The Driskill, Austin’s most historic hotel, has seen some stuff over its 140 years of existence—including numerous occasions when the grande dame of capital-city accommodations came close to existing in a state of, well, nonexistence. But it’s currently the good times for the Driskill, which over the last year underwent a comprehensive renovation.
This new era was ushered in after Hyatt Hotels and Resorts took over the property in 2013 and folded it into its Unbound Collection. Austin’s Pixiu Investments and Dallas’s Woodbine Development Corporation bought the Driskill in 2022, though Hyatt still manages it. The first phase of the renovation, unveiled in the fall of 2025, included a refresh of the 110 Tower rooms built in 1929, as well as the addition of a 2,800-square-foot ballroom and a new cocktail bar, the Victorian.
In May, the Driskill Grill and Bar reopened with a facelift and new menus. Renovations to the hotel lobby, grand staircase, and the original guestroom tower of 74 historic rooms were also completed during this second phase. A new retail shop, Stark & Sisters, is still in the works.
Dallas design firm Swoon, the Studio (known for the Adolphus, in Dallas, and the Vanderbilt, in Newport, Rhode Island), designed the guest rooms. Austin’s Lambert McGuire Design reimagined the lobby, restaurants, and bar spaces. Austin’s Clayton Korte served as the architect of record. MML Hospitality, also of Austin, now controls all food and beverage operations; the company brought in executive chef Nick Erven and, most notably, acclaimed New York chef April Bloomfield to revamp the hotel’s dining offerings. Back in 2013, Hyatt proposed an $8 million upgrade, though the company declined to share the final price tag of the renovation.
The original cost to build the Driskill is estimated to have been some $400,000, a hefty amount at the time. The hotel’s founder, Colonel Jesse Driskill, a Tennessee-born cattle baron who owned ranches in the Dakotas, Kansas, and Texas and provided beef to Texas Rangers and Confederate troops during the Civil War. But getting paid in Confederate dollars proved a costly business decision and, by war’s end, the colonel (the title was bestowed honorarily by the Confederate army) found both his herds and his riches depleted. Persistent, he rebuilt his stock and took advantage of the lucrative cattle-driving days, moving longhorns up the Chisholm Trail to northern markets. By 1884, Driskill had recovered enough to purchase the site for his future hotel in Austin’s bustling downtown—for the handsome sum of $7,500.
The hotel, designed in a Richardsonian Romanesque Revival style but with enough unique flourishes to also be described as “cowboy Romanesque,” was constructed of brick and local limestone and granite. The edifice’s architectural and design details included elaborate porticos, arched openings, and elegant common areas featuring polished stone, gilded columns, and stained glass. The Driskill had its grand opening on December 20, 1886, though it briefly closed its doors less than a year later when the colonel once again fell on hard times.
The Driskill changed hands over the years and underwent occasional renovations of varying scope. In 1930, a thirteen-story annex was added, designed by the renowned Trost & Trost (of Hotel Paso del Norte, Gage Hotel, and Hotel Paisano fame). In the fifties, a stained-glass rotunda was demolished to install air-conditioning on the roof. In 1969, the building was threatened with demolition but dodged the wrecking ball when the Heritage Society of Austin stepped in. The Driskill was soon listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the mid-nineties, Great American Life Insurance purchased the hotel and restored many of its original features.
Throughout the decades, the Driskill has been at the center of Austin’s social, political, and arts scenes. Texas Governors Sul Ross, William P. Hobby, Miriam “Ma” Ferguson, Dan Moody, John Connally, and Ann Richards all chose the hotel for their inaugural soirees. In 1934, a young congressional aide named Lyndon B. Johnson had a first date with Claudia “Lady Bird” Taylor. LBJ would later await the outcome of his 1964 presidential reelection bid there. The fifth-floor Governor’s Suite was permanently reserved for him during his time in office.
On a personal note, this writer once had the esteemed pleasure to stay up all night in a suite at the Driskill Hotel with Jerry Jeff Walker, Guy Clark, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Bruce and Charlie Robison, Kelly Willis, and a slew of other musical luminaries for the afterparty of Walker’s birthday celebration, hosted annually at the nearby Paramount Theater. Due to the Texas Monthly office’s proximity to the Driskill, the hotel’s bar has, over the years, been a frequent haunt of the magazine’s staff.
Over the course of its 140-year lifespan, the Driskill has indeed seen some stuff. And now, with this most recent creative collaboration all but complete, the historic hotel is ready to flaunt it.
Each guest room comes with a small welcoming basket containing a pair of house-made lemon tarts, Lady Bird Johnson’s favorite treat, a tribute to her long association with the hotel.
The Driskill
Deep navy-and-slate monogrammed carpeting, red-velvet curtains, and wood-and-leather furniture offer a cozy retreat.
The Driskill
The Victorian’s mezzanine level is home to billiards and card tables, while the centerpiece of the first floor is a long, mahogany bar and plush lounge seating. Occasional live music—mostly of a country and western bent—enhances the space.
The Driskill
The Victorian is one part Old West saloon, one part English pub, and one part historic hotel bar, serving cocktails like an Old Tom Negroni and Brazos Martini, draft beer, and wine.
The Driskill
The Tower guest rooms feature custom headboards made in collaboration with Fort Lonesome, an Austin-based chainstitch-embroidery outfit, and inspired by Texas flora and fauna.
The Driskill
The Driskill Grill, a wholly reimagined version of its predecessor, and the adjoining Driskill Bar, a slightly smaller version of the hotel’s beloved, old watering hole, serve both hotel guests and the public at large.
The Driskill
The Victorian menu’s Classic Plates section features tavern staples like burgers and fish and chips.
The Driskill
Celebrity New York chef April Bloomfield and Nick Erwen, the Driskill Grill’s executive chef, are the culinary powerhouses behind the hotel’s restaurants.
The Driskill
The grand lobby, whose restoration was unveiled at the end of May, is frequented by hotel guests, diners, and visitors who drop in just to admire the striking interior features.
The Driskill
The common areas in the 1929 tower, which houses most of the hotel’s guest rooms, nod to the Driskill’s elegant past, with antique furniture and throwback lighting fixtures.
The Driskill
The Driskill will officially celebrate its 140th anniversary in December 2026.
The Driskill
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