Austin · Downtown – Congress Avenue
The Stephen F. Austin Royal Sonesta Hotel
T. B. Baker's 1924 Beaux Arts hotel on Congress Avenue, planned as 'The Texas' but named for Stephen F. Austin in response to local interest.
- Built
- 1924Opened 1924 by T. B. Baker of Baker Hotels on the former Keystone (Keystona) Hotel site; five stories added 1938; restored 2000.
- Style
- Beaux Arts
- Architect
- Sanguinet, Staats & Hedrick (Fort Worth), with local architect Roy L. Thomas
- Type
- Grand hotel
- Area
- Downtown – Congress Avenue
- Credentials
- Inside a National Register historic district; Local landmark
The story
T. B. Baker, president of Baker Hotels, opened the hotel in 1924; it was first to be called ‘The Texas’ but was named for Stephen F. Austin in response to local interest. Fort Worth’s Sanguinet, Staats and Hedrick designed the Beaux Arts building, five stories were added in 1938, and a 2000 restoration kept much of its classical detailing inside and out. Sonesta says the hotel faces Congress Avenue near the Paramount Theatre and has Austin’s only outdoor terrace bar on the avenue.
Good to know
- Pets welcome
- Address: 701 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701
Things to do
Tours nearby
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Sources (2)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.