.
Courtesy of The Monarch San Antonio
A third-floor rooftop overlooking Hemisfair, accessible from the spa or fitness studio, features a plunge pool, cabanas, and a poolside bar.
Courtesy of The Monarch San Antonio
Dine on steak and seafood at Oak & Amber, the Monarch’s lobby-adjacent restaurant.
Courtesy of The Monarch San Antonio
The Monarch’s location—at the nexus of Hemisfair, La Villita, the River Walk, and the convention center—makes the luxe stay a convenient one.
Courtesy of The Monarch San Antonio
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