San Antonio company Zachry Hospitality was joined by city leaders and other special guests Nov. 14 in a groundbreaking ceremony at Hemisfair for the firm’s new hotel.

The background

Construction has begun on Monarch San Antonio, a 200-room, 17-story hotel next to Civic Park, a newly opened public space at Hemisfair near the Henry B. González Convention Center.

Officials with Zachry said the hotel, which will anchor a new round of mixed-use development at the downtown park, is named for the monarch butterflies that migrate across South Texas every winter. Upon opening, which is scheduled for early 2026, the hotel will become part of Hilton’s Curio Collection.

Zachry officials also said the new hotel will feature a rooftop restaurant and bar, a basement speakeasy, three other dining and drinking areas, a terrace pool, a fitness center, a spa, and 10,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

Digging deeper

Zachry’s past leaders held key roles in the creation of Hemisfair as the site of the 1968 World’s Fair. The company successfully and originally was awarded a bid from the city in 2017 to build a new hotel as part of Hemisfair’s redevelopment, but the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues held up the firm. City Council in 2022 revamped the city’s agreement with Zachry, which will pay $1.15 million in rent yearly while the city will defer the developer’s payment through 2029.

Monarch San Antonio will be located in a zone of Hemisfair where upcoming mixed-use projects will include a 10-story, 450-apartment residential tower and a three-story retail building.