UT Opens up a First-Class Hotel

It looks like The University of Texas has decided to open up an on-campus executive conference center and hotel... and what a hotel it is. For the little economic recession unfriendly sum of $279.00, you can book a standard king room at the hotel. Is the hotel worth it? Absolutely...

Why? If you happen to be going to a Longhorn game, staying on-campus (and not in a dorm, of course) is simply invaluable. Roll out of the room... walk to the game... watch the Longhorns win... and then head back. So easy. It was a breeze for the 7:00 PM kickoff on Thanksgiving night. Given our late arrival time on campus, we didn't have time to go check into a hotel further afield.

And the hotel is actually really very nice. The common areas are first class, there are multiple on-site restaurants (the breakfast buffet is relatively good - cost is reasonable for a hotel like this) and you simply can't beat the location. From what we could tell, the hotel not only had Longhorn fans but other guests who were simply enjoying the new digs.


A few thoughts... spend some time in the relaxing courtyard - a minimalist but very well laid out space with plenty of comfortable seating on the edges. Behind the check-in area, there's a very nice seating area where you can drink coffee (purchased at the nearby coffee bar) and watch some TV. Valet parking is $12.00/day and, ironically, self-parking is higher with in-and-out priveleges.

What else? That's all I can think of... it's a really nice hotel and would gladly stay there again when my economic circumstances warrant. Keep in mind, though, that UT has started something called the Santa Rita Society. While I can't see that they'll sell too many memberships during lean economic times, this may eventually make rooms harder to come by.

And not just occasionally, but at every regular season UT home football game for at least 15 years, you will be guaranteed the right to share the home game experience. You will enjoy the rewards of impeccable service, a concierge at your beck and call, complimentary amenities, a destination restaurant (The Carillon), a sports café (Gabriel’s), exceptional room service, rooms available for private parties – in addition to being near world-class museums, shopping and all that The University and Downtown Austin have to offer. It is a unique opportunity to network in an unparalleled setting, to form lasting relationships with like-minded social, business, educational and government leaders who – like you – are members of this by-invitation-only, inner circle known as the Santa Rita Society.

Room licenses and Santa Rita Society memberships are limited to 250, so you must act quickly. Single rooms (for two people) and a limited number of suites are still available.

First Football Game of the Year in Austin

We headed to Austin this past weekend to watch our beloved Horns take on the typically beatable Arkansas State Indians. While I can say that the game was ugly and downright not that enjoyable, at least we won. The team better get to work before TCU comes to town.

Anyway, we had originally planned on staying only on Saturday night but we changed our mind at the last second and included Friday night in our plans. This made for some interesting shuffling around since we booked our lodging with Priceline. That left us with good news, bad news and good news. The good news was that Priceline booked us for both nights without a hitch. The bad news, since we booked about two weeks apart, was that we would stay in two different hotels. The good news was landing the Hyatt and the Stephen F. Austin Intercontinental for $100 each.

We've stayed at both hotels and either is a great Austin option. My bids on Priceline were $100 for a four-star hotel in downtown Austin (in case you wanted to know how much we bid to get accepted.) Could we have gone for less? Probably but time was of the essence.

The Stephen F. Austin is located on the corner of Congress and 7th - within easy walking distance to 6th street, the warehouse district and even the 2nd street district. We got a good-sized room with a queen bed. It was bigger than the standard room you might land when making a regular reservation as it had a little seating area with a sofa/coffee table and a desk. We were on the third floor which made the rest of the hotel accessible but we could hear the Congress street terrace late at night (even though we crashed at 1:00). For dinner, we went to Roaring Fork - excellent food, as always, even if the service was somewhat spotty.

Looking across Town Lake to the Hyatt Regency

The next night, we stayed at the Hyatt Regency on Town Lake. Another great location... just a two minute drive from South Congress, walking distance to the Congress Street bridge (if bats are your thing) with great views of downtown. The Hyatt refurbished their rooms a couple of years ago and they're much nicer. The standard Texana theme has been replaced with a sleek and modern theme including Samsung LCD TVs, dark woods and nice modern touches all around.

From Barkitecture.com

On Sunday we ate breakfast at the 2nd street location of Jo's Coffee (a spin-off from the original South Congress location). Sitting outside has a very European feel - mid-rise residential housing on top of retail with a good vibe and buzz on the street. It's very relaxing and you just feel like hanging around outdoors with nothing to do but drink coffee and peoplewatch. Within reaching distance are restaurants like Taverna, CRU Wine Bar and the always delicious Paciugo. You've got to hit Paciugo for great gelato. Two of the best home stores in the area are The Home Retreat (where we found a great clock for our refurbished study) and Mercury Design Studio. Both places that make it easy to drop some cash. There are probably a dozen boutiques and much more. Call it a mini-version of Houston's midtown.

Oh yeah... and course, you know we didn't hit the Austin area without checking out the outlets in San Marcos. We made a quick run on Saturday morning before heading to campus for the game.

All in all, a good trip... some pretty ugly football but a nice long Labor Day weekend.

The Place to Stay in Austin

Made a quick trip up to Austin today to visit a client who happens to be running one of our classes. I'm sitting in the lobby of the Embassy Suites in the Arboretum, waiting for the class to break for lunch as I don't want to interrupt them at an inopportune time. Rather than flying up, I made the 2 1/2 hour drive to Austin - a bit weird and boring without my wife since I can't remember the last time I came to Austin without her. I had planned on staying the night with her but due to a variety of reasons, I'm just going to drive back today.

I had made a reservation at the Hotel San Jose - a great hotel to visit if you happen to be coming to Austin. First off, the hotel is immensely popular as it has a great sense of style and is located smack dab in the middle of the SoCo or South Congress. Finding a room here on a weekend during Longhorn football season, for example, is impossible. Yes, you can be placed on the wait list but I've never had that pan out.

If you do stay, skip the shared bath rooms and look for something like a Grand Standard or a Double Queen, located off the street and in the courtyard. The rooms are more spacious and quiet. All rooms have Internet access, great toiletries (gotta love the MOP products they use) and great modern design. One of the best features of the hotel is the grounds - whether hanging out by the pool, enjoying a drink at the immensely popular courtyard lounge ('til midnight) or heading next door to Joe's Coffee Shop for a cup o' joe or breakfast.

We just love staying at this place - it has that "it" factor that you find in cool mid-century hotels in Palm Springs but is mostly lacking in Houston or Austin. Room rates are a little on the high side but you should at least stay there once.

Back to work...

Factory People Closing

My wife loves Factory People, a funky Austin boutique located on the always buzzing South Congress. It's always been very popular and received a ton of good press, even landing on the GQ100 list. I've always admired it for its style and cool architecture but apparently style and architecture weren't enough to keep the storefront open - it's going strictly online. Factory People is open for just a few more days as the whole store is 75% off. Got extra time while in Austin, walk a few doors down to The Continental Club. Roy Head of Treat Her Right fame plays on September 1st.

Oh... and here's a great place for a casual meal in Houston - Island Grill... also known as Island Smoothie. Popular with the Memorial area set, this tiny place has great pitas, healthy meals, smoothies, fish and much more. I'm partial to the fish pita. Located in a strip center at 5709 Woodway (right at Bering), there are a few spots inside and plenty of seating outdoors.