The Ruby Hotel & Bar Is Building a 4,000-Square-Foot Event Center in Downtown Round Rock
The boutique hotel on Brushy Creek bought the lot next door. Now the City is lending it the money to build there. In return, the City gets a slice of that land for a future trail bridge.
Have you been to a wedding or a work happy hour at The Ruby Hotel & Bar? Then you know the appeal. It is charming, and it sits right on the creek. It also fills up fast.
That is about to change. The Ruby is building a dedicated event center next door, at 408 Fannin Avenue.
What’s going in at 408 Fannin
Round Rock City Council approved an economic development agreement to make it happen. Under that deal, the hotel’s ownership entity bought the 1.028-acre property at 408 Fannin Avenue. The entity is named RRTX Lake Creek Hotel LP. The lot sits directly next to the existing hotel.
Part of that land will become a 4,000-square-foot special event center. It is designed to complement the hotel.
So what will it look like? Bree Carrico, manager of Lake Creek Hotels, told Council it should be mainly indoors. In addition, there will be an outdoor deck facing the creek.
Meanwhile, the project appears on the city’s development tracker as “Ruby Event Hall.” It cleared its first full review in April.
The city is part of this deal
This is not a straightforward private build. Because the City is involved, the terms are public. In short, two things are happening at once.
- First, the Ruby is selling part of the 408 Fannin property to the City for $750,000. That parcel will serve as the landing for a future pedestrian bridge over Brushy Creek.
- Second, the City is providing a four-year, $2.65 million loan for construction. The loan must be repaid in full within four years. However, the interest on it is forgiven.
Council also authorized a Chapter 380 economic development agreement. Through 2029, the Ruby receives 75% of the hotel occupancy tax (7%) and property tax collected on the property. That applies to both the hotel and the new event center. Meanwhile, the City collects the revenue in full and keeps the other 25%.
The stated goal is simple. Officials want more visitors and more events downtown. They also want more boutique hotel capacity, because Round Rock does not have much.
The bridge is the bigger story
That $750,000 land sale is what makes the trail work. Specifically, it gives the City a landing spot for Heritage Trail East. The trail would then cross Brushy Creek and run into downtown.
The extension is part of the Lawn at Brushy Creek project. Voters approved it in the 2023 bond package. It picks up where Heritage Trail West left off. Then it ties into the regional Brushy Creek Trail system on the east side of town. For anyone on foot or on a bike, that means a real connection downtown.
The Lawn at Brushy Creek itself covers several acres of parkland. It sits near Georgetown and Pecan streets. Plans include a playground, a boardwalk, an amphitheater and a great lawn. In addition, the city has floated a pavilion, a kayak launch and creek edge restoration.
Still, bridge alignment is subject to design work. So do not hold anyone to a line on the map yet.
About the noise question
If you live near Fannin, this is the part you care about. In November 2024, the Round Rock Zoning Board of Adjustment granted an exception. It allows the space to operate as an event center. Amplified sound can run until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Otherwise, it stops at 9 p.m.
We are primarily in the business of selling sleep. It is important to us that our quiet hours are maintained for everyone on the property and the neighborhood.Bree Carrico, manager of Lake Creek Hotels
What it means for downtown
Round Rock loses events to Georgetown, Salado and Austin for one boring reason: room. The Ruby’s current spaces top out around 100 guests. As a result, plenty of weddings, receptions and company offsites book elsewhere. A purpose-built center changes that math.
Then there are the businesses filling in around Main Street. Bed Rock Breakfast & Bar is one of them. Altogether, the case for spending a whole day downtown keeps getting easier to make.
What we still don’t know
- An opening date. Construction has not started yet.
- Final guest capacity.
- Whether the center books on its own, or only with hotel room blocks.
- What it will actually be called.
We will update this page as those answers land.
A refresher on The Ruby
The Ruby Hotel & Bar opened in 2019, a couple of blocks off Main Street. It occupies a renovated mid-century home overlooking Brushy Creek. Today it has 39 guest rooms on roughly two and a half acres. It also runs a bar and kitchen that locals use as much as guests do.
Its current event spaces are smaller:
- The Ruby House — up to 100 guests
- The Lawn and Canopy Patio — up to 100
- The Creek View Patio — up to 40
- The Boardroom and Covered Patio — up to 35
Full property buyouts are also available. Finally, the hotel is operated by Alexa MGMT. That group’s other Texas properties include The Holland Hotel, Hotel Limpia, The Maverick Inn and Stagecoach Salado.
The Ruby Hotel & Bar
400 Fannin Ave., Round Rock
(512) 600-7997
therubyhotel.com
See ya ‘Round the Rock! 🥂
