Construction began April 9 on Hotel Granduca Austin, a luxury Tuscan-style hotel located at the northwest corner of Bee Caves Road and Capital of Texas Hwy.
The 194-room hotel build is a joint venture of Houston-based Interfin Companies LP and Riverside Resources of Austin and is scheduled for a completion in late 2015.
The hotel will be based on Houston developer and President of Interfin Giorgio Borlenghi's design similar in style to the original Hotel Granduca in Houston.
Borlenghi said the cost of the hotel build could not be divulged, but said it would be a substantial investment.
"We have a bad habit of doing things very well," he said. "We are trying to make people feel like they are a guest in someone's home. In order to do that you have to have attention to detail and that costs quite a bit.
"With Hotel Granduca Austin I want to bring a unique, exclusive, residential style to the Austin hospitality market," Borlenghi said in a news release.
Alex Borlenghi, Interfin vice president of development, said the site was selected for its proximity to downtown Austin and the beauty and accessibility to the Westlake area.
"This will be a perfect destination for business and social guests, as well as corporate events and weddings," Alex Borlenghi said in a news release.
Giorgio Borlenghi said he originally looked at downtown Austin for the site, but could not find a spot that suited their needs.
"We need a lot of space to create the environment we want," he said. "Hopefully this site is seen as a true destination, not just for visiting family and friends, but for the people of the Westlake area. We hope people will embrace it as their own to use and enjoy."
The 38-acre Austin site, which includes an adjacent parking garage and a seven-story office complex, was a logical choice for expansion, said Alex Borlenghi, a University of Texas graduate.
"We finally found the ideal location with spectacular views. The property will feature the same elegant ambiance and service for which our existing hotel is so famous," he said.
The Hotel Granduca in Houston is a member of "The Leading Hotels of the World," a designation the Hotel Granduca Austin will seek as well, he said.
The nine-story hotel will feature a 220 guest ballroom, private conference rooms, a library, massage rooms, a fitness center, a billiards and game room, and gardens. The hotel's in-house restaurant will feature northern Italian cuisine similar to the Houston Hotel Granduca's Ristorante Cavour—recently named one of the best Italian restaurants in Houston.
"We are very pleased and excited to have such a high quality boutique hotel as part of our overall development," said John Needham, founding partner of Riverside Resources, in a news release. "The hotel will greatly complement our planned office complex. Together they create an environment that is unlike anywhere else in Austin."
