TRANSFORMING a run-down motel INTO A VIBRANT DESTINATION

When the Reel Em Inn clients first approached Lake Flato with this project, they joked they’d “bought a pier that came with a motel.” The previously dilapidated motel sited on the water’s edge of the Aransas Bay needed more than just basic repairs, and what ensued was an incredible collaboration to transform this adaptive reuse project into a lodging experience that’s the first of its kind in Rockport, Texas.

Completed at Lake Flato Architects - more photography here

  • Location
    Rockport, TX

    Ground
    Coast

    Program
    Hospitality

    Intervention
    Adaptive Re-use

    Size
    4,500 sf

    Services
    Architectural Design

  • Design Architect
    Lake Flato Architects

    Interior FF&E
    Robinson Rose Studio

    Landscape Architect
    Campbell Landscape Architecture

    Brand Identity
    Overstory

    • 2024 The Architect’s Newspaper Award Honorable Mention

Designed to be an elevated yet casual retreat for visitors and families, the motel was updated with a contemporary coastal aesthetic both in the exterior and the interiors. Wood decks and cabana-like shade structures create outdoor areas for visitors to relax, unwind, and enjoy the connection to the water, creating a unique lodging experience. With larger windows to bring in more daylight and showcase the waterfront view, a thoughtful selection of finishes and furniture, and customized Reel’ Em Inn branded accents throughout, the result is an adaptive reuse success story – a “pier with nine rooms.”

Photos by Ashley Heeren

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