Here's the point

Houston boutique hotel from Austin-based brand joins Hyatt rewards program

Houston's Hotel Saint Augustine is the city's only Bunkhouse property, for now.

Photo by Julie Soefer

Some properties operated by Austin-based Bunkhouse Hotels are joining the World of Hyatt rewards program. Bunkhouse has been connected with Hyatt since 2024, when the hotel giant bought Standard International, the local boutique hotel operator's 22-property parent company.

As of July 17, Austin’s Hotel Saint Cecilia and Houston’s Hotel Saint Augustine were the only Bunkhouse properties that had been fully incorporated into the Hyatt rewards program, according to a Bunkhouse statement. Other Bunkhouse properties set to be folded into World of Hyatt are:

Hotel San José, the Austin Motel, and the Carpenter Hotel on July 23. These three properties are in Austin.
Hotel San Cristóbal, on Mexico’s Baja peninsula; and Hotel San Fernando, in Mexico City’s Condesa neighborhood, on August 6.

The Hyatt program will add Houston’s Hotel Daphne once it opens this fall. It’s unclear when other Bunkhouse properties will join the Hyatt program.

“With a reputation for building memorable experiences rooted in the communities in which they exist, Bunkhouse Hotels offer authentic design, locally driven programming — from live music and poolside hangs to community-centric gatherings of all kinds — and curated food and beverage concepts alongside branded retail that spotlights regional makers and artisans,” a Bunkhouse spokesperson said.

World of Hyatt members who stay at participating Bunkhouse hotels will receive:

Five base points for every eligible dollar spent.
Four bonus points for every eligible dollar spent when using the World of Hyatt credit card.
Perks such as room upgrades and late checkouts.

In conjunction with the Standard deal, Hyatt debuted a lifestyle group that is based in New York City and maintains offices in Austin and Bangkok.

“The beauty of the [Hyatt and Standard] combination is that Hyatt respects the creativity and freedom required to deliver the experiences we do, and we respect the value of Hyatt’s storied history, global infrastructure, and best-in-class commercial services,” Amar Lalvani, then a Standard executive and now a Hyatt executive, said last year.

hotels travel rewards

cut the travel time

Ladybird Jet air shuttle launches flights from Houston to Fredericksburg

Photo courtesy of Ladybird Jet

Hop on board from Houston to the Hill Country.

Houstonians now have a new way to travel to the Hill Country without spending hours in the car. Regional air shuttle service Ladybird Jet has launched a new route connecting passengers from Houston to Fredericksburg.

Texas-born Ladybird Jet is a membership-based charter flight broker providing a fleet of semi-private flights addressing "a growing gap in regional executive travel across Texas," per a release. Rather than spending hours in traffic traveling hundreds of miles by car, Ladybird Jet promises short flights without arduous security lines or baggage claim delays.

"Executives in Texas are losing half their day just getting to a meeting," said founder Devon Perry. "I built Ladybird Jet because I saw firsthand how broken regional travel was — and I knew Texas deserved better than choosing between a six-hour drive and a commercial airline odyssey."

The new Houston-to-Fredericksburg route operates out of West Houston Airport (IWS) and flies into Gillespie County Airport (T82). The flight cuts down an approximate nine-hour round trip down to just "a short flight," according to Perry, and passengers only need to arrive 15 minutes before departure.

Ladybird Jet semi-private charter plane Houstonians can travel to the Hill Country in style via Ladybird Jet's eight-seat aircraft. Photo courtesy of Ladybird Jet

"Houston professionals love Fredericksburg — the wine, the food, the Hill Country," Perry said. "But a nine-hour round-trip drive turns a relaxing getaway into an endurance test. We eliminate that. You land, and your weekend starts immediately."

Flights departing Houston will operate on Thursdays at 5 pm, and returning flights will take place on Sundays at 6 pm. That allows plenty of time to explore the Hill Country's wineries, restaurants, hotels, and the relaxing scenery. The planes can accommodate eight passengers, and round-trip fare costs $1,697 per seat.

Ladybird Jet also operates a route from Fredericksburg to Dallas, if ritzy Houstonians want to save time and travel luxuriously throughout all three cities.

Flight memberships start at $500 a month, with three different tiers available depending on travel needs.