The site When she renovated this 1938 property in Austin’s happening South Congress neighborhood, local hotelier Liz Lambert riffed on three aesthetics: art deco, midcentury motel, and ’80s kitsch.
The hotel Lambert, a lover of all things vintage, kept all the curvy features of the original building, including the bulbous red neon sign out front. The 41 guest rooms are a retro mash-up of red vinyl tufted beds, silk-screened music posters, and kitschy lip-shaped rotary phones. The throwback theme continues in the public spaces: Lounge chairs and red-and-white umbrellas flank the kidney-shaped pool, and the hotel’s shop, Bodega, sells quirky Americana curios (neon Slinky, anyone?). Don’t miss a burger and onion rings at Jo’s Burger Box, which serves a satisfying array of American classics.