P H O T O S : C L I C K & B O AT ; L B J L I B R A R Y
The Driskill Hotel’s Legendary Clientele » BUILT IN 1886, The Driskill in downtown Austin has been heralded as one of the finest hotels in the country. Wealthy cattle baron Jesse Driskill built the hotel at a cost of $400,000—the equivalent of $12 million today. His goal was to build a grand hotel in the then-frontier town that would rival those in New York and San Francisco. Newly elected Texas governor Sul Ross chose The Driskill for his inaugural ball, and a tradition was born. Subsequent governors William P. Hobby, Miriam “Ma” Ferguson, Dan Moody, John Connally, and Ann Richards all held their inaugural balls at the hotel. And President Lyndon Johnson not only celebrated his presidential victory in 1964 there, but he also met his wife, Lady Bird, years earlier at the hotel for a breakfast date, launching a lifelong romance. Despite changing ownership multiple times over the years—in addition to a few closures and renovations—The Driskill has endured as an iconic Austin property. The hotel recently launched a guided tour that takes groups back to the beginning days of Austin. The tour was curated in collaboration with Harrison Eppright, an Austinite who grew up visiting the hotel and is a tour guide with the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau. The hotel also offers a self-guided tour of its museum-quality artwork. The 189-room hotel features 18,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including 13 meeting rooms, a 2,500square-foot ballroom, a 5,600-square-foot mezzanine, and two private balconies. Additional amenities include a fitness center, laundry and dry-cleaning service, and two options for dining: 1886 Cafe & Bakery and The Driskill Bar. driskillhotel.com
The Driskill Bar in its namesake hotel in downtown Austin
TX.MEETINGSMAGS.COM 11
TXMESU22.indb 11
6/30/22 5:23 PM