by Scott Laird
Last updated: 9:00 PM ET, Wed June 6, 2018
Returning from a day of excursions in the Texas Hill Country, someone in our group summed up the Fairmont Austin succinctly as our van into the porte cochere: "Wow, this is the buzziest Fairmont I've ever seen."
She wasn't wrong. It was beginning to get late on that Saturday evening, but the entry to the hotel was still buzzing with arrivals and departures from the various bars and restaurants. The crowd was youthful, stylish, and a couple drinks in, waiting for Ubers, texting friends about the next stop, or hunting for smoking areas while staff offered bottles of water to combat the Texas heat.
It's a scene that plays out in luxury hotel entrances across the Texas capital, which is itself buzzy and youthful, but it feels rather new to Fairmont. The brand evolved from a 2001 merger between a small luxury hotel group in the United States and a chain of hotels owned and operated by Canadian Pacific Railway, and the properties generally evoke a classic luxury that resides in a historic building with legacy architecture.
In short, the Fairmont Austin is a new build property, and that's rare for Fairmont, which means I have questions. That's exactly what I set out to examine during my visit. How well could a hotel brand known for century-old luxury hotels find a place in Austin, a city famous for youthful innovation and decidedly un-stuffy entertainment? And how exactly is that accomplished?
The short answer is Texas boldness and Fairmont style. The hotel displaces the nearby JW Marriott as the city's largest, with just shy of 1,200 rooms in a 37 story tower topped by a distinctive spire. Connected to the city's convention center, it's clearly designed to accommodate large groups, and also has a significant amount of function space in its own right to accommodate convention overflow. Compared with other Fairmont properties, it's gigantic.
But it works. Separate elevators speed guests to floors quickly, and guests seeking an exclusive environment and book a Fairmont Gold room, which offers private check-in in the 35th floor lounge, where there's continuous food and beverage service throughout most of the day. Perhaps the most difficult decision a Fairmont Gold guest might have to make is whether to take advantage of the in-room Nespresso machine or take a few steps down the hall to pull a shot of espresso into lovely bone china from the self service espresso unit in the Fairmont Gold Lounge.
Speaking of Fairmont Gold Lounge, it's a spectacle unto itself. There's plenty of seating, almost as if it could accommodate every guest booked in a Gold room deciding to eat breakfast at the same time. Polished stones and the feel of a home kitchen make one feel almost as though they're staying in a private home, and sneaking to the kitchen to raid the fridge. Breakfasts are lavish, with a wide selection of hot items, an omelet station, and quite frankly some of the best quality pastries I've ever had in Texas. Afternoons and evenings tempt with an honor bar, a selection of sweet and savory snacks like muffins, a trail mix bar and warm cookies.
During happy hour there's a rotating selection of hot foods: one afternoon it was Tex-Mex themed with freshly made tamales; another afternoon guests were delighted Asian nibbles like fresh poke and sesame crusted chicken skewers. Throughout the day there's a subtle nod to the University of Texas and southern cooking with an artfully arranged mix of Burnt Orange and White-colored peaches-and-cream flavored jelly beans.
While the Fairmont Gold Lounge is a sanctuary unto itself, the bars and restaurants are more energetic. The 7th floor Rules & Regs is a clubby lounge with indoor-outdoor seating and a skyline view. There are fancy cocktails, at least one of which was proudly delivered in what appeared to be a pineapple-shaped flower vase (the Ladybird Sling, a twist on the Singapore Sling, which is one of two cask-aged cocktails on the menu). The adjacent pool is guest-access only and expansive, with two cold plunge pools and a hot tub flanked by fully wired cabanas. There's an outdoor pool bar and public courtyard for non-residents.
Revue, the hotel's food hall concept, works surprisingly well. It's another high energy spot with live music on the weekends, and there are stations for house made pasta and pizza (which turns out pies with that heavenly Neapolitan-style fire-roasted crust that's reminiscent of a slightly burned campfire marshmallow), a centerpiece raw bar, a bake shop (no doubt the source of those heavenly pastries in the Fairmont Gold Lounge), and a dessert shop with decadent milkshakes, crepes, and a matcha green tea cheesecake, among other treats.
In Garrison, the grill concept located in a quiet corner of Revue behind a sort of homestead front porch, is utterly gastronomic in spite of it's rather minimalist appearance. Flavors here are complex, yet playful. We dined on house made tater tots with aerated gruyere cream and white truffles, remarkably local produce (we were proudly presented with an enhancement of fig leaf oil which had been sourced from a tree just up the street) and Texas-good cuts of steak. There was even high drama in the dessert presentations as we watched a popcorn ice cream Baked Alaska ladled with flaming alcohol and then quickly extinguished under glass, and a thick ribbon of bitter almond creme anglaise poured steadily into a mile-high Grand Marnier souffle.
Guest rooms are delightfully wired with plenty of outlets in virtually everywhere one would need them and the ability to login to streaming services from a mobile device to continue binge watching favorite programs on the guest room television. Fluffy beds, an intriguing mix of textures in upholstery and hardwood, large party showers, and oversized bottles of Le Labo bath products all conspire to make rooms difficult to leave, particularly those on high floors with views of Lady Bird Lake and the city skyline.
The Takeaway
It's youthful, contemporary luxury that doesn't feel like you're visiting your grandparents. If this is how Fairmont designs and executes a new build property, I'm here for it.
The Math
I'm seeing advance purchase rates from around $185 for the summer doldrums, which for Austin is something of a steal. The market has a thousand new rooms to fill, and consumers will benefit.
Instagrammable Moment
There's no shortage of them. From the pool to the restaurants, to the spectacular views from the guest rooms and the Fairmont Gold Lounge, and the building's modern landmark architecture, I got plenty of good engagement on my Instagram feed.
Loyalty
Fairmont President's Club
Good To Know
Faimont Gold guests can head straight to the 35th floor for registration and check-out, although it's almost a shame to skip the stunning lobby.
The pool is popular and seating goes quickly - head down early to get one of the prime seats up front.
Reservations will be a must at these new, buzzy restaurants.
Showers are standard in guest rooms. Guests requiring baths should contact the hotel directly.
Accommodations were furnished by Fairmont Austin in preparation for this story.
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