"We already started retelling the story," Bridgette Summers, Trestle Studio's investment officer, said this summer about Lakeway Resort and Spa. Trestle became the owner of the property at 101 Lakeway Drive on May 19, 2026. It plans roughly $29 million in improvements and expects to finish in May 2028.
The story Summers wants to retell is older than the city. If you live in The Hills or Flintrock Falls, that story is the best guide to the resort the new owner is trying to build. Trestle's plan treats the people who live in Lakeway as future members, as well as the guests who stay overnight. The City of Lakeway is helping pay for the plan with hotel-tax money.
The resort Lakeway was built around
Trestle laid out its history of the property in a June 2026 presentation to the city. The Lakeway Inn & Marina opened in 1963 as the first vacation destination on Lake Travis. It offered horseback riding, water skiing, boating and golf to visitors from Houston and San Antonio. The presentation says the inn's success led to the residential community around it, and Lakeway incorporated as a city in 1974.
Trestle's own summary is that the property gradually became a suburban convention hotel. The company says its goal is to "restore Lakeway and create a modern-day destination resort." The timeline in the presentation shows how long it has been since the last major investment.
| Year | Milestone at the property |
|---|---|
| 1963 | Lakeway Inn & Marina opens |
| 2000 | Guest rooms consolidated into the Lodge Building |
| 2007 | Vistas Ballroom, spa, gym and modern resort pools added |
| 2014 | Last renovation and sale |
| 2026 | Trestle acquires the hotel |
| 2027 | Construction scheduled to begin |
| 2028 | Reimagined resort scheduled to open |
The 2014 row matters most. The resort will have gone about 13 years between renovations by the time construction starts in 2027.
Why City Hall is helping pay for it
Lakeway collects a 7% hotel occupancy tax from hotel guests. Lakeway Resort and Spa has the highest room rate and the most rooms of any hotel in the city, and it produces 48% of that tax revenue. City documents show the resort's tax contribution fell from $730,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 to $485,000 in fiscal year 2025-26. They attribute the drop to deferred maintenance, dated rooms and common areas, and pricing decisions.
That drop is why the city is spending money on a private hotel. On July 20, City Council approved $2 million from the hotel-tax fund for Trestle. The money covers renovation costs, wayfinding signage and a "reintroduction" marketing campaign. The first $1 million went out in July 2026. Payments of $500,000 follow in July 2027 and January 2028. Assistant City Manager Ashby Grundman said Trestle expects the resort's hotel-tax contribution to reach $875,000 in 2031. He said Trestle projects the investment will be 95% repaid through higher collections by 2033. The fund held nearly $10.5 million when the grant was approved.
The city's money also reaches past the hotel. Lakeway Marina, about a three-minute walk from the resort, received City Council approval on July 20 for signage and historical restoration. On August 17, the council voted 6 to 1 to approve $1.145 million for marina parking renovations, boat-ramp improvements and advertising. The funding began that month and runs over the next two years. The marina's original request asked for updated signage and marketing to match the resort's branding. The city appears to be paying for one lakefront district, with the resort and marina as its two halves.
Memberships for people who never check in
The most relevant line in Trestle's plan for people who live nearby is in its list of features. Along with 171 guest rooms, three resort pools and three signature food and beverage outlets, the presentation proposes a kids club and racquet sports. It also proposes "membership options available for non-hotel guests to access the pool, spa and fitness center."
Today's resort already sells some access to people who aren't staying there. A current membership program includes fitness center and pool access, plus discounts on spa treatments, dining and watercraft rentals. ResortPass day passes cover the pool complex, self-parking, Wi-Fi and the dining outlets, with no overnight stay required. The 2028 plan builds on those existing channels with three resort pools, a spa and fitness center described as state of the art, and programming for children.
Treat the details as a draft. The presentation is labeled a draft. Its figures of 171 rooms and 16,000 square feet of meeting and event space differ from the "Relaunching 2028" listing on Trestle's project page and from the resort's current materials, which give 168 rooms and 24,000 square feet. Trestle hasn't announced membership prices, the names of future restaurants or who will run them.
What Trestle's other hotels look like
Trestle's past projects give the best preview of the finished resort. The company says it owned, redeveloped and operates Hotel Chalet in Chattanooga, which opened in October 2023. The hotel has 127 rooms, including 25 rooms in vintage train carriages, and 7,000 square feet of food, beverage and event space. Its restaurant, Elsie's Daughter, combines Appalachian traditions with casual French cooking.
In San Antonio, a June 2026 preview of the former El Tropicano showed the same approach while work was still underway, with completion not expected until December. The design keeps the building's mid-century character, plans a future Flamingo Bar in the rotunda and includes a resort-style pool deck, with Emmer & Rye set to manage the restaurants and bars. In both projects, Trestle builds around the building's history and treats the restaurant as a main attraction. In Lakeway, the history is the 1963 inn, and the plan promises "locally driven food options."
The resort as it stands this fall
Construction is scheduled to start in 2027. Trestle hasn't said which building goes first or whether any restaurant, pool or spa will close, and when. For now, the resort lists these places to eat and drink:
- Sixty-Three Restaurant & Bar, the main restaurant, which serves breakfast from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends
- Bad Buck BBQ, the resort's barbecue spot
- The Back Porch, the lobby bar
- Sunset Pool Bar, including the swim-up bar
- Corner Pantry and Knock & Drop in-room dining for overnight guests
The spa offers massage and body treatments, lounges, dry saunas and a terrace overlooking Lake Travis. The spa page doesn't say whether people without a membership or room reservation can book treatments, so call before you go.
The resort's next dated event is Smoke & Oak: Texas BBQ & Whiskey Fest on Saturday, October 3, from noon to 4 p.m. at the TR Restaurant & Bar + Lounge building. The listing promises whiskey from six Texas distilleries, house-smoked barbecue by Chef Jennifer Norrell, live music, a commemorative tasting cup and a swag bag. It doesn't list prices, distilleries or performers yet. Sixty-Three's special-events page mentions holiday buffets in general terms, but no dated Thanksgiving or holiday events for 2026 have been posted.
At the marina, rentals include party barges, jet skis, runabouts, pontoons, tritoons and paddleboards. The posted hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily in the off-season. That page dates from 2021, and no schedule has been published for the parking lot and boat-ramp work, so check with the marina before you plan a launch.
How the renovation plays out will matter to anyone who owns a home near the resort and marina. If you're in The Hills or Flintrock Falls and want to understand how a rebuilt lakefront resort could affect your plans for selling or buying, NBC Realty can go through it with you. Request a Live Video Call and we'll explain the appraisal factors that apply to amenities nearby.
