In the landmark homes, hospitals, schools, and Sunday houses that stretch across downtown Fredericksburg, history seeps from layered limestone. This winter, the opening of Albert Hotel marks the end of a multi-year historic preservation effort, and the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the city’s hospitality scene.
“It is just special in every sense of the word,” says the property’s General Manager, Mike Bolick as he strolled the hotel grounds. “From a need standpoint, Fredericksburg has boomed since Covid and the glaring thing missing is a full-service luxury boutique hotel. We had a local family that owned this piece of land for a long time, and Matthew Pipkin was a key component in bringing them together to do something with it.”
For years, Pipkin has worked alongside the esteemed architect Clayton Korte, and the Austin-based New Waterloo hospitality development and management group to create an elevated, full-service hotel that is both a contemporary yet complementary addition to this fast-growing Hill Country enclave.
Anchoring the two-acre grounds are four late 19th century buildings that had been owned by the Keidel family for generations. After immigrating from Germany, the family patriarch, Dr. Wilhelm Victor Keidel, became the first town doctor, and later, a Justice of the Peace. Numerous descendants, led notably by his son, Dr. Albert Keidel, would also enter the medical field, constructing the homestead now called the Albertina House, along with the historic pharmacy next door.
Members of the extended Keidel family have been involved in the project’s complex, years-long development journey, including Kurt Keidel, Phyllis Ann Burkett, Joe Burkett, and Lara Logan to name a few, with some believing the hotel name should have honored Dr. Albert Keidel and his important legacy. Ultimately, it was attributed to his grandson, an architect who shared the same name, and who left an indelible mark on the community.
“Albert was an eclectic guy, an architect, a man about town, and super well-traveled, so there are design elements throughout that are an homage to him,” says Bolick. “Ultimately, we knew we wanted to infuse the property with all the great historical things that were already here, and Albert was the glue that brought that together.”
Plans for the restoration and new construction were heavily dictated by the city’s strict building codes, and the blessing received from the historic review board. “We knew we were going to make the design more contemporary,” Pipkin shares, “so the goal became, how do we not distract from these wonderful historic buildings, but let them shine?”
Today, the new construction is effectively masked in the middle of the site and features a raked gray stucco exterior, with the original limestone edifices surrounding. “We tried really hard to get the color palette and textures right and make sure they fit with what is around us, but in a more modern way,” Pipkin says.
In the 105 guestrooms, thirteen of which are suites, that modern yet simplistic approach is deeply felt. In lieu of art-adorned walls, the team favored a minimal aesthetic, with high ceilings and an open floorplan that feels both eclectic and refined. The design team, led by New Waterloo and Melanie Raines, eschewed the conventional hotel layout by placing the bathrooms against exterior walls, with windows that draw in natural light. That decision allows guests to walk into a full-height space, making the rooms seem bigger, airier, and almost residential. The accommodations boast custom millwork using reclaimed long leaf pine, with beds built on pine platforms, and outfitted with bespoke headboards and bedside ledges. Each also features a reading nook by the window where visitors can enjoy the quiet of the Hill Country with a blanket and a book; the rooms will be curated with tomes by classic Texas authors.
The quest to achieve a peaceful, calming atmosphere reflective of the larger region is visible throughout, including the guest bathrooms, with their travertine floors and countertops, and soothing green tilework. “It feels like standing in a Hill Country creek with the limestone and water flowing around you,” Pipkin suggests. Even the corridors are bright and sunlit, a notable departure from the dark and dingy hotel hallways of late. Furthermore, the elevator lobbies feature dramatic glass brick wall installations as a tribute to Albert, the architect, who used the same material while renovating historic buildings in town, such as the nearby Keidel Memorial Hospital.
Guests can choose from a diversity of room styles and sizes, including bunk rooms, standard kings, and the aptly named Keidel Suite in honor of the family’s deep-rooted Fredericksburg heritage. The piece de resistance, however, awaits in the Albert Suite, a roughly 1,500-square-foot space with a large king bed, a formal dining room, a wet bar, multiple soft seating areas, a massive shower and soaking tub, plus a showpiece balcony overlooking Main Street. The suite runs from between $2,000 to $3,000 a night, with standard accommodations ranging from three-to-four-hundred-dollars.
Still, Bolick opines that despite the high room rates, this family and pet friendly property delivers on value. “It is bell service, housekeeping, room service, and turn down service,” he explains, not to mention valet parking in the dedicated, two-level parking garage across the street. “It is all of those things that you simply do not get out here right now.” And with the growing list of luxury hospitality groups developing in the area, Albert offers an unmatched, central location. “We know for a fact there are other luxury hotels coming,” Bolick says. “We have the key differentiator of being right in the heart of it all, and we view that as a tremendous advantage.”
The property will also have a bevy of onsite amenities for guests including a well-equipped fitness facility, a seven-treatment-room spa offering massages, facials, wraps, and peels, and a swimming pool. The latter, which is circular in shape and sunken into the inner courtyard, is an ode to a Texas swimming hole, with private cabanas and a built-in pool bar. The ambiance, with its landscaped blend of native grasses and trees, feels a world away from busy Main Street.
Despite its location on the city’s main thoroughfare, the hotel feels markedly removed from the hustle and bustle of downtown Fredericksburg. In fact, its entrance was strategically located at 213 East Austin Street, with a long drive and valet desk leading guests into the serene, sunlit lobby. Inside, walls of floor-to-ceiling glass paneled windows pour light over The Restaurant at Albert Hotel, with its dramatic racetrack bar and elevated dining room.
James Beard Finalist Michael Fojtasek, Founder and Executive Chef of MaieB Hospitality is the culinary visionary behind the property’s food and beverage program. “Chef Fojtasek is incredibly talented, but also a big hearted, genuine human being who takes great care of his team and is super involved with local farmers markets,” Pikin explains. “We are very excited to have him at the helm.” Here, he will be serving fine dining from breakfast through dinner, with an emphasis on regionally inspired dishes and seasonal ingredients from community farmers, ranchers, and purveyors.
The Restaurant at Albert Hotel is just one of four standalone food and beverage outlets onsite, all of which are open to the public. The barbecue venue, Junebug’s BBQ, will open this spring in the historic and carefully restored Brockmann-Kiehne house. Outside, guests can saddle up to a picnic table beneath the trees and feast on savory hand-rubbed meats and barbecue fare amidst the sounds of live music.
Elsewhere, the two historic buildings on Main Street – including the Keidel Pharmacy and a pre-prohibition era Saloon – serve up their own flair with chalky limestone walls newly unearthed beneath layers of plaster and paint.
Inside The Pharmacy, the building’s rich history is brightened by an assortment of framed articles and scenic watercolors painted by Albert, the architect. Since opening its doors last March, locals and visitors have enjoyed the selection of goods available in this market-style deli, from the proprietary blend of Merit Coffee made especially for the hotel, along with its grab and go sandwiches, salads, and sweet pastries. The latter are made by resident Pastry Chef Keidel Hughes, a relative of the Keidel family, who serves her provisions in the same pharmacy building where generations ago, distant relatives once cared for the local community.
Meanwhile in The Saloon, patrons feast on scratch-made bar food, including Chili dogs and Frito pies, washed down with cold beer, strong whisky, and classic cocktails. The venue also hosts a local’s night on Tuesdays, complete with live music and food and drink specials. The space, which was built in 1888, is home to some of the family’s assorted memorabilia, including a well-loved Polo saddle. “The family had an abundance of these things,” Bolick says. “The most important part, to me, is telling the history and bringing it to life in these new spaces.” Pipkin’s fingerprints are visible here too, amidst the wall of whitetail deer mounts brought from his family’s Fredericksburg ranch, and the weathered cowboy hats hanging nearby.
One of the hotel’s most unique amenities is its robust, 3,600-square-foot event center designed to accommodate a range of executive retreats, board meetings, and social events, including weddings. Three large guillotine bays open to an event lawn, creating a versatile, indoor-outdoor floorplan capable of servicing upwards of 225 reception style or 150 for seated dinners. The space is also home to the restored Albertina House, a 19th century four-bedroom home that can be booked in conjunction with event programming. Unlike other venues in town which employ outside catering, the team at Albert Hotel prides themselves on being a turnkey operation, servicing guests’ every need.
“Everyone wins on the weekends in Fredericksburg so from a business standpoint, our goal is how do we fill our hotel and event space during the middle of the week?” Bolick says. Fulfilling that goal will require a vigorous buy-in from the local community. “We know that to sustain us, specifically midweek, we need the trust and confidence of locals that this is a place for them too.”
Whether it is a cup of coffee at The Pharmacy or a craft cocktail in The Saloon, the team hopes the hotel at large will exude a warm, inviting spirit. “We want to be a place people come for special occasions or for happy hour after work, to meet friends or take a meeting,” Pipkin shares. “That interaction between the visitor and the local is the special sauce that makes hotels feel good; it is the energy that ties it all together.”
Both Pipkin and Bolick, along with the assorted partners involved, have big dreams for this boutique property, whose story is rooted in the Keidel family’s resounding legacy. “All in, we are going to employ two-hundred-plus people and be one of the largest employers in town,” Bolick suggests. “We want to be a place that supports Fredericksburg and enhances it, not just for the people coming to visit, but for those that want to live here and make a living for themselves.”