ARCHITECTURE AND HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
A locally run hotel since 1959, Bob Harris of Lake/Flato Architects reinvigorated the Thunderbird’s classic ‘50s horseshoe shape and interior courtyard for its 2005 reopening. The renovation transformed the structure into a model of modern design and livability while maintaining the original hotel’s bygone feeling of leisure.
The Thunderbird is everything a small hotel should be, providing privacy, hospitality and stylishness without pretension. With its pool and pale blue exterior reflecting the desert sky, a sensation of light and spaciousness pervades. Stands of native plants and cacti anchor the hotel in its environment, and a latticework of salvaged oil-field piping shades the breezeways and poolside lounge with orange honeysuckle vines. Careful landscaping, attention to detail: the Thunderbird is characterized by a wealth of inviting spaces.
SETTING
The Thunderbird is located in Marfa, a small West Texas town (population circa 2,300) and county seat on the northeastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert. Nearly a mile high, Marfa is immediately surrounded by stark, mountainous desert. It is some of the country’s most spectacular terrain. Many find the beauty and dramatic weather of this remote corner of West Texas to be its greatest draw. The town’s reputation as an arts destination began with Donald Judd, a pioneer of minimalist art who made Marfa his home as well as a site for his large-scale installations. Marfa today is internationally recognized by art collectors, critics and historians for the select group of gallery spaces and exhibitions that have followed since Judd’s arrival in the early ‘70s.
GUEST ACCOMODATIONS
Furnished with comfort in mind, the remodeled Thunderbird guestrooms adhere to principles of good design and clean, modern aesthetics.
Inside each guestroom, a fusion of light, wood and concrete textures awaits the visitor. Pecan wood furniture reflects the natural ambience. Smooth floor-to-ceiling doors swing into capacious guest bathrooms, revealing a translucent window perfectly framed behind them. Select work by internationally known, Marfa-related artists and photographers and artists like Terry Allen and James Evans adorns the walls. The hotel is more than just careful design standards and attention to detail, however. The disciplined lines of Thunderbird guestrooms are balanced by a sensitivity to relaxation and privacy. From recessed lighting and cowhide rugs to custom-made platform beds and writing tables by artisan Jamey Garza, Thunderbird guestrooms suggest a place of inspiration and uncluttered retreat.
There are two types of guestroom. Queen Standard guestrooms are furnished with a queen bed, chairs and a small writing area. Queen Standard guestrooms are available with private or semi-private patios; second floor Queen Standards offer gracious views of the town and surrounding area. Queen Daybed guestrooms include a queen bed, chairs, table and one daybed (which is slightly larger than a twin bed). The Queen Daybed guestroom is a good option for families or guests looking for more space and additional sitting areas.
Each of the twenty-four guestrooms open into the vine-covered breezeways shading the Thunderbird’s courtyard. With handcrafted patio chairs and stools outside each room - and the hotel’s landscaped grounds and pool beyond - a refined aesthetic sensibility pervades the guest experience at the Thunderbird, inside and out.
THUNDERBIRD AMENITIES
Continental breakfast is included when you stay with us Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. We serve locally-roasted Big Bend Coffee as well as Austin Street Cafe muffins and a variety of baked goods, fruit and juices. Enjoy breakfast in our newly converted guest lounge where you can access free wi-fi and enjoy playing selections from our vinyl library.
Custom-made furniture by Jamey Garza
Platform beds with Peruvian Frasada blankets and Indian cotton sheets
French Jielde lighting & Blown glass hanging lamps
Recessed lighting with remote dimmer switches
International art collection
Digital climate control
Televisions with DVD players
iHome Radios
Cable television
Oversized bathrooms with subway-tiled baths
Hair dryers
Malin + Goetz bath products
Minibars with specialty beverages and organic and locally made snacks
Complimentary coffee
Wireless & High speed Internet access
CD Library
DVD library
Vintage Stack-O-Matic record players and vinyl library
Vintage typewriter
Bike rentals
Swimming Pool Access
Thunderbird Retail
THUNDERBIRD SPACES
Swimming Pool
The renovated Thunderbird swimming pool is accessed from the courtyard. Inside its low stucco walls and ocotillo fence, guests will find an oasis of privacy and sunlit leisure. An arbor of ocotillo (whose orange bloom adds fiery color in the spring and summer) shades the poolside lounge area and its over-sized mesquite table. Guests can recline in the Oaxacan-made patio chairs that dot the poolside. Palm trees and the cobalt sky overhead, a refreshing swim just steps away: this is the high desert at its finest.
Guest Lounge
The Thunderbird Guest Lounge offers a private space for guests to retreat that is light and airy and filled with work produced by local artists. In this space, we offer complimentary continental breakfast on Friday, Saturday and Sunday - you’ll get the rare treat of enjoying fresh-baked goods made for us by Marfa’s favorite Austin Street Cafe, an assortment of yogurt, fruit, freshly-brewed and roasted coffee from Big Bend Coffee Roasters and orange juice. If you’d like, the Front Desk is happy to pour you a glass of wine or beer. You may also play records on our Stack-o-Matic record player selecting from our eclectic vinyl collection. We also offer complimentary Wi-Fi. The Guest Lounge is open during Front Desk hours.
Thunderbird Retail
Along with many local and unique items, Thunderbird Retail features an expanded assortment of the amenities that are stocked in guestrooms. Woven Peruvian Frasada blankets, Red Flower candles, Malin + Goetz hair and skin care products, organic snacks, coffee from Big Bend Coffee Roasters, wine and champagne, Lomo cameras, and cowhide rugs are available alongside a selection of Thunderbird memorabilia.
UPCOMING AT THE THUNDERBIRD
The large adobe structure across the street from the current Thunderbird offices represents the last phase of construction at the Thunderbird. Originally built by the Army for Marfa’s Fort D.A. Russell, this World War One-era storage hangar would later see use as an addition to the former Capri Motel. Now part of the Thunderbird property, the site’s restored roofline and plan mirror the two hangars at Donald Judd’s neighboring Marfa residence.
Refurbished with consideration for Marfa’s unique architectural flavor, this space forms a dramatic new component of the Thunderbird experience. The site is as much a private outdoor haven as it is the culmination of the hotel’s renovation. Outside, the structure is surrounded by extensive xeriscaped grounds, tree-shaded seating areas and fireplaces. Lit by expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, guests will find respite in a lobby and front desk area imbued with the Thunderbird’s understated aesthetic. An expanded bar - as well as a catering kitchen, event spaces and private dining areas - broaden the renovated Thunderbird’s cutting-edge vision of desert hospitality.
LOCATION
The Thunderbird Hotel is located in Marfa on West San Antonio/Hwy 90. Marfa is approximately 200 miles by car from El Paso and Midland, 440 miles from Austin, 530 miles from Dallas, and 600 miles from Houston.
The large adobe structure across the street from the current Thunderbird offices represents the last phase of construction at the Thunderbird. Originally built by the Army for Marfa’s Fort D.A. Russell, this World War One-era storage hangar would later see use as an addition to the former Capri Motel. Now part of the Thunderbird property, the site’s restored roofline and plan mirror the two hangars at Donald Judd’s neighboring Marfa residence.