AUSTIN, Texas—Life House has been tapped to operate Hotel Ella, a property with 46-keys located in Austin, Texas, adjacent to the University of Texas. The owner, Peter Rex, is a tech entrepreneur and investor whose company, Rex, has invested in several properties across the region in addition to new technology ventures focused on solving pain points in owning and operating real estate.
The property is an Austin landmark that was purchased in the late 19th century by Dudley Wooten, one of the founders of the University of Texas. Wooten’s son, Goodall Dudley, and his wife, Ella, moved into the home on the property in 1900 and later transformed it into the building that stands there today. The building has a tradition of hospitality, serving as a boarding house, dormitory, and rehabilitation center before becoming a boutique hotel. With an extension built in the 1980s and a renovation in 2013, Hotel Ella has become a destination for tourists, university visitors, and wedding parties.
Life House, founded in 2017, has built its own technology stack to automate key back-of-house functions with its revenue management and marketing system, and lets staff provide service through its Rhythm app. Life House currently has over 65 hotels open or under development across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Hotel Ella will be its first in Texas with several other deals in the pipeline expected to close by the end of the year. Life House will oversee all operations including revenue management, finance, front of house, F&B, and events.
Rex has filed initial plans for a $100 million expansion of the property that would encompass 213 rooms with 172 parking spaces. Both Life House and Rex are seeking acquisition opportunities throughout Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio metropolitan areas, in addition to opportunities in drive-to leisure locations throughout Texas Hill Country.
