1 Hotel Austin has opened inside Waterline, the 74-story downtown tower that just knocked Houston’s JPMorgan Chase Tower (1,002 feet) out of the tallest-in-Texas spot by roughly two dozen feet. The brand’s eco-luxury formula is all over the 252-room property: 60 suites facing Lady Bird Lake or Waller Creek, a living plant wall backed by more than 4,000 plants across 30 species, FSC-certified wooden key cards, and reclaimed wood pulled from historic American buildings.
Three restaurants split the hotel’s first 16 floors. Alteño is chef Johnny Curiel’s first Austin project, running fire-cooked Jaliscan dishes alongside a 40-plus mezcal bar. Watr sits higher up with Japanese-inspired plates, a raw bar, and a tableside Binchotan chutoro service. Rooms start north of $500 a night, per Axios — steep, but you’re paying for the tallest address in the state and a wellness floor that throws in a free three-day pass to Monroe.
