Sydell, the red-hot group behind the Freehand in Miami and NoMad in New York, knew they had to be bold to open in Austin. This is Liz Lambert territory, after all, the matriarch of louche, petite boutiques done with ease and style. Line, on the other hand, is big. Texan-style big. We are talking 428 rooms big. Though with Sydell’s knack for transforming spaces into landmarks of urban sophistication, it comes off as intimate and considered. Inside a modernist midcentury building, formerly Wilbur Clark’s Crest Hotel and known amongst city old-timers for its in-house radio broadcast station, guest rooms are done up in neutral, earthy tones and have original works and books by Texas artists. (In a nod to Austin’s growing visual arts scene, the Line also has an artist residency program.) But the biggest selling point is its location. The Line is in the heart of downtown, a former dead zone where suits packed up at five and went straight home. The Line is changing that. Designer Sean Knibb and on-the-ground partner Michael Hsu brought the outdoors in through their public spaces—most notably Arlo Grey, a fine dining restaurant and bar helmed by Top Chef winner and Traitors star Kristen Kish—with natural materials such as concrete, canvas, blond and dark woods, and tropical plants spilling from hanging brass pots. Then there’s Veracruz All Natural for some of Austin’s best barbacoa and al pastor tacos, Alfred’s, a walk-up lobby coffee shop, and P6, a rooftop bar designed to feel like a greenhouse thanks to even more potted plants. It has one of the best views of Congress Avenue Bridge—and the bats that fly out from under the bridge at dusk—in Austin. —S.K.
