The Gunter Hotel has officially joined hospitality giant Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio, a global group of nearly 200 independent, high-end hotels.
The designation is for hotels with unique design or art installations that are meant to connect guests to the city they are staying in. Guests can book rooms through the Tribute Portfolio or Marriott websites.
The 311-room historic Gunter Hotel is the third hotel to receive that designation in San Antonio.
The Aztec Hotel, a boutique hotel being built around the 100-year-old Aztec Theatre planned to open in December, and Sol Cypress, a River Walk hotel on 9th Street, are also under the Tribute Portfolio umbrella.
No Texas city has more.
The designation follows a $57 million renovation to The Gunter Hotel, which reopened last year. The renovation, which was complicated by a burst pipe, updated the hotel opened in 1909 and accentuated its historic ties to San Antonio and the music industry. Blues legend Robert Johnson recorded at the hotel 90 years ago.
Axle Capital Group has owned the Gunter, which sits across from the Majestic Theatre on East Houston Street, since 2012.
“We are thrilled to officially join Tribute Portfolio and become part of Marriott Bonvoy’s global family of independent hotels,” said Jiwon Choi, Gunter Hotel owner and managing director at Axle Capital, in a press release. “This transition allows us to preserve the unique spirit and legacy of The Gunter while introducing our story to a broader audience of travelers seeking authentic, memorable experiences.”
The Tribute Portfolio isn’t the only group with its eye on San Antonio.
The hospitality has bet heavily on downtown San Antonio in recent years, with new hotels like the Monarch San Antonio and the Kimpton Santo Hotel opening; there are plans to reopen the El Tropicano Hotel by the end of the year; and JW Marriott has plans to convert AT&T’s old headquarters, IBC Centre, to a hotel.
Those efforts are in spite of a slow hospitality market last year that led the downtown boutique Hotel Havana shutter its doors.
