The Artista, a boutique hotel coming to the old Travis building, looks different from previous designs.
CREO
The boutique hotel next to the historic Travis Building along the River Walk in downtown San Antonio looks a little different from when plans were initially proposed in 2020. Architects for the project are seeking approval on the new design of the nine-story Artista Hotel that will include a rooftop bar as well as a bar on the River Walk, according to agenda documents submitted to the Historic and Design Review Committee.
The river-level addition as well as a new look are the reason CREO Architects is seeking approval from HDRC. The hotel at 151 E. Travis Street will have 121 rooms and a restaurant at street level. A presentation submitted by CREO says The Artista’s design is meant to be “highly representative of the local arts and culture of San Antonio.”
The hotel will feature a bar on River Walk as well as on the rooftop.
CREO
The project is led by California developer Harris Bay, the same company behind the long-stalled Essex Modern City on the Eastside. Harris Bay hired hotel operator Accor in July 2021. That company will also be responsible for bringing in restaurant and bar tenants that will add a “renowned culinary and mixology experience” to the Artista. At that time, it said the hotel would only have 112 rooms and would open in 2023.
Early renderings of the Artista Hotel look much different.
Creo Architects
Downtown San Antonio has been a hotbed for hotel development in 2022. White Lodging and San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants broke ground in October on a 347-room hotel near La Villita while plans for a hotel at Hemisfair received final approval. Aztec Family Group LLC and Overland Partners also submitted plans to turn the top floors of the Aztec Theatre into a hotel in March.