Lone Star Court, a sort of 1950s Hill Country simulacrum at The Domain, might not be a high-design affair (though what does that mean, really?), but its guest rooms and public facilities do a good job of referencing, without replicating, a rural motor hotel of days gone by. The outdoor courtyard with fire pits, live music, and service from its restaurant add a glamping-at-a-1950s-KOA-campground vibe to the mix.

A boutique hotel fashioned from a landmark local mansion near the University of Texas campus, Hotel Ella is luxurious but laid back, a place with a history of eccentric owners and a variety of uses. It has beautiful rooms, grounds, porches, and verandas for relaxing—and its pool and park area in back is home to a modernist sculpture garden for even more eye candy.

The Driskill Hotel was built for a cattle baron in 1886, and its vintage grandiosity is still largely intact. For many decades, it was the finest and best hotel in the city, the place where politicians, socialites, and other fancy or powerful people gathered. And, in fact, it’s still pretty special. The beautiful lobby has recently been remodeled, and its bar is lauded for its bar-ness as well as its historic atmosphere.

East Sixth Street (not to be confused with Dirty Sixth) has rapidly become a relatively small-scale entertainment and hospitality district similar to South Congress Avenue, and East Austin Hotel is one of the boutique spaces there that carries a deep local pedigree. It was designed by architect studio Rhode in collaboration with longtime Austin designers Robin Kelley, who has worked on a number of hospitality projects for Bunkhouse’s Liz Lambert, and Kathy Steele, also a local designer of note. Its roots show in the posh/hip modernist decor and the inclusion of a pool that’s kind of perfect—convenient and necessary for quick dips or luxurious lounging during the long, hot summer.

Native describes itself as an “experiential hostel” that combines boutique hotel design and amenities with the social interaction more typical of a hostel. It comes by its raw industrial design, by award-winning local legend Joel Mozersky and Jared Haas, naturally, as it was converted from a longtime locksmith’s shop.

Built in 1965, the Line started life as one of Austin’s most stylish modern hotels and continued to be a storied destination as a Radisson for decades. The Line chain took over the property in 2016, when notable local architect Michael Hsu and LA-based designer Sean Knibb oversaw a thorough renovation with fantastic results. The rooftop deck, restaurant, and bar, which reference its midcentury-style past and provide incredible views over Lady Bird Lake.

Yes, it's a Four Seasons, but this one has been the celebrity go-to in Austin far longer than any of the hotels (save the Driskill) have existed. It could be because it's tucked back from the street and fronts the river—offering privacy and unobtrusive convenience—the dependability of its soft lighting and its luxurious decor, or the discretion of its staff. Or maybe it's the spa. Whatever the case, if you hang out in the comfy bar long enough, you'll probably see somebody who's Somebody at some point, and redesigns have kept the place visually interesting over the years.

Arrive comes from a group that operates out of California but takes pains to incorporate local vernacular in its builds. The East Sixth Street hotel, which replaced an unimaginative, unused office building, incorporates industrial elements referencing the neighborhood’s recent past with a sort of mod-rustic chic that typifies a style the adaptive reuse and DIY renovation common to the area in the past couple of decades. Rooms feature the polished concrete floors, graphically bold wallpaper, and collages by local artist Sarah Presson (whose work also adorns the key cards).

Hotel Van Zandt is a Kimpton Hotel, but it takes Austin and its music seriously, from its namesakes (both the late musician Townes and his deeply rooted Texas family that includes Isaac Van Zandt, the first ambassador to the United States for the Republic of Texas, his great-great-great-grandfather) to its live-music stage that focuses on local musicians, especially songwriters. Most of its presidential suites are named after Townes Van Zandt or characters from some of his most well-known songs (there's a Pancho and a Lefty, as well as a Loretta). Many of them feature a poker table and record player and collections, and some have upright pianos.

One of transformative local hotelier (patron saint of Austin hotels?) Liz Lambert's projects, Hotel St. Cecilia was conceived as a rock & roll hideaway—it was created in honor of a patron saint of music and poetry—and it delivers. It's located off busy South Congress, but the generous grounds, grand oak tree out front, and overall vibe make it seem like it's miles away from the fray. Think the Rolling Stones’ 1969 tour or Bob Dylan and the Band at Big Pink.

A fixture on South Congress for more than 80 years, Austin Motel has vintage appeal with comforts of the modern age. It was recently remodeled in a way that appeals to the contemporary traveler while nodding in completely innovative ways to its colorful past. The hotel’s redesign includes landscaping by Mark Word Design, a pool bar by Jack Sanders and Design Build Adventure, and custom woodwork by Enabler.

Once a seedy motor hotel, Hotel San José was reinvented in the 1990s by visionary owner Liz Lambert and Central Texas architecture firm Lake/Flato, who together might, arguably, be credited/held responsible for Texas modern style and kicking off the New Austin. Whatever the case, Hotel San José is a bungalow-style oasis on the bustling street, with lush gardens, a welcoming courtyard bar, and its own kind of fun inside.

South Congress Hotel—designed by lauded locals Michael Hsu Architecture—has shifted the design conversation on its namesake strip from Texas modern and highway-strip vintage, bringing to the table an eclectic mix of 1960s roadside modernism and traditional Japanese design, with some upscale retail and restaurants thrown into the mix.