If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD263.50), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
Don’t let the Loren at Lady Bird Lake’s glass-box dimensions deceive you – this tranquil waterfront retreat is anything but boxed-in. Sweeping views across Austin’s twinkling downtown, verdant parkland, and Colorado River-fed waters permeate every nature-inspired space (vertical plant walls, botanical art installations, and a grassy color palette continue the indoor-outdoor crossover). Nicely secluded from the hustle and bustle (but still an easy bike ride or paddle away), the Loren gives city breakers boundless access to Austin’s greenbelt – plus a rooftop respite (dine and splash) and homegrown spa to complete this outdoorsy picture of health.
Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
Prices
Double rooms from £251.09 ($314), including tax at 19 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional resort fee of $35.00 per room per night prior to arrival and an additional resort fee of $3.00 per room per night prior to arrival.
More details
Rates exclude breakfast, but you can order à la carte options at Nido (overnight oats, homemade pastries, pancakes, and granola, eggs-any-way, avocado on toast, and healthy smoothies) for an extra charge.
Also
The hotel meets ADA standards, and both the restaurant and rooms can be accessed via an elevator.
At the hotel
Rooftop terrace, e-bikes to borrow, coffee shop, art collection, charged laundry service, and free WiFi. In rooms: TV, air-conditioning, gourmet minibar, Nespresso machine, and Malin + Goetz bath products.
Our favourite rooms
Every suite at the Loren has a spa-style natural-stone bathroom, and uninterrupted views across Lady Bird Lake – but it’s worth plumping for one of the suites with a treeline-skimming balcony so you can edge yourself closer to those vivid Texas sunsets.
Poolside
Floating atop the hotel’s eighth floor, the outdoor heated pool (open from 7am to 9pm) is a plant-fringed oasis furnished with lime-green parasols and stone-grey loungers. Poolside snacks, softs, and cocktails come courtesy of Nido, which shares the rooftop terrace and those glittering downtown city views.
Spa
Head across the breezeway to the Milk + Honey spa (open daily between 8am and 9pm) for some all-natural pampering, starting in the glass-walled relaxation room overlooking Lady Bird Lake – then unwinding in one of the 10 treatment rooms. The soothing facials, massages, aromatherapy, and beauty treatments are based around organic ingredients, including the Austin-based brand’s signature brown sugar, coffee, and crushed almond scrub. There’s also a light-flooded fitness center on the seventh floor, kitted out with Peloton bikes and a Hydrow rowing machine if you want to practise your strokes before heading out onto the water.
Packing tips
The Loren’s lakeside setting means activewear of all sorts will see you through paddleboarding, kayaking, hiking, and biking – but you’ll also want something slinkier for rooftop sundowners.
Also
Flick through the coffee table book in the lobby, Art at The Loren, to delve into the works on display throughout the Austin and Bermuda properties – including nature-inspired pieces by Matthew Ritchie, Michael Joo, and Sarah Braman.
Pet‐friendly
Well-behaved dogs weighing under 45 pounds are welcome to stay in any room here for $100 (non-refundable flat fee; up to two dogs in each room). See more pet-friendly hotels in Austin.
Children
The two-bedroom suites are ideal for small families, and cribs can be added to standard rooms for free.
Sustainability efforts
Going well beyond carbon offsetting, the Loren’s impressive Roots Initiative (a non-profit in collaboration with the University of Texas and Austin’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center) is working towards a carbon-negative goal by acquiring and regenerating over 50,000 acres of land and planting 10 million hardwood trees. The hotel has already purchased over 2,500 acres, and closely adheres to Lady Bird Lake’s landscaping measures, green zone regulations, and supports Austin’s Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP).
Head up early to the rooftop to secure one of the outdoor tables – once you’ve watched one sunset here, there’s no going back.
Dress Code
Urban cowboys and girls should ditch the denim and don something dressier – it’s too hot for jackets, but a relaxed suited-and-booted look should do the trick.
Hotel restaurant
Nido at the Loren has fast become one of the most talked-about rooftop restaurants in Austin, for its sunset-catching terrace, swanky interiors, and locally-sourced menu (open for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner) – not to mention the glass-walled elevator ride up. It’s tricky to stick to the fix-price brunch ($42 each) as you’ll want to order everything off the menu – the buttermilk-whipped fried chicken on French toast drizzled with hot honey is a sweet-savoury delight, and the stacks of flambéed banana pancakes topped with chantilly cream, maple butter, and chocolate syrup are worth risking cardiac arrest for. Lunch is a leisurely affair of blue-crab rolls (wrapped in toasted brioche and avocado dressing), chili burrata on sourdough with slices of peach from nearby Fredericksburg, and indulgent chocolate mousse spiked with balsamic-soaked strawberries. It’s worth making dinner reservations ahead of your stay, as you don’t want to miss out on the miso-glazed wagyu sirloin cooked over Texas Hill Country coals. All-day snacks are also available at the Loren’s coffee shop (open daily from 7am to 7pm), like homemade pastries, grab-and-go salad bowls, artisan sandwiches and flatbreads, and craft cocktails. The industrial-style laptop-friendly space is filled with light and leafy views across the parkland, making it a popular hangout spot for guests and locals alike.
Hotel bar
Sink into one of the deep-blue sofas or curvy banquettes in the Nido lounge (open most nights until midnight) and there’s a fair chance you might not get back up again (the Farmer’s Daughter cocktails might also have something to do with this bourbon and maple-induced inertia). Thoughtfully-chosen international wines and beers also feature, as well as freshly-prepared softs (we love the Color Circle, a floral blend of Seedlip Garden, sparkling Texas citrus juice, orgeat syrup, and coconut). Local musicians are often invited to play exclusive performances for guests, in keeping with Austin’s ‘Live Music Capital of the World’ status.
Last orders
Breakfast is from 7am to 11am (Monday to Friday), 7am to 10am (weekends); lunch is 11am to 2.30pm, and dinner from 5pm to 10pm (Mondays to Thursdays, plus Sundays), and 5pm to 11pm (Friday and Saturday).
Room service
Texas Hill Country classics are available for in-room dining during kitchen hours (subject to a 20 per cent gratuity charge).
Set on the serene south bank of Lady Bird Lake, the Loren wraps guests up in vast swathes of riverside parkland – all within walking distance of Austin’s central business district.
Planes
Austin-Bergstrom International is the closest airport (you can fly here directly from most major US cities, plus Toronto and London). It takes around 20 minutes by car to reach the hotel, who are happy to help with transfers.
Automobiles
The Loren’s Lady Bird Lake location mostly lends itself to hiking and biking (with plenty of surrounding trails to explore), but if you’re road-tripping you can make use of the hotel’s valet parking ($50 a night) and electric vehicle charging stations.
Worth getting out of bed for
The shimmering waters of Lady Bird Lake are just a few steps away from the Loren, offering guests and Austin locals a welcome respite from the year-round Texas heat. Although you can’t swim here, you can hire a paddleboard, kayak, canoe, or boat from one of the many watersports docks along the water’s edge. Rowing lessons for all ages are available at Austin Rowing Club, and you can join guided group paddling sessions at the Expedition School(on the north-eastern shore). Lonestar Riverboat Cruises are a scenic (and eco-friendly) way to see Austin from the water – you can bring your own beverages aboard the electric-powered paddle wheelers, which are also available for private charter. Borrow one of the hotel’s e-bikes and hit the Hike and Bike Trail, a 10-mile loop which takes you round Barton Springs (where you can cool off in its spring-fed waters). There are shorter routes to take and stop-offs to make (like picnics and frisbee games in nearby Zilker Park) if you’re in the mood for something more leisurely, or just simply catch your breath at Festival Beach, a secluded spot to watch Austin’s rowing regattas.
Tee-time is a popular ritual for Loren guests, thanks to its proximity to Butler Pitch & Putt – an easy-going nine-hole course spread across eight verdant acres (the onsite food truck dishes up some of the best smashburgers in town). Tapping into Austin’s art scene, the Loren hosts rotating exhibitions for local artists (residency programs are in the pipeline too), and partners with the Contemporary Austin to organize talks, workshops, and classes for its creatively-inclined guests. The hotel also counts the Zach Theatre as one of its neighbors, where you can catch a show (sing-along musicals, cabarets, and dramatic performances all feature on the ever-changing schedule) or join an acting class at the academy.
Local restaurants
Foodies, you’ve come to the right place. You could spend several lifetimes eating your way around Austin, but one of the best places to start is at Austin Proper’sPeacock Mediterranean Grill (which also happens to be a Smith stablemate). Mingle over colorful mezze plates like wood-fire grilled octopus, yogurt-marinated kebabs, and garlic-stuffed vegetables which are made for sharing – and try to bag yourself a table on the patio for views over Shoal Creek. The same team at McGuire Moorman Hospitality are also behind some of the city’s most lauded restaurants, including Jeffrey’s (a French-American steakhouse) and Clark’s Oyster Bar in West Austin – look out for the striped yellow awning, and settle in for fresh seafood on the tree-shaded deck.
Local cafés
The Loren’s onsite coffee shop should mostly keep you fueled, but there’s also the adorable Alta’s café at nearby Waller Creek Boathouse if you’d like to caffeinate on the waterfront.
Local bars
Cross the pedestrian bridge from the Loren and you’ll find yourself in Seaholm, an almost-downtown district (away from the hustle and bustle with an authentic, local feel). Aspiring cattle barons can wrangle a few whiskey cocktails at the Driskill Bar, seated on cowhide barstools and saddle-style leather couches for a taste of old-world Texas. Or hole up for the evening at underground agave bar Subterra (below Ember Kitchen, a trendy live-fire cooking venue), sinking tequila-based martinis to sultry Latin beats.
Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this greenhouse-style hotel overlooking Lady Bird Lake and unpacked their Garrison Brothers Bourbon and vinyl records, a full account of their countrified city break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside the Loren at Lady Bird Lake in Austin…
Hot on the heels of the brand’s flagship Bermuda opening, the Loren at Lady Bird Lake shares the same connection to the water as its Pink Beach counterpart. The hotel’s lakeside location encourages slower-paced explorations of Austin’s lesser-visited Zilker Park and Barton Springs, with the knowledge that the city’s lively downtown is an easy pedal over the pedestrian bridge (just across the leafy street). Nature-inspired art installations throughout the hotel bring together Austin’s quirky side and the Loren’s verdant surroundings – you’ll be greeted by Buffalo Stegosaurus, a friendly-looking sandstone dinosaur sculpture hand-carved by German artist, Stefan Rinck; the lobby’s repurposed wooden chairs with a glass cube by Sarah Braman sit beneath a foil-like ceiling, reflecting the natural light off one another and creating a shimmering illusion of an upside-down pond. In the earthy bedrooms, Karl Blossfeldt’s plant photography seems to grow up the walls, blending with the tree-framed views of the cityscape across the water – best soaked up from the hotel’s rooftop pool and restaurant, after a coconut-lemongrass massage at the Milk + Honey spa.
