Get All Access for $5/mo

Chip and Joanna Gaines Turned a 100-Year-Old Building Into a Boutique Hotel in Waco. Take a Look Inside. The Art Deco-inspired decor is a big change from the couple's signature shiplap.

By Samantha Grindell

Key Takeaways

  • Chip and Joanna Gaines just opened Hotel 1928 in Waco, Texas.
  • They turned the 100-year-old building into a boutique hotel with a restaurant, café, and rooftop lounge.
  • The couple documented the renovation process for their new show "Fixer Upper: The Hotel."
Courtesy of Magnolia via Business Insider
Chip and Joanna Gaines opened a hotel.

This article originally appeared on Business Insider.

Chip and Joanna Gaines just completed their biggest renovation project to date.

The Gaineses turned a 100-year-old building in their hometown of Waco, Texas, into a boutique hotel called Hotel 1928 in partnership with AJ Capital Partners. Today, the hotel has three floors and 33 bedrooms, as well as two restaurants and a café.

It officially opened on Friday, and a series about the renovation, "Fixer Upper: The Hotel," premieres on Wednesday.

Take a look inside the hotel that Chip called their "largest, most complicated sized project" to date.

Chip and Joanna Gaines opened Hotel 1928 on Friday.

Hotel 1928 is located in Waco, Texas. Courtesy of Magnolia via BI

Hotel 1928 sits in downtown Waco, and it's just a 10-minute walk from Chip and Joanna's Silos shopping complex.

The hotel's exterior features large windows on the ground floor, which are accented by striped awnings.

An ornate archway welcomes guests into the front door, and a simple, vertical sign that says "1928" hangs on the wall.

The hotel has a markedly different look than the homes Chip and Joanna typically renovate.

The design was inspired by Art Deco. Courtesy of Magnolia via BI

The couple is known for their farmhouse-chic aesthetic, and they popularized design features like shiplap and barn doors.

But Joanna told Architectural Digest's Juliet Izon she wanted to take a different approach to the hotel.

"I just kept thinking of 1920s glam," she told the outlet of her vision for the hotel, adding that she wanted it to have an "art deco, more saturated feel."

The luxurious, retro approach to Hotel 1928 becomes clear from the space's lobby, which has its name carved into a wood island that serves as the welcome desk.

Ornate chandeliers and dark trimming on the doorways add to the moody aesthetic.

A library serves as a focal point of the building.

A library with a large mirror, a white fireplace, built-in bookshelves, and a sweeping staircase.

The library has dark walls. Courtesy of Magnolia via BI

The massive library has charcoal walls and dark wood floors, and it features a statement curved staircase.

An angular chandelier, a white fireplace, and a large mirror above the fireplace brighten up the space, as do the array of colorful books sitting on the built-in shelves along the walls.

Meanwhile, armchairs, low couches, and a rug give the room a comfortable, inviting feel.

Joanna told Architectural Digest that the library is among her favorite rooms in the house.

"It feels like a place I could just settle in and read a book, or have a cup of coffee with a friend," she said.

The main floor features a restaurant called The Brasserie.

A restaurant with green booths, light green walls, big windows, and exposed white beams.

The restaurant is called The Brasserie. Courtesy of Magnolia via BI

The Brasserie sits on the main floor of the hotel alongside the massive windows, flooding the space with natural light. Its exposed beams make the room feel larger.

The restaurant is filled with plush booths, elegant marble tables, and nods to the art-deco age, including rounded art fixtures.

According to the Hotel 1928 website, The Brasserie's menu has "the warmth of the classics with just the right dash of culinary adventure."

There's a second restaurant on Hotel 1928's rooftop.

A cafe with pink sofas, floral booths, and green walls.

The hotel has a rooftop lounge called Bertie's. Courtesy of Magnolia via BI

Chip and Joanna added Bertie's to the rooftop, another dining spot that offers seasonal foods, according to the hotel's website.

Joanna took a more playful approach to its design than she did with The Brasserie, though it feels connected to the other eatery because it also has green walls.

Cushioned chairs surround the restaurant's bistro tables, and there are coffee tables around pink couches for more relaxed dining. The throw pillows on the couches have a blue, floral pattern that matches the siding on an accent wall in the space, tying it all together.

The hotel also features a café.

Chip and Joanna Gaines pose in a library with built-in bookshelves and a white fireplace.

The hotel also has a cafe. Courtesy of Magnolia via BI

The café, which sits just off the lobby, has a similar look to the library, with its dark walls, built-in bookshelves, and even a white fireplace.

According to Hotel 1928's website, the café has light food in addition to coffee. If its menu is anything like the one at Chip and Joanna's coffee shop at the Silos, Magnolia Press, it's likely full of delicious treats.

Each room in the hotel has a unique design.

A bedroom with two queen beds, large windows, and faux leather furniture.

The bedrooms are more neutral. Courtesy of Magnolia via BI

Hotel 1928 has 33 rooms available for guests to stay in, and no two rooms look alike, though they do all have a neutral aesthetic, as Joanna told Architectural Digest.

According to the hotel's website, Hotel 1928 has four varieties of rooms.

Its standard room is the Franklin, which has two queen beds or one king. The Austin rooms have the same bed options, though they're slightly bigger than the Franklin.

Hotel 1928's suites are called Columbus rooms, and they come in one or two-bedroom varieties. It also features a luxury suite called the Washington, which can house up to 12 guests.

Joanna paid attention to the details of the decor throughout the hotel.

A side-by-side of a bathroom with green walls and a table in front of a wet bar with a table in front of it.

The hotel is full of unique details. Courtesy of Magnolia via BI

For instance, the bathrooms have green subway tile on the walls and "1928" engraved into the floor to make them stand out, and Joanna used backsplashes as pops of color throughout the hotel.

Joanna also told Architectural Digest that the majority of the furniture and fixtures featured in the hotel are custom-made.

"They look like antique pieces, so that's really fun," she said. "But they're new, so they'll stand the test of time."

The hotel is open for bookings, as are the restaurants for reservations.

A dining area with checked floor and green booths.

The hotel is open. Courtesy of Magnolia via BI

The hotel opened Friday, and bookings can be made online, though rooms are already selling out. The lowest price Insider saw for a booking in November as of Wednesday was $375 per night.

You can also make reservations for The Brasserie and Bertie's through Resy.

"Fixer Upper: The Hotel" premieres on the Magnolia Network and MAX at 9 p.m. ET.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

I Tried Buying a Car on Amazon. Here Are the Pros and Cons.

Amazon Autos just launched, and users can buy a new car online. Here's how it works and what needs to improve.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

Barbara Corcoran Says the Best Entrepreneurs Are Good at This One Thing

Real estate entrepreneur and investor Barbara Corcoran says a few key traits prove effective when starting a business. Here's her top pick.

Growing a Business

How to Prepare Your Small Business for Impactful Investor Partnerships That Go Beyond Funding

Here's how investorpreneurs transform startups with mentorship and strategic investments.

Starting a Business

Nearly 50% of America's Workforce Has a Secondary Source of Income or Side Hustle. Here Are 7 Steps You Should Take to Create Lasting Value for Yours.

Today's entrepreneurs have the opportunity to generate long-lasting supplementary income if they take these steps.