A guide to Austin's legendary hotel, The Driskill

The Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas.

Editor's note: Robin Soslow was a guest of The Driskill which provided a stay for reporting purposes. All opinions expressed below are entirely hers and were not subject to review by The Driskill. 

The Driskill's majestic architecture and hospitality have captivated Austin visitors and residents since it opened in 1886. But the hotel, the city's oldest still in operation, attracts all types of travelers from history buffs to a growing number of millennials seeking not just a room, but an experience. 

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"We were looking at the newer, hip, chic boutique hotels, but as soon as we saw The Driskill, we knew we had to come. It's living up to the hype," said Tony Peck, a guest visiting from Long Island with his girlfriend. He sat on the hotel's front balcony of the mezzanine level, catching breezes and views, with Texas and U.S. flags billowing over Sixth Street. "It's more than just a hotel—it's a piece of art," Peck added.

Read on to discover more about this legendary locale, and learn what makes it such a popular place to book a stay, well over a century after its debut.

How old is The Driskill? 

Colonel and cattleman Jesse Driskill spent his fortune building "the finest hotel south of St. Louis," one fit for politicians, diplomats and celebrities. Driskill purchased the land for $7,500 and paid $400,000 in construction costs. Completed in 1886, the Romanesque-style building features high ceilings, gilded columns, arched doorways, stained glass and marble floors. A 12-story tower and The Driskill Bar were added in 1930, bringing the number of guest rooms up to 189.

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Guests interested in the building's history and secrets have a few options to learn more. A guide-led tour (free for guests; $10 for non-guests; book ahead), curated by Harrison Eppright, a local native and expert on all things Austin, is available most days at 4 p.m. You can also take a free audio tour of the hotel's art collection.  

The grand lobby of The Driskill makes a striking first impression.

Some fun facts (and spooky rumors) about The Driskill 

- Behind the front desk, according to Eppright, there was once an entrance exclusively for women, so they could exit carriages without men seeing their ankles, and bypass cigar smoke and crude language. 

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- In 1890, the hotel's new owner opened a bank in the Victorian ballroom. You can still spot teller windows and a bank vault by the reception desk.

- The ballroom has also served as the site of a barbershop and, in the 1970s, as a disco called Scandals. 

- A fifth floor portrait depicts a young girl, Samantha Houston, who according to legend, haunts the hotel. Allegedly, Samantha fell to her death on The Driskill's grand staircase, and as a ghost, has been reported giggling and bouncing a ball down those treacherous steps. 

- Colonel Driskill's ghost is also said to roam the hotel, leaving spectral clouds of cigar smoke behind. Singer Annie Lennox claims that the night he appeared in her room, he chose the outfit she should wear on stage.  

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- During Prohibition, The Citadel Room had a hidden stairwell for bringing in moonshine.

BEST OF MYSA

- In 1934, future president Lyndon B. Johnson had his first date with Lady Bird here. They met at The Driskill for breakfast, and by that evening, he asked her to marry him. Three decades later, he waited for his 1964 presidential re-election results in what's now the hotel's Jim Hogg Parlor. LBJ stayed in a second-floor suite when visiting Austin during his presidency.

- In 1969 The Driskill was designated a national historic landmark and saved from demolition via wrecking ball by the efforts of the "Save The Driskill" movement and the Austin Heritage Society.

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- Another Texas president, George W. Bush, liked the Texas Star-emblazoned glass dome in The Driskill Bar enough to order a replica to be made for his ranch.

Guest rooms at the historic Driskill in Austin, Texas, include modern comforts and handsome decor.

What's The Driskill like today?

The hotel's public spaces—the two-story lobby, the mezzanine and the grand balconies overlooking Austin— are busy with guests, locals and visitors. In spite of the opulent surroundings, the hotel maintains a comfortable and welcoming ambiance.

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The updated guest rooms feature rustic yet elegant design touches and luxurious comforts—plush beds, a stocked minibar and marble-floored bathrooms. Rooms in the original building have high ceilings, columns, brass fixtures and grand windows. The tower rooms, on higher floors, share some of the same heritage-rich features, like cowhide-upholstered benches, wrought-iron headboards and bedside tables built to look like stacked suitcases or trunks.

Amenities guests can enjoy during their stay at The Driskill include complimentary one-hour paddleboard rentals for two guests to paddle at Lady Bird Lake, and a discount at Pawstin for dog walking and other services canine guests of the hotel might need. Guests are also offered a complimentary beer upon check-in, something a 19th-century cattle drover may appreciate, too, after a long trail ride.

A 'whiskey, neat' seems like the proper drink order at The Driskill Bar. 

Dining and drinking at The Driskill

After work, Austinites gather at The Driskill Bar for drinks. The bar's decor—leather sofas and chairs arranged in intimate groupings, wood paneling and longhorn taxidermy—lets you know you're in a well-heeled corner of Texas. Nightly live music in The Driskill Bar may entice you to linger longer before heading out to Sixth Street to take in the local music scene. Weekends see couples on dates and travelers celebrating a day well spent.

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At The Driskill Grill, the hotel's charming restaurant, don't be surprised if chef Cliff Benavides pops out to visit the tables. Since the dining room reopened  post-pandemic, Benavides and his staff have focused on serving "fresh takes on classic ingredients and dishes inspired by the hotel's culinary past." The delicately composed frisée salad features goat cheese, sugared pistachios, blood orange, raspberry pomegranate vinaigrette and its own treat: a cranberry orange crostini. You'll find dishes like whiskey-infused duck, wild mushroom risotto, and housemade spinach spaghetti served with coconut cream and tomato-pepper relish on the menu— which changes seasonally but always features a steak.

The 1886 chocolate cake from 1886 Café & Bakery.

The 1886 Cafe & Bakery is another local favorite, with seating both inside a sunny, high-ceilinged space on the lobby level and outside on the patio. For breakfast, don't miss the Paris Texas Benedict or the Texas-shaped pecan waffle, followed by a slice of decadent, 1886 chocolate cake made from a recipe that's as old as The Driskill. The 1886 is of course a nod to the year The Driskill opened in all its glory. 

Find it: The Driskill, 604 Brazos St., Austin, TX 78701; 512-439-1234

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This story was edited by Hearst Newspapers Managing Editor Kristina Moy; you can contact her at [email protected].