What did you notice on arrival?
Giant black doors open into an upscale take on Austin bungalows. You'll find unlacquered wood, rusty red buttery leather loveseats, and embroidered armchairs. The decor tempts you to reach out and run your hands over the textures: the carved wood, the cowhide on the elevator walls, and the floral wallpaper. Ceramics are tucked beneath a wood staircase that resembles a Jenga tower, bright floor-to-ceiling windows illuminate the space, and fresh flower arrangements bring in the outdoors in.
What's the backstory?
Austin Proper comes out of the Green Water Treatment Plant Redevelopment, and was many years in the making. The downtown hotel with prime real estate across from Lady Bird Lake hails from Proper Hotels and Residences, and is the first step out of California for the brand. Well-known designer Kelly Wearstler is responsible for the aesthetic. She spent several years collecting vintage pieces and traveling Texas to create the hotel’s look and feel.
The good stuff: Tell us about the rooms.
The cozy rooms make you feel at home (you can sink into the beds with down comforters), and mix vintage and modern through texture and color. There are dark red damask-esque headboards, ribbed gray and white bedspreads, tan thatched-style wallpaper, light wood floors, and antique rugs. Floor-to-ceiling windows pour in light, full-size mirrors provide hooks for bags and jackets, and flower arrangements add freshness. Some rooms have balconies where you can catch a cool breeze. Gray-brown tile from a local quarry covers the bathrooms, which have marble countertops, powerful showerheads, roomy soaking tubs, luxurious Parachute robes, and full-size Aesop amenities. Tech features include a Bluetooth speaker, Apple TV, and touchscreen switches that quickly control the window shades and dimmable lights.
Is there a charge for Wi-Fi?
It's free, but the speed is slow throughout hotel.
Drinking and dining—what are we looking at?
Award-winning McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality does the on-site dining, lobby bar, and room service. The main restaurant, Peacock Mediterranean Grill, brings a mix of Greek, Israeli, and North African cuisines to Austin—think oak-fired kebabs, tajine, mujaddara, crudo, and hummus. Poolside restaurant La Piscina offers wood-fired Oaxacan plates and a raw bar. Goldie’s Sunken Bar (open only to hotel guests and residents) provides an intimate atmosphere and serves creative cocktails like the Oaxacan Hummingbird. And The Quill Room, pulled from vintage salon style, melds vibe-y live music with French-inspired tastes like caviar service, páte feuilletée tarts, and rose-tinged cocktails.
How is the service?
They unobtrusively pay attention and seem to come out of the woodwork when they notice a guest looking around for something. They go out of their way to attend to you, and are kind to each other.
What type of travelers will you find here?
Fun-loving 30 and 40-somethings. They’re laughing with friends about their latest travels, concerts, or business ventures over drinks, likely dressed in edgy leather jackets paired with fabulous heeled booties.
What about the neighborhood? What else is around here?
Austin Proper is in downtown Austin overlooking both Lady Bird Lake and Shoal Creek. It's in walking distance from many top-notch restaurants and bars and pulls in neighborhood residents looking for exceptional cuisine and cocktails as well as travelers.
Any other hotel features worth noting?
There’s a spa with five treatment rooms; an outdoor pool with a tequila and mezcal bar; and a gym with Peloton bikes, Pilates machines, and bootcamp and yoga classes. They have a ton of programming including a dog-friendly running club, floral arrangement classes, in-room shopping with boutique ByGeorge's stylists, and starting at $35/hour, you can rent an on-site Model 3 Tesla to explore the city. As a pet-friendly hotel ($100 fee per pet; up to two), Austin Proper donates 10 percent of each fee to no-kill shelter, Austin Pets Alive.
Bottom line: Why are we staying here? It’s a hotel that delivers the feeling of Austin in an upscale, homey way, while adding something unique to the local community through programming, dining.
600 W 2nd St., Austin, Texas 78701
United States
https://www.properhotel.com/austin/
(512) 628-1500