New Boutique Hotel in Galveston, with Partners Justin Yu and Bobby Heugel, Makes Chef Announcement

New Boutique Hotel in Galveston, with Partners Justin Yu and Bobby Heugel, Makes Chef Announcement

Rendering courtesy of Kartwheel Studio

HOTEL LUCINE, THE forthcoming boutique hotel project that boasts Justin Yu and Bobby Heugel as food and beverage partners, is slated to open near Stewart Beach in Galveston this spring. The team just named Leila Ortiz the executive chef of The Fancy, the hotel's restaurant that is billed as American fine-ish dining. (A brochure states that Galveston is, after all, a place of contradictions — where your fried fish is served with white gloves.)


Foodies will recognize Ortiz from her time at UBPreserv, and she's spent time abroad with Sheraton and Westin hotel properties and at New York's famed Momofuku Noodle Bar. “I have been incredibly lucky to have Leila working with me to develop the opening menus for the hotel,” said Yu in a release. “She has a way about her that is incredibly easy-going, but her flavors are fierce and pop with a lot of pizazz. I can’t wait to show Galveston what we’ve been working on.”

The 61-room hotel, which was originally built in the 1960s as the Treasure Isle Motel and was most recently the ramshackle-y Pearl Inn, will also have the more casual Den Bar and Restaurant and a rooftop bar (for aprés surf, naturally). Guests can also expect to enjoy private beachfront relaxation, or alternatively opt to lounge at the interior courtyard pool. Design notes will homage the spot's mid-century origins, while incorporating tons of natural light, greenery and warm tones.

Hotel Lucine, named for a pearlescent sculptured shell, is owned by Dave Jacoby, Keath Jacoby and Robert Marcus.

Leila Ortiz (photo by Gerardo Velasquez)

People + Places
Reyna Group Owner Leads Real Estate Market with Passion and Excellence

MICHELLE REYNA WYMES, a distinguished name in the Houston real estate market, is the owner of the successful boutique brokerage, Reyna Group. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Michelle has deep-rooted connections to the community she serves with dedication and pride.

Keep Reading Show less

The lobby of White Elephant Palm Beach

COVERED IN VERDANT vines and flanked by tall palm trees, the entrance to the White Elephant Palm Beach feels like passing into a stately home, rather than one of the island’s newest resorts. The building is 101 years old, and while the original footprint and façade remain, the interior has a decidedly updated, ultra-luxe beach vibe.

Keep Reading Show less

Photographer Jhane Hoang with two covers she photographed

ONE OF Houston CityBook’s most beloved photographers was recently diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer. Jhane Hoang has been behind the camera for some of the magazine’s most ambitious shoots — including an overnight shoot at the then-new Weiss Energy Hall at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and a cold rainy shoot at the Houston Zoo where the crew used a concessions stand as a staging area for hair and makeup.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment