This Boutique Hotel Is Bringing High Design to Houston

In the 17 years since I moved from Houston to New York City, the sprawling Texas city has experienced an artistic and cultural renaissance. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston was upgraded with a $470 million expansion, which included the addition of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building for Modern and Contemporary Art; Both Super Bowl LI and the 2024 College Football National Championship have been held at Houston’s NRG Stadium; and the city is now home to three Michelin Star restaurants. Naturally, this has extended to hospitality, and on a recent visit to H-Town—as locals affectionately call it—I stayed at one of Houston’s newer hotels, Hotel Saint Augustine.

The 71-room hotel is one of nine Bunkhouse Hotels, a group of boutique properties in Texas and Mexico, inspired by the neighborhoods they’re built in. When eyeing Houston (Bunkhouse previously opened hotels in Austin, Mexico City, and Todos Santos), one area in particular stood out. “Montrose has always felt like one of Houston’s most interesting neighborhoods,” says Tenaya Hills, head of design at Bunkhouse Hotels & JdV by Hyatt. “It’s creative, a little eccentric, and very residential, with so many seminal institutions, businesses, and people who’ve shaped its character over time. We weren’t looking to introduce something new to Montrose, we wanted to create a hotel that feels like it belongs there, rooted in the neighborhood’s creative spirit and part of the community.”

To that end, Hotel Saint Augustine sits across from the renowned Menil Collection. Like all Bunkhouse hotels, it’s named for a patron saint—one that calls to mind characteristics unique to Houston and the Montrose neighborhood. The city was cofounded by Augustus Chapman Allen, Saint Augustine grass grows in abundance in Houston, and Augustine is the patron saint of printing, a nod to the Menil Collection’s Drawing Institute.