Hotel Snapshot
For those with a penchant for playing modern day Jazz Age “toff,” even in laid back Austin, Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection, provides you with the largesse of a swanky 1920’s Italianate mansion, complete with English Gardens, an oval pool, statuary and interiors designed by dynamo aesthetics maven Ken Fulk. Near downtown, but ensconced in a stately Old Austin neighborhood beside the university, the hotel offers a retreat from urbanity. With theatrical flourishes that play up its Flapper era birthright, Commodore Perry summons romantic bygone elegance. It’s the sort of place that makes you want to wrap yourself in a silk smoking jacket and lounge about the premises with a bygone cigarette holder and a coupe of Bollinger at the ready. Whimsical, with exclusive club vibes, this is a country retreat in the middle of the city.
Design and Character
The hotel occupies ten acres in old Austin, hidden from traffic. With lawns made for croquet parties and common areas surely imagined to hold masquerade balls, the hotel plays up its bygone ambiance to feel like a portal to an Agatha Christie novel setting. Ken Fulk’s whimsical and cunning maximalist imagination embellishes every space with lavish textiles, leather chairs, Art Nouveau-esque paintings, vintage books, gently worn Turkish carpets, and accoutrements that feel like found treasure. The original mansion has a new-built annex that melds seamlessly, enhancing the property’s dramatic mood as well as its square footage.
The Rooms
Each of the hotel’s 40 rooms and 12 suites stand out as delicious works of art, the kind of sanctuaries where you have a tryst, write a novel or cosset yourself after selling your company. With eye-popping details, the Mansion Suites pay homage to former residents, each portraying a vivid ambiance. The boudoir-like LaVerne Suite is a favorite with its cranberry tones and patterns galore. The Cypress Suite offers a stunning terrace with views of the property, perfect for leisurely room service-delivered late breakfast delights.
Food & Drink
Michelin-recommended and a neighborhood gastronomic stronghold, Lutie’s was named for the original mansion's Flapper-era matriarch, a legendary party thrower. Infused with the spirit of a Gatsby garden party, Lutie’s, an-all-day-eatery, serves ingredient-driven delights including a Commodore Benedict (with kale) at brunch and Southern Fried Chicken with a modern twist for supper.
Spa and Wellness
A state-of-the-art, 24-hour fitness room and a pool that summons heyday silver screen glam provide do it yourself fitness opportunities. But, Commodore Perry offers weekly fitness programming (yoga, Pilates, etc. ), as well as special fitness events, classes led by famous teachers, seminars and the like for guests. The hotel can also arrange off site workouts including golf and waters sports.
Amenities
Room service, a Mercedes Benz loaner car program, complimentary lawn games, oval-shaped pool, fitness center, complimentary lawn games, weekly wellness programming, event space, locally-drawn mini-bar items, live music and setting-immersive activities from cooking classes to cowboy boot fittings.
Location and Neighborhood Recs
Just north of the University of Texas campus, the Commodore Perry Estate is twenty minutes from the airport and five minutes from SoCo, Rainey Street and downtown. Surrounded by homes, the urban retreat provides immediate access to scores of live music venues. restaurants, Lady Bird Lake and Lake Austin.
Fast Facts
Location: Twenty minutes from the airport and less than ten minutes from Austin’s hottest social scene, this estate hotel sits north of the university.
Vibe: Sophisticated, in-the-know, but not stuffy.
Rating: Five-Star
Room Count: 54 rooms and suites Pricing: Rates start at $595 per night.
Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel:
We love the Ken Fulk interiors, the hideaway neighborhood location and the Gatsby mansion vibe.
Dining: Lutie’s is a local hotspot with an imaginative all-day menu.
Amenities: Mercedes Benz loaner car program, pool, fitness, daily housekeeping, wellness and music programming, unique activity options from cooking classes to
Nearby Attractions: Most of what anybody wants to do is within 10 minutes from this hotel including Lady Bird Lake, Lake Austin, SoCo, Rainey Street, downtown, Barton Springs Pool and more. The Hill Country’s vineyards lie an hour away, and the airport is twenty minutes from the hotel.
Airport: Austin Bergstrom Airport (AUS)
Austin, Texas, United States
