Dual Hotel Tower Coming to Downtown Austin

Developers broke ground on two new hotels in the heart of downtown last week. Aloft Austin Downtown and Element Austin Downtown will be located on 7th and Congress as a 32-story dual hotel tower.

Aloft Austin Downtown and Element Austin Downtown are owned by an affiliate of White Lodging, REI Real Estate, Inc., and Poe Companies and will be managed by White Lodging. They will be the 22nd and 23rd White Lodging-managed hotels in the Austin area.

“We are excited to be bringing another cool lodging option along with a hip restaurant & bar to the heart of downtown Austin,” Deno Yiankes, president and CEO of investments and development for White Lodging, said in a press release. “Starwood’s Aloft and Element brands are fresh and unique and we expect this project to continue the activation of North Congress Avenue.”

According to the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau, 22.6 million people visited Austin last year.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler said the city needs to keep up with the high demand of visitors. “If we’re going to preserve what it is that makes this city special, we’re going to figure out how to manage growth, and not let growth manage us. And this kind of project is part of the strength that enables us to do that,” Adler said at a recent press conference.

“White Lodging has more hotels in Austin than anywhere else in the country and we are thrilled that another property of theirs is steadily moving forward and making great progress,” said Bob Lander, president and CEO of the Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Additional inventory allows us to better accommodate the growing tourism demand in Austin.”

Construction is expected to be complete by summer 2017.

[PHOTO: Wikipedia Commons]