In preparation for its opening early next year, workers are putting the finishing touches on the Thompson Hotel located at the corner of Lexington Avenue and North St. Mary’s Street, steps from the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.
Completion of the three-year construction project adds another 162 hotel rooms to San Antonio’s current 46,898, but the 20-story hotel opens at a time when U.S. hotel occupancy is at only 37 percent of the same time last year, according to STR, a global data benchmarking and analytics firm.
With hotel room bookings being accepted for stays starting March 1, Thompson Hotel already has 30 employees, with another 75 set to start soon. By opening day there will be 130 on the hotel staff, said Ted Knighton, hotel general manager, “adding jobs to an industry that needs it right now.”
The Hyatt-brand hotel’s guest rooms occupy the first 11 floors of the tower, and luxury condos known as the Arts Residences take up floors 12-19, with both hotel guests and residents having access to amenities, including the highest rooftop bar in San Antonio.
On a recent tour of the hotel, Knighton showed off a pool deck with a bar and cabanas, fitness center, a full-service spa, large meeting room, and a ballroom.
Public spaces in the hotel include Landrace, a 200-seat restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows and a patio overlooking the River Walk, and the glamorous rooftop bar with spacious outdoor patios and views stretching to the Hill Country.
“Thompson is a nightlife-experience brand,” Knighton said. “There’s always something going on.”
The interior design firm Amass & G created a contemporary and masculine feel for the hotel with chevron-patterned walls, modern lighting, and furnishings in equestrian-inspired leather and wood. The warm color tones continue into richly furnished guest rooms and the 33 suites that also feature freestanding oval soaking tubs and marble tile.
Average nightly rates for the Thompson range between $349 and $2,800.
The Thompson Hotel in San Antonio follows the recent debut of Thompson Dallas and others planned for openings in 2021 in Savannah, Atlanta, Hollywood, and Austin. Thompson hotels also are planned for Denver and Houston.
“This one definitely fits into the [Thompson Hotel] family aesthetically,” Knighton said. “They’re all very design-forward with more masculine color tones. They’re all very unique to the area that they’re in as well, too, so no Thompson is exactly alike.”
A top-floor bar allows guests to take in downtown views while having a drink. Credit: Scott Ball / San Antonio Report 
Some rooms at the Thompson Hotel feature a large bathtub with a view of downtown San Antonio. Credit: Scott Ball / San Antonio Report 
The ballroom at The Thompson Hotel. Credit: Scott Ball / San Antonio Report
A separate lobby and bank of elevators leads to the 59-unit Arts Residences, where all six penthouses and all but five of the condos have been sold, Knighton said. About half of the homeowners moved in during the past three weeks.
Real estate site Zillow shows condos at the Arts Residences listed at between $504,000 for a one-bedroom unit and $4.8 million for a three-bedroom.
“It’s going to be quite extraordinary to live on top of a luxury hotel like this because you actually get taken care of,” Knighton said. “You get to take advantage of all the services that we offer – daily housekeeping service, car detailing, dog walking, 24-hour room service, VIP reservations to both of our restaurants or spa.”
The Hyatt Corporation operates three other hotels in downtown San Antonio: the Hyatt Place, Hyatt Regency, and the Grand Hyatt, a 1,003-room hotel and condo property connected to the Henry B. González Convention Center.
