Local news and fun, every day 6am.
Featured
austonia newsletter
Most viewed
Aerial video of downtown Austin.
Travel site Hotwire ranked U.S. cities best for a "quickie" getaway with Austin at number eight in the major metropolises category, up two spots from last year.
(Hotwire)
Hotwire partnered with brain-health expert Dr. Mike Dow and analyzed more than 10,000 internal and external data points across 300 cities based on value, driveability, leisure and population scores, according to its website.
This is the second year Hotwire profiles quickie getaways. It's even more fitting that the company make the list this year as Americans stay cooped up at home to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Turns out the quick getaway you might be looking for is right in your own backyard.
- Dreaming about becoming an Austinite? Here are 8 Things You'll Love About the City - austonia ›
- Migration insights of Austin, who is moving to the city and who is leaving the city - austonia ›
- Austin ranks in best cities for veteran to live in the U.S. - austonia ›
- Austin is the No. 2 best college town in the country - austonia ›
- Austin ranks #1 in best U.S. capital to live in - austonia ›
- Texans are nation's physically strongest people - austonia ›
Popular
(Pexels)
Stephanie Ashworth lived in a neighborhood north of Tarrytown, near W. 35th St. and Balcones Drive the summer of 2013. One of her neighbors wanted to move to a different school district and decided to rent out their home on Airbnb upon leaving.
“We’re like—’ok’—we didn’t know any better,” Ashworth said. “And it was awful.”
Ashworth said guests played loud music, used the pool naked and would return from trips at the lake stumbling drunk out of party buses.
“It ruins your peace of mind where you should be able to have it. Where you should be able to feel safe, where the kids should be able to go out front,” Ashworth said. “And we shouldn't find used condoms, empty beer bottles, the trash, the parking, it's so disturbing.”
Ashworth is now head of the Austin chapter of the Texas Neighborhood Coalition, a statewide group that assists people looking to restrict and regulate short-term rentals in their residential neighborhoods. She talked to Austonia following Airbnb’s announcement this week that it will deploy new anti-party technology in the US and Canada.
The initiative aims to prevent potentially high-risk reservations by being a more robust version of the “under 25” system, which reviews guests under the age of 25 without positive reviews who are booking locally. A similar variation of this system has been piloted in Australia since October 2021 and has resulted in a 35% drop in incidents of unauthorized parties in pilot areas.
Airbnb is hoping for similar success in other regions but noted that there could still be some hiccups once the system is in effect.
“While we are optimistic that this technology will have a positive impact for the safety of our community and our goal to reduce unauthorized parties—we want to be clear that no system is perfect,” Airbnb wrote in a statement announcing the new tech. “We work hard to deter bad actors from using our platform, but ultimately Airbnb is an online platform that facilitates real world connections.”
For Ashworth, this system falls short of what she’d like to see from the company and she’d like for them to be clearer about what constitutes a party in the company’s eyes.
“So I have no doubt that this technology they're touting for the party houses is nonsense,” Ashworth said. “They are not a company that's run with integrity, they're not a good corporate citizen.”
But people will continue to flock to Airbnb as Austin continues to be a major tourist destination with festivals like Austin City Limits and South by Southwest drawing in thousands. Even on a regular weekend pandemic recovery has been in full swing with downtown entertainment districts seeing visits close to 2019 levels.
Ultimately, Ashworth sees room to accommodate tourists while ensuring neighborhoods remain homey for Austinites.
“My personal opinion is the home team comes first,” Ashworth said. “The whole city doesn't need to be turned over to the tourist industry and areas that are zoned residentially should remain for residents. I do understand that we are a tourist destination. But you can have a short-term rental pretty much anywhere in the city except in residential zones.”
- Seaholm Waterfront project to transform part of Lady Bird Lake into ... ›
- Austin vs. Nashville: The Live Music Capital of the World and Music ... ›
- Austin's weekend tourism is back, but full recovery is years away ... ›
- Amid celebration of downtown making pandemic recovery, some ... ›
- A trip worth the drive—11 unique places to visit in central Texas ... ›
- Tour: Austin-based ICON unveils first look at 3D-printed home ... ›
- Austin Modern Homes Tour makes comeback with tour of eight ... ›
- Preservation Austin pivots to historic sites tour this year - austonia ›
- ICON debuts 3D-printed House Zero ahead of SXSW tours - austonia ›
- Preservation Austin Annual Homes Tour - austonia ›
Eggersmann usa brings their European design experience to Austin. (eggersmann usa)
You’ve found your dream home. Now it’s time to design your space.
Let eggersmann make your dreams come true. Not only are their products custom-crafted to last a lifetime, but their team of professional designers, installers, and care specialists are there to assist you from the ideation to the implementation of your gorgeous and highly functional space.
A family-owned business, eggersmann offers modern design solutions for every room in your home and they’ve had a hand in the design of many of the most beautiful homes in Texas, including right here in ATX.
A downtown condo. A house on the lake. South Austin style. All are perfect for eggersmann’s design solutions.
If you’re not sure where to begin, eggersmann has plenty of inspiration to get you started.
Kitchens
Kitchens are living spaces that invite us to indulge our senses; places that help us bond and are the heart of the modern home.
Eggersmann’s modern German kitchens and home living solutions are distinguished not only by unique stone cabinet fronts and exotic veneers, but also technological feats in cabinetry composition and ergonomics like handleless cabinets and motion sliding countertops.
Their ideas spring from over 100 years of experience. Ever since Wilhelm Eggersmann founded this company in 1908, the now global team insists only the best will do and that every kitchen should be as individual as its owner.
Closets
eggersmann usa
Beyond the closet, eggersmann brings soul to your wardrobe.
Tailor made in every aspect, personalize your space to make dressing and attire a special occasion. With innovative design solutions like hidden safes, watch-winders, and other accessory storage that will make the organizationally-obsessed squeal with delight, eggersmann’s team of designers can help you to create a closet you’ll want to spend all day in.
Living Areas
eggersmann usa
Create modern, beautiful spaces that motivate you to play and socialize. Host the next grand celebration or relax and relieve the tensions of your day. Eggersmann’s entertainment solutions focus on how you live and how you entertain.
Need a TV for a family movie night but prefer something besides a black screen when you’re entertaining? Eggersmann’s remote-controlled lifting technology allows you to do just that. What about design solutions that keep a bustling household organized? Eggersmann makes it all possible.
Working with eggersmann
eggersmann usa
To learn more about the exceptional luxury cabinetry, exotic durable finishes, and innovative solutions, you may visit one of 6 eggersmann showrooms in the US, one of its retail locations in Canada, Mexico, or the US including Hawaii, or call to make an appointment with the satellite design service here in Austin where a knowledgeable representative will meet you at your home, office, or location of your choice.
The eggersmann team works directly with homeowners to bring their dream spaces into reality or with your interior designer, architect, or builder. They also have extensive experience working with high-rise/multi-unit developers or condo owners.
Find the nearest eggersmann location.