The South Congress Hotel is preparing to go dark for more than a year, taking with it two high-profile restaurants that helped define the property’s identity.
The 83-room hotel, acquired by Hyatt Hotels Corporation in December, will shut down for renovations and rebranding, with operations expected to cease by the end of May. According to a notice filed with the Texas Workforce Commission, roughly 126 employees, from housekeepers to servers, will be laid off as part of the closure. The hotel is slated to reopen in early 2027 as a Standard, as first reported by Texas Monthly.
Existing restaurants and retailers housed within South Congress Hotel, with the exception of the hotel’s coffee shop Mañana, are expected to close as Hyatt prepares to rebrand, marking a significant contraction in Austin’s dining landscape…