3 Hotels Showcase the Power of Secondary U.S. Cities
A trio of properties in second-tier markets make a strong case for the growing cities they inhabit
Words by: Will Speros + Caitlin St John
Austin s Hotel Magdalena nods to local lake culture with a pool in the center of the four-building complex
While major urban hubs in the U.S. like New York, Miami, and Los Angeles naturally get the lion’s share of attention, secondary cities have their own growing appeal. Take Austin, which continues to be the city of the moment. Big brands and developers have staked a claim in recent years, but the originator of Austin cool, Bunkhouse Group, endures with laidback properties that cement the Texas capital as a must-visit destination. On its heels are coastal settings like Charleston, South Carolina and Newport, Rhode Island. Each exudes an effortless charm that attracts hoteliers and designers alike. In these cities that are ripe for development, three inviting properties embrace both t
photo: Nick Simonite
Hotel Magdalena. The city’s beloved Barton Springs and Lake Austin inspired the design of the central swimming pool overlooking downtown.
Nearly thirty years ago in 1991, Austin earned its reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. Today, that slogan takes center stage at the newly opened Hotel Magdalena, located on Music Lane just one block from the main drag of South Congress Avenue. “The story of the hotel is the story of Austin of live music, the outdoors, and relishing hot summers in our beloved rivers and creeks,” says Tenaya Hills, the Vice President of Design and Development at the Bunkhouse Group, which operates the venue. The 89-room property stands as the continent’s first mass timber boutique hotel a modern-cool treehouse with engineered, prefabricated wood columns and beams connected by cross-laminated timber decking. Texas’s Lake Flato Architects worked with the British Columbia-based timber construction company StructureCraft on