WACO, Texas — Hotel Herringbone, a boutique hotel currently under construction in downtown Waco built from shipping containers and featuring a rooftop bar that overlooks the Silos at Magnolia Market, is set to open for full operation in February of 2024.
The hotel, currently under development through Lucky Find Hospitality and RadLabs architecture firm, is designed to be an "ultraboutique" addition to downtown Waco, said Luckyfind CEO Rigel Bitterman.
"It was a shipping container development that went belly-up," Bitterman said. "It had all kinds of issues structurally, so we bought it from the bank."
The 6,000 square foot warehouse space will feature nine retail spaces for select tenants, Bitterman said, as well as an "open-flame" Argentinian grill-style raw bar, international wine and charcuterie amenities, live music seven days a week and art partnerships.
"Food scene, music scene, art scene is what we're really all about at our properties," Bitterman said. "This is going to be, maybe, a tiny bit early for Waco but we've always been struck by the youthful energy there."
The hotel also partnered with Corey McIntyre, head chef and owner of Milo to supply food and beverages for the establishment.
"It's a whole city block, stacked shipping containers, the whole warehouse, we have a big basement space underneath. It will be a unique, immersive, 21-room boutique hotel, tons of activated event space, traditional meeting space too—we have a ballroom for weddings—and curated retail space there as well," Bitterman said.
The design of the hotel, made out of around 100 40-by-8-foot shipping containers, opens space for a communal courtyard that comprises a vast majority of the property.
Bitterman said the lodging "won't feel like you're in a shipping container" inside, adding that the rooms, based on square footage, are larger "than anything that's in Waco from a design standpoint."
Each of the rooms is made up of about three or four containers and is not limited to the 40 ft by 8 ft area of the material.
The rooftop bar, which will be named Lucky Bucks, is currently being installed and Bitterman said the physical makeup of the building will be structurally sound.
"With all the fixtures and furnishings and things like that it looks very much like a very trendy boutique hotel that you might see in Austin," Bitterman said.
Bitterman said with how fast Waco continues to grow, and the 21 rooms that will make up the dwelling for the hotel, they were able to "push the design and cultural elements."
"We even opted to leave some of the dents and the slight flaws in the wear and tear of the containers," Bitterman said.
The hotel will provide just over 100 positions for staffing, split 70 to 30 full-time and part-time, and is drawing buzz already across Waco.
"Just seeing stuff grow and open up it's just super cool to see," said Dominic Alioto, a Baylor student. "I like eating out, definitely have a budget as a student, but yeah I'd love to (check it out)."
Bitterman said he hopes the resort vibe of the Hotel Herringbone will bring business from near and far and help contribute to a growing downtown in Waco.
"We're really excited to get the community engaged and get this thing up and running," Bitterman said.
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