Look inside new downtown hotels Aloft/Element

Only two years in the making (which seems fast, even by boom standards), the building for Austin’s new “dual-branded” hotel(s), Aloft/Element, is almost complete and scheduled to open July 27. The 32-story building, located at 109 East Seventh Street (the corner of Seventh Street and Congress Avenue), will house two different Starwood hotels (the aforementioned Aloft and Element) with a total of 414 guest accommodations.

The hotels will have separate entrances and different lobbies; both are entered from East Seventh Street. They will share amenities, including a street-level terrace overlooking Congress Avenue, an oversized 24-hour fitness center, nearly 2,500 square feet of meeting space, and restaurants Caroline and Upstairs at Caroline.

Designed by Dallas’ HKS, the hotels were developed and will be operated by Indiana-based White Lodging, which owns or manages several downtown hotels, including the JW Marriott and the Westin Downtown Austin. DPR Construction was the lead contractor on the Aloft/Element building.

The hotel will be hosting live music in honor of its opening, but in the meantime, you can check out photos of the new accommodations—which look to have a sort of a mix of spare and bohemian vibes—below.