The Austin Convention Center will become a whole lot more accessible when the Fairmont Austin and Red River Canopy Walk open in August 2017.
The canopy walk will highlight nearby Waller Creek and Palm Park while also serving as the only pedestrian bridge that leads directly from the convention center to a hotel, making Austin more attractive for citywide events.
“The Red River Canopy Walk provides an uncomplicated convention experience, which will attract events that may have overlooked Austin in the past,” says Tom Voss, managing director of the hotel. “Fairmont Austin adds an element of style, service and sophistication that will enhance the Austin brand.”
The 37-story, 1,048-room hotel is designed to reflect the importance that outdoor life has on the local culture. The hotel’s entryway will greet guests with two 24-feet-by-26-feet Heritage Oak trees flanking the reception desk, while the Park Lounge will feature a life-size topiary garden with an imposing tree. Local greenery and cultural references will also appear throughout the hotel interior.
“The tagline we used for the project was ‘a hotel in a park,’ and, subsequently, the rooftop pool, gardens and event spaces became known as ‘a park in a hotel,’” says Daniel Woodroffe, president of dwg, a locally based design studio that provided landscape design for the project. “The vision for the landscape is very innovative and amplifies the unique and critical ecosystem of Waller Creek. This is accomplished by using native and adapted plants and trees and significantly reducing water consumption by harvesting the AC condensate from the hotel’s air-conditioning system.”
The property will offer resort-like amenities with six dining venues, a pool and pool terrace, and spa as well as its own 150,000 sf of meeting space for up to 3,000 attendees. Larger groups, however, will want to access the convention center via the Red River Canopy Walk, which offers an aerial view of Waller Creek and Palm Park from its 33-foot vantage point. The nearby Palm Park offers miles of new hike and bike trails that will provide attendees with an urban park setting just outside the Fairmont.
