On the Double: Downtown Abilene hotel opens with Texas-style branding

For months, Abilenians and those regularly visiting the city have watched a hotel go up downtown, often fascinated by the effort it takes.

The Abilene skyline doesn't change often.

Recently, signage was placed, trees and vegetation planted, and other final exterior touches checked off the list at the site of the seven-story DoubleTree by Hilton.

On Wednesday, about two dozen guests were the first to stay at the hotel, which now is open. The first to sign in was Nanci Liles, the recently retired executive director of the Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau. For years, Liles pushed for a convention-style hotel as a way to attract groups to the city and to bolster downtown development.

She was the first, then, to receive a warm cookie at registration. She had dinner at the Smokehouse, the hotel's restaurant, said DoubleTree General Manager John Kukreja said. She had the bone-in short rib dinner.

She summed up to Kukreja her first impression of the hotel: Amazing.

That is what he wants to hear because the hotel, he said, wants to provide an experience to guests as a full-service facility.

"She saw there was a need for a convention hotel in downtown Abilene," said Kukreja, who came to Abilene from a hotel property - The Oasis at Death Valley - in Death Valley, Calif. There, he oversaw a $150 million renovation to the 1927 hotel that serves those who come to Death Valley National Park.

"There were a lot of people who would pick up the phone to call the Convention & Visitors Bureau and ask, 'Hey, do y'all have a convention hotel?'" he said of Abilene. "'No, we don't.' 'OK.' So they moved on."

Now, the answer to that query is yes."

The hotel now is open to guests. Some work is ongoing, but more than 100 of the 125 projected staff are hired and about half of the 200 rooms ready for occupancy.

On Thursday, Kukreja, food and beverage director Richard Gutierrez and others gave tours of the hotel.

Gutierrez noted that Conrad Hilton's first branded hotel was in Abilene, today The Windsor. About 100 years later, Hilton again has a downtown presence in the city.

Gutierrez said he told a beaming Liles that she was now "standing in your vision."

Here is what we saw at the new Hilton:

West Texas styling

There is a familiar feel to the hotel.

The beige and other soft brown colors were picked for this area.

Kukreja called the intention "rustic."

Art includes depictions of horses, saddles and cattle. There's even a framed, coiled rope.

An outline of a man wearing a hat that, upon closer look, is a intricated series of cattle brands.

There are a pair of wide leather straps as accents on headboards.

The Smokehouse restaurant name continues the theme. Chorizo biscuits at breakfast and the Smokehouse burger for lunch add to the flavor, in more ways than one.

There is a separate, private dinning room.

The restaurant can seat about 160 people.

Kukreja said he already as encouraged downtown restaurants to consider opening Sundays to serve hotel guests.

Between a bar area and the restaurant is a library style area, where work can be done on a laptop at a table or a book pulled from the shelf. Decorative items included a Royal typewriter.

In the adjacent hallway, in neon, are the words "Write Your Story." On the walls are framed designs made of typewriter keys, paper and fountain pens. It's both art and subtle suggestion to guests to have a stay in Abilene to remember.

"And Abilene is the Storybook Capital," said Gutierrez, whose family also came to Abilene from the Oasis in Death Valley.

Kukreja said the hotel serves three groups: its internal staff, its external guests and the community. Gutierrez, for example, has been a youth volleyball coach since moving here.

Conventioning

Kukreja showed off the carpeted ballroom that covers 12,000 square feet but can be partitioned in half or into quarters. The total space can accommodate 1,000 or so.

Adjacent to this large area are smaller meeting rooms - "breakout" rooms, Kukreja called them - that also can be partitioned. There also is an executive boardroom on the southeast corner.

North Sixth Street between the hotel and the Convention Center now is closed. Kukreja said plans are to eventually landscape the area, which will provide back-and-forth access.

Rooms with a view

The general manager showed two rooms, a standard, two-bed room and one-bed room.

Rooms have wall-mounted televisions, work areas and soft-close cabinets, in which guests will find plenty of hangars, a safe, iron and ironing board.

The floor is not carpeted, a trend now in hotels to better ensure cleanliness.

A sliding glass bar-style door closes the bathroom. It doubles as a full-length mirror.

Entrance to the bathroom at night turns on a soft light. A makeup mirror is included.

Showering items - shampoo, body wash - are in wall-mounted containers. These dispense Crabtree & Evelyn products.

Kukreja said large containers rather than tiny plastic bottles eliminates waste.

Plugs are prominent, including USB-C wall chargers.

Hallways are carpeted a rustic, almost red, white and blue. A suggestion of the state colors.

The other room Kukreja showed was a corner room with a king bed. It has an alcove that in some rooms is a fitness area, with a Peloton exercise bike. He said it's called the five-foot fitness room because it's about five feet from the bed area.

West-facing rooms have a downward view of the second-floor, outdoor pool. There is not a hot tub. Kukreja said those are going out of style at hotels.

Cost?

Standard room rates are about $200-$300, depending on when you book. Rates are higher for suite-style rooms.

Hotel history

The downtown hotel project, once tabbed to cost about $45 million, rose closer to $80 million by the time work began. Private and public money went into construction.

Ground was broken on the 170,000-square-foot facility in October 2021, with a late spring-early summer opening announced. It would add to the DoubleTree footprint, which totaled 615 hotels when ground was broken.

Construction has been on track. There still is some work to do - hotel construction was not immune to supply chain issues that often plague builders.

For years, a downtown hotel last known as the Civic Plaza served those in town for events at what was called the Civic Center. That site was razed and remains open for development.

Construction of the new hotel has been tabbed as a boost to downtown development. Businesses have anticipated the opening to drive traffic their way. There are plans to upgrade Cypress Street as a downtown gateway, from Everman Park to the hotel and Convention Center.

Kukreja said he was excited to see the corridor to the hotel upgraded. He wants guests to enjoy their stay, but also to get out to see downtown.

"As who we are in this business, the hospitality business, we are not just for ourselves. We are for the community. So for the citizens of Abilene, this is their hotel," he said. "We want to be there for them. My team here is ready to provide that service."

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: On the Double: Downtown Abilene hotel opens with Texas-style branding