The story of the Driskill goes all the way back to 1886, when cattle baron Jesse Driskill set out to build more than a hotel. He did, in fact, build a hotel, but he also built a gathering place where ambitious intellectuals and renegades alike came together to share stories and conversation, making plans and shaping the city over a glass of bourbon, or a few. These taste makers would make The Driskill their home base to create the story of what Texas would become.
That spirit never left.
Over the decades, The Driskill has welcomed not only these tastemakers and renegades but presidents and patrons, artists and creatives, all drawn to a place where something of importance was being made. A favorite of President and Lady Bird Johnson, many momentous occasions unfolded within these gilded doors. 1886 Cafe was where the couple had their first date, and the first long-distance telephone call from Austin to New York happened at the front desk. The Victoria room served as the broadcasting base for KTBC radio, owned by Lady Bird herself, and the entire hotel was a campaign headquarters time and time again. The Driskill helped build Austin’s identity as a city of culture, influence and innovation that still echoes here today.
By day, Austin is energized. There’s a buzz of activity, from the Congressional Building to South Congress. By night, it’s alive with music, conversation, and cocktails in every direction.
Inside, the culture is still present, but it’s different. Rooms invite you to rest, bars and restaurants invite you to nourish, gather or unwind, and live music invites you to feel. There’s history, and there’s the future story. We invite you to be a part of both.