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This is interesting because Apple's Austin campus is a good distance from the neighborhoods in Austin most people want to hang out/go out/be in. This is one of

This is interesting because Apple's Austin campus is a good distance from the neighborhoods in Austin most people want to hang out/go out/be in. This is one of those things that's far from categorical, as evidenced by other comments in the thread where people appreciate being close to the office when having to travel for work, but I personally, and people of my ilk, like exploring the places we visit when traveling for work and this hotel will make exploring much more inconvenient. Maybe that's even Apple's goal...

machello13 6y ago
It seems really odd to suggest that Apple is placing their hotel near their own campus in order to somehow prevent employees from having fun. Why in the world would a company put a hotel far from their office? It's not like everyone won't have a rental car or access to Uber anyway.
- harmmonica 6y ago
  I guess I'm odd, or I wasn't suggesting they'd place a hotel somewhere else just that they're adding one at all in that location given the lack of amenities/points of interest/etc., which is one of the few perks of business travel. That said, I'll stand down completely on my knee-jerk comment on this because if you take the total visitors to Apple's Austin campus, some of those folks would not want to stay where the action is and so, to your point, the ones who want action can take an Uber. Everyone wins in that case, I suppose. Also, if you don't think someone at Apple brought up the benefit of the hotel being at the campus itself and how that might factor into productivity you're less cynical about corporate America than I am (not a stretch; I'm pretty cynical).
bredren 6y ago
Perhaps interesting parts will develop as a result of the placement. Tony Hsieh sort of did this in Vegas.
- harmmonica 6y ago
  Yeah, I think you're right. Totally possible and likely. And like I wrote in another reply Covid may make the "suburbs" everywhere a lot more interesting. That said, not sure the suburbanites want my personal version of "interesting" because I think the suburbs are the way they are because the people who live there like them that way.
- dehrmann 6y ago
  It didn't happen in Silicon Valley. It has its moderately fun parts, but at some point, people realized it wasn't going to actually be fun and just moved to SF.
lesdeuxmagots 6y ago
They're staying near the domain area, which seems an incredibly reasonable. Relatively accessible via multiple freeways from population centers and the airport, close to many other tech campuses. Larger tech campuses optimize for those sorts of factors far more than where people want to hang out.
- ghaff 6y ago
  Until relatively recently, there were few sizable tech companies in cities at all. This is true in Silicon Valley, Boston, NYC, etc. My company did add a small Boston office but that was primarily for the convenience of visiting executives from other companies as well as a couple other things that benefit from being in the city rather than an hour outside.
- harmmonica 6y ago
  Reasonable absolutely. Convenient, sensible for employees easily being able to get to work. Airport is not close considering it's on the opposite side of the city, but, sure, close enough. That said, I genuinely find it interesting that they would put a hotel in that location because of a lack of amenities and interesting things to explore (I'm betraying my attitude about the domain and that area in general, but I would not call it interesting/enjoyable/fun to explore unless you like mega malls and top golf, which some folks do, but people visiting from out of town likely would not when they can just as easily get that back home). Maybe they were even debating whether to include the hotel at all until Covid came along and made the decision for them--the suburbs are the new city centers (btw, I realize they're in the city technically).
  - flatiron 6y ago
    I am a contractor that works for Apple (specifically the Austin campus and live on the East coast) and always stay at the domain when I go. I’ve had a few times people convinced me to stay downtown but it’s really not worth the hassle. That being said the hotels at the domain are nice and the lyft drivers know the Apple campus very well.
  - _bxg1 6y ago
elliekelly 6y ago
Deloitte has a campus with an on-site hotel in Westlake, Texas. I’ve spent lots of time there but I’ve never actually seen Dallas outside of the airport.

machello13 6y ago

It seems really odd to suggest that Apple is placing their hotel near their own campus in order to somehow prevent employees from having fun. Why in the world would a company put a hotel far from their office? It's not like everyone won't have a rental car or access to Uber anyway.

harmmonica 6y ago
I guess I'm odd, or I wasn't suggesting they'd place a hotel somewhere else just that they're adding one at all in that location given the lack of amenities/points of interest/etc., which is one of the few perks of business travel. That said, I'll stand down completely on my knee-jerk comment on this because if you take the total visitors to Apple's Austin campus, some of those folks would not want to stay where the action is and so, to your point, the ones who want action can take an Uber. Everyone wins in that case, I suppose. Also, if you don't think someone at Apple brought up the benefit of the hotel being at the campus itself and how that might factor into productivity you're less cynical about corporate America than I am (not a stretch; I'm pretty cynical).

bredren 6y ago

Perhaps interesting parts will develop as a result of the placement. Tony Hsieh sort of did this in Vegas.

harmmonica 6y ago
Yeah, I think you're right. Totally possible and likely. And like I wrote in another reply Covid may make the "suburbs" everywhere a lot more interesting. That said, not sure the suburbanites want my personal version of "interesting" because I think the suburbs are the way they are because the people who live there like them that way.
dehrmann 6y ago
It didn't happen in Silicon Valley. It has its moderately fun parts, but at some point, people realized it wasn't going to actually be fun and just moved to SF.

lesdeuxmagots 6y ago

They're staying near the domain area, which seems an incredibly reasonable. Relatively accessible via multiple freeways from population centers and the airport, close to many other tech campuses. Larger tech campuses optimize for those sorts of factors far more than where people want to hang out.

ghaff 6y ago
Until relatively recently, there were few sizable tech companies in cities at all. This is true in Silicon Valley, Boston, NYC, etc. My company did add a small Boston office but that was primarily for the convenience of visiting executives from other companies as well as a couple other things that benefit from being in the city rather than an hour outside.
harmmonica 6y ago
Reasonable absolutely. Convenient, sensible for employees easily being able to get to work. Airport is not close considering it's on the opposite side of the city, but, sure, close enough. That said, I genuinely find it interesting that they would put a hotel in that location because of a lack of amenities and interesting things to explore (I'm betraying my attitude about the domain and that area in general, but I would not call it interesting/enjoyable/fun to explore unless you like mega malls and top golf, which some folks do, but people visiting from out of town likely would not when they can just as easily get that back home). Maybe they were even debating whether to include the hotel at all until Covid came along and made the decision for them--the suburbs are the new city centers (btw, I realize they're in the city technically).
- flatiron 6y ago
  I am a contractor that works for Apple (specifically the Austin campus and live on the East coast) and always stay at the domain when I go. I’ve had a few times people convinced me to stay downtown but it’s really not worth the hassle. That being said the hotels at the domain are nice and the lyft drivers know the Apple campus very well.
- _bxg1 6y ago

elliekelly 6y ago

Deloitte has a campus with an on-site hotel in Westlake, Texas. I’ve spent lots of time there but I’ve never actually seen Dallas outside of the airport.