Universal Music partner joins White Rocks project to build hotel and private residences

UMusic Hospitality & Lifestyle, an affiliate of Universal Music Group, will join the White Rocks Amphitheater development in the Hill Country to spearhead the hospitality and residential components of the project, branded as UMusic Hotel & Private Residences Austin.

The overview

The White Rocks development is located on a 71-acre plot in unincorporated Travis County near Hwy. 71. The project is expected to include a 10,000-seat outdoor amphitheater, 150 hotel rooms and 600 private residences.

“The White Rocks project will have a significant impact on Austin's hospitality, music, arts and tourism economy while demonstrating sustainable large-scale development,” White Rocks spokesperson Michelle Doss said. “It creates a unique destination where music, hospitality and residential living are interconnected.”

The details

The UMusic Hotel will feature 150 rooms and 60 private residences. The hotel residences will consist of 1,350-square-foot studios to 3,300-square-foot duplexes, ranging from approximately $1,150 to $1,450 per square foot, according to Doss.

The “Preserve I,” a condominium with 180 units across six floors, is also in the works at White Rocks, and will include 882-square-foot studios to 2,600-square-foot layouts. Pricing ranges from approximately $850 to $1,100 per square foot, Doss said.

Beyond the amphitheater, the UMusic Hotel will host a variety of entertainment-oriented amenities including two full-service fine dining restaurants, three bars, an underground comedy club and private members club, a spa and wellness center, an on-site distillery and tasting room, a 1,500-seat indoor performance venue, and professional recording studios.

"Our vision is to create places where culture is made, shared and celebrated,” President of UMusic Hospitality & Lifestyle Jordi Solé said. “This property combines performance, wellness, nature and community into a single living ecosystem, reflecting Austin's creative spirit on a global stage."

The UMusic Hotel will be UMusic Hospitality & Lifestyle’s first hotel in the country, with one other location in Madrid, Spain.

The issue

The development has received opposition from city officials and residents, citing the project’s environmental impact.

In March 2025, Bee Cave City Council passed a resolution formally opposing the project due to traffic and environmental concerns.

The city’s stance on the development remains the same today, Bee Cave Mayor Kara King said.

"The City Council believes we have a responsibility to speak up when a proposed development raises significant concerns about environmental impacts, traffic and infrastructure,” King said. “Resolution 2025-20 ensures that Bee Cave's voice is part of the public record as this project moves through the regulatory process. We are hopeful the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will agree with our concerns and vote to deny the permit."

White Rocks Entertainment LLC submitted a permit application to the TCEQ in March 2024. If approved, the permit will authorize developers to dispose of treated wastewater, with a maximum of 120,000 gallons per day, via a new activated sludge treatment plant, referred to as the White Rocks Treatment Facility. A public access “subsurface area drip dispersal system” will also be implemented, injecting processed wastewater into the ground and spreading it over a large area to ensure proper absorption, according to previous reporting from Community Impact.

In April 2025, the TCEQ held a public meeting to discuss the permitting. Sixty-two members from the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance jointly submitted a letter requesting the permit be denied citing concerns surrounding potential water contamination and the degradation of Barton Creek.

Now, the TCEQ will review the development’s wastewater permit July 15.

What’s next

Pending approvals, construction of the UMusic Hotel, the Preserve I and the amphitheater is anticipated to begin in early 2027, Doss said.

Full build-out, including the remaining 360 units, is expected to be completed between 2029 and 2030, Doss said.