by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 3:42 PM ET, Fri July 27, 2018
The Four Seasons Hotel Austin will emerge as a nearly new property this fall after undergoing a multi-million-dollar transformation that will wrap-up with a new open lobby concept, new restaurant, and redesigned bar.
The enhancements represent the final chapter of what has been a three-year renovation led by designer Michael Dalton, a principal with Whitespace Interiors.
Dalton began his efforts in 2016 with the hotel's spa, fitness center, and meeting spaces. His work has also included the property's 294 guest rooms and suites, ensuring that the finished hotel will have a cohesive look, one designed to represent an elegant Texas Hill Country lake house.
The final phase of the work will encompass a top-to-bottom revamp of the hotel lobby, the lobby bar, and the hotel's restaurant.
When complete, the lobby will feature a more open and symmetrical layout, with arriving guests being able to see directly out onto the property's lake and its surrounding greenery from the moment they step through the front door. The reception and concierge desks will be relocated and the space furnished with sophisticated new pieces, including artwork inspired by nature.
The Austin hotel's lobby bar, known as "Austin's living room" for nearly the past three decades, will reopen this fall as Live Oak. The name was chosen to pay homage to the heritage oaks visible from the bar's location. Work on the space will include construction of a new deck designed to provide outstanding views of the lake and trees.
The revamp will also include a new bar menu featuring innovative dishes inspired by Executive Sous Chef Abril Galindo's Guadalajara roots and cocktails crafted by award-winning bartender Sarah Rahl.
Finally, the refreshed property will welcome a new restaurant, Arborist, which will be headed up by Chef James Flowers.
In a subtle nod to the restaurant's new name, Arborist's menu will reflect Flowers' culinary roots, from his southern upbringing to previous roles that exposed him to Italian, Asian and Texan ingredients and cooking techniques.
Arborist will feature rich wood accents and shades of conifer green as well as hints of mid-century modern design. There is also to be an expanded terrace that will provide more outside dining.
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