Quick Holiday Getaway: The Thompson in ATX Has Music, Mezcal and More!

Quick Holiday Getaway: The Thompson in ATX Has Music, Mezcal and More!

The lobby of The Thompson in Austin

AUSTIN’S HIP, TWO-YEAR-OLD Thompson hotel is offering a festive and oh-so-cool way to celebrate the holidays with their 12 Days of Thompson. Held at the design-y hotel, each weekend features jolly events to countdown to New Years.


Highlights include the Apres Ski Party on Dec. 19 with a s’mores station, shot skits and fire and ice cocktails. And it wouldn’t be Austin without live music! On Dec.14, there’s a concert — and spend the night, because the next morning there’s a gift-wrapping station and artisan gift market.

It all leads up to the big events for New Years. The New Years Eve bash is inspired by “Spotify Wrapped” with themed spaces all over the hotel centered around Austin’s music scene. Expect burlesque performers, caviar, DIY art stations and a bespoke martini cart. On New Years day, indulge in the First Sip Brunch with a hair-of-the-dog cocktail menu.

Located in downtown Austin, the boutique hotel offers the ultra-modern design the Thompson brand is known for with Hill Country accents. Think rustic leather and dark woods mixed with cement walls that are thoughtfully lit. The same building houses The Tommie, which is the Thompson’s budget-friendly concept with smaller rooms but access to all the high-end amenities.

The hotel is home to three unique dining concepts: Fifth Street Diner is a picturesque and sun-filled daytime diner serving pancakes the size of pizzas and sandwiches stacked to epic proportions. Royale Room is made for a GNO with girl dinner of a martini, fries and Caesar salad being its specialty. But the party really gets started at Arriba Abajo. It’s on the pool deck and is covered in greenery and large daybeds. Here, the pizza is topped with lobster and the margs are made with smoky mezcal. Cheers!

The Royale Room

The lobby

Lobster Pizza at Arriba Abajo

The entrance to Arriba Abajo

A drink at Arriba Abajo

The lobby

People + Places

David Robertson

AS HOUSTON SLOWLY recovers from last week’s severe derecho, it is strangely serendipitous that on May 25 and 26, a little over a week after that unexpected drama, the Houston Symphony will perform composer John Adams’ critically acclaimed Nativity oratorio El Niño, named after the 1997 meteorological phenomenon and precursor to what we now refer to as “weird weather.”

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment

A rendering of Hotel Saint Augustine (courtesy of Lake Flato Architects and Ten Eyck Landscape Architect)

CELEBRATED CHEF Aaron Bludorn is on a roll. After successfully opening three Houston restaurants including the recent Bar Bludorn, he has set his sights on the boutique Hotel Saint Augustine to open this fall.

Keep Reading Show less
Food