InterContinental San Antonio Riverwalk

InterContinental San Antonio Riverwalk began taking guests in August 2024 at 111 East Pecan Street, in a 21-story downtown tower. IHG counts 390 rooms, 20 of them suites, although some earlier announcements gave 391. Trailbreak Partners owns the hotel together with Scarlett Hotel Group, and Heartwood Hospitality runs the food and beverage side. The building has a longer history than the brand. IHG dates the tower to 1958, when it opened as an office block, and it later operated as the Wyndham San Antonio River Walk. A renovation of about three years turned it into an InterContinental. Early announcements called the project new construction, but IHG's own account of the site starts in 1958.

The place

The address is downtown, a few minutes from the river. The River Walk is a short walk away, and the hotel has direct access to a water taxi landing, so guests heading along the channel can board without climbing back to street level. The Alamo is about a mile off, and the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center is a little under a mile.

The hotel's own description names The Pearl and La Villita Historic Village as the other stops within walking range.

The distance to the convention center, together with 18,000 square feet of meeting space under the same roof, suggests that group and corporate business is a large part of the plan. Leisure guests get the river and the Alamo on foot, which is how most of the downtown sights are reached anyway.

The concept

Leo A Daly designed the interiors with IHG's in-house design team. The reference is classic film and the Golden Age of Hollywood, set against mid-century architecture and furnishings: velvet furniture in bold accent colors on a neutral base, with finishes in brass, marble, dark wood, cognac leather and glass.

The 390 rooms rise through 21 floors, all with city views according to the opening announcement. Twenty are suites. A Club InterContinental lounge sits on top of that, reached through a club-rate booking, not by membership.

Meetings are a serious part of the building. There are 18,000 square feet across 10 meeting rooms, each with its own food and beverage station. The largest is the Pecan Ballroom, about 8,200 square feet with 18-foot ceilings and room for up to 900 people. A boardroom and a flexible space with skyline views complete the set.

Other services include a 1,800-square-foot fitness center, Les Clefs d'Or concierges, valet parking and a self-park garage, house cars, same-day dry cleaning, shoeshine and childcare assistance. Stefan Gruvberger, who has close to 30 years in hospitality, was named general manager ahead of the opening.

The rooftop pool is open to guests, and the roof is also where one of the four bars and restaurants sits.

Dining & wellness

Heartwood Hospitality built four separate venues under executive chef Andres Farias, and each has a distinct job.

Cavalier is the ground-floor American brasserie, with a menu built around farm-fresh ingredients. Deco Bar is the lobby cocktail bar, with a long drinks list. Rosebelly Coffee covers the all-day counter: pastries, locally sourced coffee and food to take away.

High Praise is the rooftop bar and restaurant next to the pool. Its menu leans on cocktails, beer and small plates, and it books live music on weekends. Because it is open to locals as well as guests, it is the venue most likely to bring non-guests into the building.