A seven-story boutique hotel – part of The Saint Hotel chain – could soon find a home along the San Antonio River.
Plans for The Saint Hotel San Antonio gained conceptual approval Wednesday from the Historic and Design Review Commission (HDRC).
The new hotel’s site at 151 E. Travis St. is currently home to a one-story building, which is owned by Florida-based Seaside Hospitality Corp. The structure, which appears to be vacant, faces both the River Walk and Travis Street.
Once the building is demolished, architects at local firm ford, powell & carson plan to construct the hotel with 100 rooms, a street-level restaurant, and a river-level double-height bar and lounge.
The building would be the third installment in The Saint Hotel series, which is part of the Autograph Collection by Marriott. Its motto: “Play Naughty, Sleep Saintly.” The Saint Hotel chain is owned by Seaside Hospitality President Mark Wyant and features luxury hotels in New Orleans and Key West.
“We’re looking for something that’s appropriate to the buildings downtown,” said ford, powell & carson architect Adam Reed. “The owner wants to look at something that’s kind of unique for this market. … He wants it to be personalized down to the room experience.”
The renderings below are still being developed and will be updated in the coming months to reflect changes recommended by HDRC staff, Reed said. Recommendations include keeping pedestrian access to the River Walk clear.
Designers plan to return to HDRC for final approval in the next few months and hope to begin construction in the fall, Reed said.
The hotel is anticipated to open in the spring of 2018, he said, just in time for the city’s Tricentennial celebrations.
The Saint Hotel San Antonio is one of several projects underway in the vicinity: The Arts Residences at the Thompson Hotel is a 20-level mixed use tower and hotel on the River Walk; a new tech space is going into the historic Burns Building; a nine-story hotel on the River Walk will replace the former Solo Serve building; a 10-story Hilton Garden Inn is going up next to the Maverick Apartments; and a 24-story, 197-room Canopy by Hilton hotel is slated for the corner of North St. Mary’s and Commerce streets.
