The Ruby Hotel

The Ruby Hotel was built around a discovery. When the owners first walked the empty Brushy Creek site in early 2016, they found a partial love letter in the leaves — addressed to a “Dearest Ruby” — along with torn pages of a scrapbook. They never found out who Ruby was. The hotel is the answer to that unanswered question. The property is 39 rooms across two buildings, designed with a midcentury sensibility that suits both the era of the original structure and the creekside setting. Every room has a private balcony. Views are split between Brushy Creek — dammed just east of the property to form a small lake — and the gardens. Finishes are specific and considered: Simmons Westbury Plush mattresses, Parachute Egyptian cotton sheets, Tivoli Bluetooth alarm clocks, Nespresso machines, and LATHER aromatherapy bath products throughout. A 55-inch television and free high-speed Wi-Fi are present, but the rooms feel like they were designed for people who might not turn either of them on. The social centre of the property is The Ruby Bar, housed in the original 1960s structure with its kitchen hood intact. It serves cocktails, small plates, weekend brunch, and happy hour specials, and opens to a patio overlooking Brushy Creek. The pool is open year-round from 10AM to 10PM, with seasonal poolside service from the bar. A 24-hour fitness centre rounds out the amenities. Round Rock is the kind of town Austin used to be before it became what it is — smaller, quieter, and unhurried. The hotel sits three miles from the I-35 corridor, far enough to feel removed, close enough to reach Austin in under an hour.