Timed with its 140th anniversary this year, The Driskill Hotel in Austin wrapped a comprehensive renovation project in May that began last summer. The refresh made updates to all guest rooms and suites, the lobby and public spaces, food and beverage programming, and some meeting and event spaces. The project also debuted a cocktail bar, The Victorian, where attendees can explore a menu of cocktails, whiskeys, and beers, and The Citadel Room (1,872 square feet) for meetings amid opulent yellow and gold decor. Renovated meeting and event spaces include The Driskill Mezzanine for up to 750
attendees and The Driskill Ballroom for 350.
Opened in 1886, The Driskill Hotel has had a long and storied history at the corner of
East Sixth Street and Brazos Street. Attendees might spot the large portrait of the property’s original owner, Jesse Driskill, on display in the lobby. He purchased the corner plot the hotel sits on in 1884—two years before he opened The Driskill Hotel. Over the decades, the property would undergo several ownership changes and, with its proximity to the Texas State Capitol, it welcomed many prominent guests, including former President Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife “Lady Bird” Johnson—the president even awaited the 1964 presidential election results in the hotel’s Jimm Hogg Suite, and the property served as the unofficial White House press corps headquarters during his visits to the city.
