Hotel The LINE, Austin
Right at the crossroads of Town Lake and downtown, THe LINE perfectly bridges the city’s natural beauty with its bustling energy. It is trendy, lively, and effortlessly cool without trying too hard.
The building itself has some serious history. Back in 1965, it opened as the Crest Inn, a classic mid-century modernist hotel. It even housed a popular jazz club and broadcasted a live radio show, cementing its roots in Austin’s legendary music scene long before it became The LINE.
When the property was reimagined by Sydell Group and Los Angeles designer Sean Knibb, they kept those awesome mid-century bones. Knibb blended raw concrete finishes with warm, earthy Texas textures. Local artists were brought in to fill the spaces, making the entire hotel feel like a living, breathing local gallery.
The ultimate perk? It sits right next to the Congress Avenue Bridge. From March to October, you can grab a drink at their lakeside lounge and watch the world’s largest urban bat colony emerge at sunset. It is a quintessential Austin experience right from your hotel.
Expert reviews
“The LINE is big. Texan-style big. We are talking 428 rooms big. Though with Sydell’s knack for transforming spaces into landmarks of urban sophistication, it comes off as intimate and considered. The biggest selling point is location. The LINE is in the heart of downtown.”
Featured in CN Traveler’s Best New Hotels of 2019.
“The Line’s prime location means that many of its rooms — and its pool — overlook both the Colorado River and the Congress Avenue Bridge. There is also a Veracruz All Natural stand in the lobby, so you can get delicious breakfast tacos without changing out of your slippers.”
“The vibe at Austin’s LINE Hotel is Mad Men transported into the contemporary art scene. From arrival at the striking porte-cochère at the front of the property reveals a restored concrete brutalist structure leading into the open lobby sets the stage for drama.”
What guests liked
- Swimming pool
- Top location
- Friendly staff
- Excellent Wifi
Location
Recent guest reviews
25 April 2025
Great location + hip vibe.
The location, huge room, great food st hotel and pool.
Noisy air conditioning unit in room.
30 January 2025
We used to stay at Van Zant with our pets, now we’re gonna be staying at the line every time.
The location was perfect along the Greenbelt Trail. Easy to take your pen out for relief. I do have an older dog, so the stairs were a little much for him, but for a dog without mobility issues, it’s no problem.
The beds were very low, it was fine for us, but elderly people I think would have a problem getting up from the bed.
22 December 2024
Very enjoyable stay
Great location and good value
Fire alarm at 3am and evacuation of only our floor but the staff were very helpful
19 December 2024
Enjoyable stay. Felt safe. Would recommend.
The downtown location close to shops and bars/restaurants which are a short walk away was excellent. The room was very spacious. We didn't eat in the hotel so can't comment on the food. The Taco restaurant on the corner of the hotel looked good but give yourself time as it isn't a fast food outlet. Enjoyable stay so would recommend.
Our room was overlooking Cesar Chavez street which had fairly noisy traffic all night. A lakeview room might be quieter. The bed is quite low which wasn't a problem for us but worth considering. Prices were high because Formula 1 were in town so at other times of year it is probably better value.
17 December 2024
Favorite place to stay in Austin.
Favorite hotel in Austin and it’s always my choice when in town for location, aesthetic, and Arlo Grey.
No issue with property. Would’ve loved a complimentary upgrade as the hotel was seemingly at pretty low occupancy.
17 October 2024
Fabulous location, staff and pool
Great property in a great location, the pool was wonderful and the staff was great. It was a bit disappointing when we arrived late there was no bar open or food available. The tacos during the day were great but there is nothing available after 10PM and nothing very close to walk to
2 September 2024
Very friendly staff and nice hotel overall
The staff was very nice, I came on my birthday and they added a nice touch with a hand written card and cookie, and gave me a great room in a quiet area and a lovely view of the river. The gym is also quite nice and I had decent Mexican food in the hotel. It’s centrally located.
The only thing is that the pool was slightly less nice than I thought, as you can see the highway/main road from it, I’d expected more isolated. Otherwise I really enjoyed my stay!
25 July 2024
Enjoyable, but at times frustrating.
Great location
The fact that our separate bookings were not matched and we got locked out of our room😳
17 July 2024
Ive stayed in six different upscale hotels in Austin and this one ranked one of the best hotels
Excellent staff and customer service. Lovely Pool area. Great dining
Elevators were a bit slow. TV had to be fixed
7 July 2024
Very nice hotel with a laid back vibe in downtown Austin
Very nice hotel, spacious room, good choice of dining options and wonderful poolside. An "arty" vibe, laid back, very unique. Also great location in downtown Austin with good eating spots nearby. Staff were very courteous.
The room air-conditioning could have been better. The AC control did not seem to work properly. We couldn't get the AC temperature to go down, air was a bit stagnant and felt humid inside the room.
7 July 2024
Good but AC is weak
Location, view, clean
AC didn’t do a good job, room was hot
3 July 2024
Comfortable, friendly and within walking distance of nearby attractions.
Our room was very comfortable, clean and spacious. The bathroom was modern, clean and the shower was excellent.
There was nothing we didn't like.
23 June 2024
Hotel was very nice with a fantastic location, but the waiting in line for elevators got a bit tired.
Location was amazing. Pool was very nice and the rooms were clean
The elevators were out of order for our entire stay. We spent a lot of time queuing for the elevators. The hotel was very busy, so there were queues for everything.
15 June 2024
Excellent location, friendly staff, great cocktails & tacos, and lovely pool!
Excellent location, friendly staff, wonderful pool & great tacos & cocktails; coffee shop was perfect. walking distance to greta restaurants & shopping, plus an easy scooter ride to SoCo district
It was excellent!
12 June 2024
We had an amazing vacation and enjoyed our stay at the Line hotel.
The location was great, we were able to walk everywhere and there is so much to do around the hotel. We loved the taco restaurant located in the hotel and the coffee shop! Very modern vibes.
Only thing that was inconvenient was the mini fridge is full of drinks to purchase and we needed to use the fridge for our own beverages we brought so we had to empty everything out and then put it all back prior to checkout.
23 May 2024
Lovely rooms but fix the elevator situation quicker
Location and pool
There were three elevators down and the place need some touch ups . It’s starting to look a little old. I ve stayed here over the years. The pool was a little murky and really full.
14 April 2024
On the surface it’s a very cool property but it felt a little tired and under delivered.
Location, common areas, design, staff.
Room was a little tired and felt damp. Not enough clothing storage. Pool was dirty. Pool bar was understaffed.
14 April 2024
Good place to stay in a very nice US city!
1. Tessa at the reception!
2. Complimentary bikes.
3. Relaxed atmosphere.
1. Bit busy with outside guests.
9 April 2024
Great location with style
High quality design features in thee room. Gym and P6, poo, location by river and downtown.
You need a proper kettle for tea. Otherwise it's all very nice, esp. if you have a river view.
The line for the cafe in the morning is a problem. There needs to be three staff, not two: one on the till, one making coffee, another making food and the gross big sugar drinks Texans order.
2 April 2024
Fantastic stay with a view.
The view from my room of the Colorado River was exceptional. The hotel is well-located downtown and has great amenities onsite, including a bar, roof-top restaurant, pool, and gym.
Very little, the hotel is great. The elevator to my section (P6) is somewhat slow and there is a small flight of stairs to walk up after exiting the elevator to get to my floor. But on the whole, it was a very enjoyable stay and a great property.
9 February 2024
Ok but too pricy for this
Location and modern style of common area
The vallet parking. After I pick up my car I saw that the driver changed the ambient interior light color. Touched my amg computer-monitor, changed my screens.
19 December 2023
Fun! Would definitely be back
Great location, the valet was kind, pool area was very nice and loved Veracruz tacos on location.
Flies in the food case of the coffee shop, staff wasn’t super forthcoming with info about bike rentals and other things mentioned on the website. I also would’ve liked the fireplace outside on while we were in the pool.
18 December 2023
Cool hotel in an awesome location
Great location right on the lake and blocks from everything in downtown. Room was spacious with great views of the lake. Fitness room was well equipped and there is a cool bar with a large outside terrace on the sixth floor.
The thermostat in my room wasn't working correctly so it was little challenging getting the temperature right. The staff was very attentive and tried to help work through it.
5 December 2023
Interesting alternative hotel.
Location, modern atmosphere with coffee bar, restaurant, Bar and Taco bar. Nice looking lobby.
Single mattress with no box spring was uncomfortable for my older body. The halls were ice cold and it was hard to control room temp.
4 November 2023
A great stay if its within your budget!
Stayed there for the second time, there was an event in the hotel so the first night was noisy but they changed my room for the second night. the hotel is in a very good area and in a high level of maintenance.
Noise in the evening because of events but they notified and moved me a room when I complained.
4 November 2023
Nice, but a little quirky, in a great location downtown
Staff were really helpful. We were staying under two consecutive reservations, and the front desk did what they could to simplify that for us, and keep us in the same room the whole time. Even had a great view of the state capital. One of the best taco places in downtown, Veracruz, is right off of the lobby. And the Congress Ave Bridge, the one with all the bats at sundown, is right behind the hotel.
I really don't get the point of the convoluted, two-tier design of the bathroom countertops (attaching a photo). It reduces the usable space, and its easy to place things down wrong on it. Water also ends up pooling behind the "plateaus".
There is technically a mini-fridge in the room, but it's so stuffed with minibar items that we could barely keep anything else in there.
The windows let in a lot of street noise - we were 12 floors up, but could still hear just about every car go by out front.
Also thought it was odd, that on hot & muggy days with the AC running, they've got multiple fireplaces going in the lobby for "ambiance".
27 October 2023
Great place in center of town
Great boutique hotel with good bar and restaurants. great location. Excellent pool.
In room bar, and coffee setup was excellent
difficult to get into restaurants without reservations far ahead of time, especially P6..they should save some spots for hotel guests
11 October 2023
Good location but top prices with no extras included
Good location, easy to walk to main sights
Nice view from 11th floor and good shower with comfortable bed
A lot of design over practicality
Parking $70 pd
Restaurant crazy prices
Not sure I like dogs in the hotel
Hotel facilities
Food & Drink
- - Restaurant
- - Bar
- - Breakfast in the room
- - Snack bar
- - Wine/champagne (additional charge)
- - Fruits (additional charge)
- - Coffee house on site
Business facilities
- - Meeting/banquet facilities (additional charge)
- - Fax/photocopying
Reception services
- - 24-hour front desk
- - Express check-in/check-out
- - Tour desk
- - Luggage storage
- - ATM/cash machine on site
- - Concierge service
- - Private check-in/check-out
Activities
- - Fitness centre
- - Golf course (within 3 km) (additional charge)
- - Table tennis
- - Canoeing (additional charge)
- - Cycling
- - Fitness
- - Bike tours
- - Bicycle rental
Outdoors
- - Garden
- - Outdoor pool
- - Sun terrace
- - Outdoor pool (all year)
- - Outdoor fireplace
General
- - Non-smoking rooms
- - Facilities for disabled guests
- - Lift
- - Safety deposit box
- - Heating
- - Allergy-free room
- - Non-smoking throughout
- - Air conditioning
- - Grocery deliveries (additional charge)
- - Pet basket
- - Pet bowls
Cleaning services
- - Dry cleaning (additional charge)
- - Ironing service (additional charge)
- - Trouser press (additional charge)
- - Daily housekeeping
Parking
- - Accessible parking
Pool and wellness
- - Pool with view
- - Heated pool
- - Salt-water pool
- - Shallow end
- - Sun loungers or beach chairs
- - Sun umbrellas
- - Fence around pool
- - Swimming pool
Miscellaneous
- - 24-hour security
- - Key access
- - Key card access
- - Smoke alarms
- - CCTV in common areas
- - CCTV outside property
- - Fire extinguishers
- - Breakfast takeaway containers
- - Delivered food is securely covered
- - Access to health care professionals
- - Face masks for guests available

More photos

11 June 2025
The Perfect Vibey Austin Hotel! 10/10