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Weekly UpdatesJust five blocks away from the Texas State Capitol building in Austin, Texas, stands the Driskill Hotel--a local treasure whose Victorian palace-like presence has become a long-standing symbol of Austin and the epicenter of all of the city's happenings.
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"From the very beginning there have been a lot of political activities and social functions that take place at the Driskill Hotel," said Cynthia Maddox, spokesperson for the hotel. "Some of the grandest balls in Texas have been held here--whether it is governors' inauguration balls, debutante balls or weddings."
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The hotel was also a favorite spot for President Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife Lady Bird Johnson. In fact, the power cou ple's first date was spent lunching together in Driskill's dining room. In addition, LBJ awaited the results of his senatorial, vice presidential and presidential elections at the Driskill. Today, the hotel honors the duo with its Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson Presidential Suite.
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UPS & DOWNS
Construction of the Driskill Hotel began back in the 1880s, when wealthy cattle baron Jesse Lincoln Driskill vowed the hotel would be the "finest south of St. Louis," hoping that it would serve as a show-place for Austin. Two years and nearly $400,000 later, the Driskill Hotel opened in 1886 amidst great fanfare. About two weeks after the grand opening, the Driskill hosted its first inaugural ball for newly elected Texas Governor Saul Ross; many other Texas leaders followed Ross' lead by holding their inaugural balls at the hotel.
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But it has not always been smooth sailing for the Driskill. In 1887, the hotel's general manager and half of the staff were hired away by Galveston's Beach Hotel. This mass exo dus proved disastrous for the Driskill, forc ing it to close for a few months. Later that year, Driskill reopened the hotel with new managers and staff members. Unfortunately, just one year later, the Driskill family lost its fortune in the cattle-killing drought of 1888, and Driskill had to sell the hotel.
Since then, the Driskill Hotel has seen plenty of highs and lows and has been under many different owners. In the early 1970s, there was buzz about demolishing the aging hotel, but concerned Austin citizens and the Heritage Society of Austin stepped in to save the historic building. The group worked hard to get the Driskill Hotel named as a National Historic Landmark, and a success ful community effort raised $700,000 for the redevelopment budget.
Throughout all these ups and downs the Driskill Hotel has always been positioned as a premiere hotel with its Victorian gran deur and its reputation for Texas luxury and sophistication. Today, the 122-year-old Driskill Hotel is owned by Lowe Enterprises and managed by Destination Hotels & Resorts and is still a must-see Austin land mark.
"It is an icon," said Maddox. "Certainly, anyone who has ever been to Austin will remember three buildings: the State Capitol, the Driskill Hotel and the University of Texas Lower."
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Maintaining the hotel's grandeur has been a top priority in its most recent history. In 1996, owners began a four-year, $25 million historic restoration to bring the Driskill Hotel back to its "original opu lence." This meticulous top-to-bottom restoration affected each and every part of the hotel and was completed in 2000. To further maintain this historic building, the Driskill underwent a S4.5 million restora tion to update and refine the hotel's 189 guest rooms. To cause as little disruption as possible, the renovation began on the 12th floor of the hotel's traditional towet and moved down on a floor-by-floor basis, hitting the most historic rooms last.
"You need to upgrade rooms and freshen them up every few years, and it was just time," said Maddox. "The design firm we're working with has done a great job of blend ing the historic integrity of the hotel with a more contemporary twist."
Rather than the ruffled and floral room decor of the past, today's Driskill guest rooms have clean lines and sophisticated simplicity. Despite a more modern flair, the hotel's history is still prominently featured in each room. Black and white photographs of the hotel from the Austin History Center archival collection grace the walls and other images of the historic exterior of the build ing are incorporated throughout the design.
"The design firm took a drawing of the exterior of the hotel and screen-printed it onto the entertainment consul in each room," said Maddox. "So when you walk into the room, it embraces the whole history of the hotel."
The rooms have also been updated to meet the needs of modern-day travelers and visitors.
"We had some antique pieces of furniture and some antique reproductions in the rooms that were quite nice pieces, but they weren't necessarily conducive for the current traveler who is traveling for business or plea sure and has a laptop," said Maddox. "A lot of this renovation has been about respond ing to the needs of our guests."
Of course, managing a local and national historic landmark can be tricky, particularly when it comes to renovations.
"Obviously, there are strict guidelines to follow, so we go through a lot of hoops when anything is being done to the hotel," said Maddox. "There are certain things you cannot alter. For instance, we cannot alter the exterior of this building."
Furthermore, the hotel's older systems can sometimes pose a challenge for the property's management.
"A historical hotel is magical," said John Spomer, vice president and managing direc tor of the hotel. "But with historical systems and the age of the property, it can be very challenging to keep it looking tip-top and ensuring all the systems are optimized."
The hotel's operating leadership team is comprised of fewer than 30 people. As part of Destination Hotels & Resorts, the management team has access to resources, like staff, products and processes that help maintain the property in its finest form. As with any historic property, though, special maintenance problems are bound to arise, including issues with older equipment, wir ing and systems.
"Although we're updating all the time, it would be a Promethean task to completely modetnize all of the many systems and wir ing," said Spomer. "We don't have the benefit of 'as-build' drawings through the years and modifications have been made that weren't properly documented. Sometimes we find some surprises, and sometimes we're pleas antly surprised when we don't find any."
Though the Driskili Hotel has had its fair share of change throughout its 122-year history, some things never change. The hotel remains at the center of Texas political life today.
"Our legislature only meets every two years, so during legislative sessions we're one of the hotels of choice," said Maddox. "More than likely, there have been more political and legislative decisions made in the halls of the Driskill than in the halls of the State Capitol!"
Diana Mirel is a contributing writer to JPM. Send questions regarding this article to mnaso@irem.org.
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