It’s certainly not oceanfront property, but country music legend George Strait hopes his refurbished resort in the Texas Hill Country will still leave visitors with a smile.
The 220-acre Tapatio Springs Hill Country Resort, about 230 miles west of downtown Houston, reopened October 1, following a nearly two-year, multimillion dollar renovation. Highlights of the project include a new clubhouse and a refresh of the 111 guestrooms.
Strait, who lives near Boerne, co-owns the property with longtime friend and real estate developer Tom Cusick, as well as two corporate partners. Strait and Cusick bought the resort in 2011 after it went into foreclosure.
Strait says the resort’s future is “bright.” The Grammy winner, who released his first album in 1981, says he and Cusick “fell hard for the property in 2011 because it had so much potential and embodied what the heart of Texas is all about.”
“This is an exciting development for the resort and the community of Boerne, and I’m so impressed by what has been accomplished, thanks to the dedication, passion, and creativity of our team,” Strait tells CultureMap.
The resort will host a reopening party October 16 featuring a performance by country singer-songwriter Dean Dillon, as well as a steak-dinner buffet, an array of specialty cocktails, and the unveiling of the new clubhouse.
Designed by Dallas architect Nunzio DeSantis, the 47,000-square-foot clubhouse is a throwback to its predecessor, which a fire destroyed in 2017. The resort says the clubhouse’s modern design is “reflective of the resort’s Hill Country roots and contemporary first-in-class amenities essential to creating memorable experiences for all guests.”
The new clubhouse adds about 4,000 square feet of event space to the resort’s total. In addition, the clubhouse includes a 1,100-square-foot members-only fitness center.
Elsewhere on the property, the reconfigured Cibolo Ballroom expanded to 3,250 square feet, complete with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the 18-hole golf course. Also, an “event lawn” was installed to increase the amount of outdoor space for gatherings, and the La Cascada Table & Bar restaurant was redesigned. Of course, the bar serves Strait’s Código 1530 brand of tequila.
Meanwhile, 111 guestrooms — including the two-bedroom George Strait Suite — were updated with furnishings and décor “inspired by the beauty of the destination.” The rooms promise to deliver “an authentic Hill Country escape,” the resort says.
“We are very excited to be reopening the resort and bringing it back to its place as the go-to destination in Texas Hill Country for leisure and group guests,” Caleb DuBose, managing director of Tapatio Springs Hill Country Resort, says in a release.
DuBose works for Westport, Connecticut-based Northview Hotel Group LLC, which bought a majority stake in the resort in 2014 along with Houston-based Seis Holdings LLC. After the 2017 blaze, DuBose estimated it could cost at least $5 million to rebuild the scorched clubhouse.
The hotel underwent a two-year renovation.
Estella is the signature restaurant at Canyon Ranch Austin.Courtesy of Canyon Ranch Austin
