Don't Miss These Thoughtful Details at Chip and Joanna Gaines's Hotel 1928
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Chip and Joanna Gaines's latest venture, Hotel 1928, is officially open in—yep, you guessed it—Waco, Texas. And if you're fans of the pair, you've likely been keeping up with their show Fixer Upper: The Hotel as they take us through the making of their most recent, and potentially most glamorous, project. In episode four of the mini series on their Magnolia Network, the creative couple met up with the general manager of the hotel, Sandra Hadley, to discuss some final touches on small but meaningful details that, in the end, help transform the hotel simply from a place to stay into a boutique experience.
"Over the last couple of months, the things that we've been meeting Sandra about are things like the bedsheets, the quality of linens, the robes," Joanna explains in the episode. In the scene, Chip and Joanna are finalizing the slippers, the robe, and, most excitedly, the scent of the hotel. Chip got to model both the slippers and the robe, each with a snazzy Hotel 1928 logo embroidered on them, but Jo takes over when it comes to the scent. "That's something we've been working on for months that I have not been able to finalize," Jo explains. Hadley presents the couple with four scent profiles to choose from, and Jo narrows down the options to a final combination of scents one and four: "What I think I'm wanting to balance is a little more floral with a more subtle undertone of sandalwood," Jo says.
While this series focuses on the big picture of all that goes into designing a hotel, it serves as a reminder that the little details are just as important as the larger ones. I had a chance to stay at Hotel 1928 right before it opened, and I was blown away by all the features I encountered during my single night there. There are so many pieces to the Hotel 1928 puzzle that they're pretty easy to miss if you don't know where to look or what to ask, but the attention to detail deserves, in my opinion, to be praised. Below, I've listed out all of the things I discovered or found during my stay at Hotel 1928—maybe you can find more during your visit.
Room 205
If you can request certain rooms while you're booking your stay, consider requesting Room 205. Back when the building was being used as Karem Shriners' bank, this room used to be where the bank teller worked. The Gaineses left the original arched windows and transformed the teller's window area into the bathroom. Watch your step as you step up into the washroom, and make sure to check out the vintage safe that still resides in the metal vault-turned-closet.
The Library
You can't stay at Hotel 1928 without sauntering down the grand double staircases to the library. The classic white fireplace and the leather furniture are definitely beautiful, but don't miss the important features spread around the room. Every single book lining the many shelves was handpicked by the couple from Chip's collection of books he acquired when he purchased late Texan author Larry McMurtry's bookstore. Carefully open one up, and you may find a handwritten price inside the front cover put there by McMurtry himself. Speaking of, Chip and Jo put together a little memorial to the author toward the back of the library as well, featuring a photo of the author as well as his personal typewriter.
The Ballroom
Make an excuse to hit up the ballroom and gaze at the gorgeous chandeliers. Though those aren't original to the building, some of the windows and the hardwood floor are. Look closely at the glass, and you may come face-to-face with original chicken wire windows. They couldn't keep all of them, but they kept what they could. The original floors were pretty well preserved, but they did have to retouch them a bit. Think of all the history that danced over that wood.
The Lobby
When you enter the lobby, look up: You'll find the original, Middle Eastern mural that covers the ceiling with bright patterns and hues. The Moorish-style design is gorgeously preserved and makes you feel like you're taking a step back in time.
The Artwork
Lining many of the halls are vintage photographs of old Waco before the tornado that tore through the town in the 1950s. You'll find little golden plaques under the photos, giving you more information about each. This addition is yet another way the Gaines's pay celebrate their hometown.
Throughout Hotel 1928
As you wander through the common rooms, from the library to the cafe, you'll find vintage matchbooks and random games peppered around the spaces. On almost every table, you'll come across dominos, Checker Boards, and vintage knick knacks, ensuring that you'll never run out of things to do.
In basically every basin, bowl, and vase, you'll find piles of matchbooks you could spend hours looking at, taking in the unique designs. Even at Magnolia HQ and the Waco Castle there are vintage matchbooks scattered about. It appears to be a Gaines signature. If you want to make a game for yourself, sift through the little booklets and find one that's somehow meaningful to you—having gone to school in Iowa, a Des Moines matchbook called out to me in a pile at the castle. Just don't take any of them with you!
The Custom Details
There are so many unique features in this boutique hotel, it's almost impossible to keep track of everything. However, there were a few that made a wonderful and lasting impression on me.
The hotel's coffee is a custom, signature blend—and coming from a bonafide coffee snob, it tastes amazing.
As Jo mentioned in the series, they handpicked the designs for the robes and slippers, but did you know that the fabric blend was also custom?
Obviously, the hotel's signature scent was custom-made, but you can take it home for yourself, too. Just grab a candle at the ground floor gift shop!
The sheets on the beds are custom from Sferra, making even your night's sleep something you can't replicate anywhere else.
If and when you take your own trip to Hotel 1928, let us know what other details you loved in the comments below.
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