When Tyrone and Sheree Clark say they do it all, they’re not kidding. The owner/operators live and work at the nine-room hotel and handle every aspect of the guest experience and maintaining the property.

They’ve been proprietors for nine years, purchasing the hotel when it was called the Artisan Inn, which they later changed to Coyote Station. Not happy with that moniker either (“People didn’t know if it was a place for wild animals or a strip club,” Tyrone joked), they rechristened it Round Top Hotel two years ago.

Today, it exists as one of the handful of hotels serving a town with a growing international tourism reputation. And like the town’s other inns, Round Top Hotel brims with family-friendly warmth and genuine, small-town hospitality.

Here are their thoughts about living and working in Round Top:

What makes Round Top Hotel stand out within the diverse hotel options for those visiting Round Top?

Round Top Hotel is great for the affordability, and it has a great location. Just a half mile from the center of Round Top, we are on highway 237, the main road through the middle of Round Top. Ease of access is our greatest selling point for the Antique Shows. Our location is at the middle point of the 12 miles of shopping for the world-famous Round Top Antique Shows.

How do people come to find your hotel? Do you advertise and market the hotel?

We have our own website RoundTopHotel.com and we are also listed on VisitRoundTop.com. Guests are able to book on our website, Booking.com, Expedia.com, AirBnB.com and many others.

Is there any one way to describe your typical guest?

Our guests are from all walks of life. We have a variety of guests stay with us that are riding cross country on bicycles from San Diego, CA to Saint Augustine, FL (or the other way); participants in the annual MS150 event; guests from England and North Ireland, and other areas of Europe; and the famous and not-yet famous during the Round Top Film Festival. We have guests stay with us who are here to see the Painted Churches in the area and that have heard of Round Top and just want to see what it’s all about. We also have wedding parties fill the hotel regularly. A new baseball resort named Diamond Oaks Ranch just opened about 7 miles from Round Top Hotel and we were full with baseball families for opening day and expect to accommodate those guests as they have more events on the weekends.

As a smaller inn, would you say that customer service is one of the ways that distinguishes your property?

Our customer service is fantastic, we live on site and are available to help the guest 24 /7, however I think what distinguishes Round Top Hotel is our contactless check-in. All our rooms have coded door locks. The day of the guest’s arrival we send them a text with the room number, the door code, and some information about Round Top Hotel and the Mercantile Store and what to expect when they arrive.

What are your guests most interested in while visiting Round Top and the local area? What brings them here?

Again, we have guests from all walks of life, some are passing through, some are here to find out about the famous Round Top Antique Show, some are her to visit family, some are here to get away from the major metropolitan areas for the weekend, relax and look up at the stars.

What would you say is the defining thing or feature that makes Round Top so special?

I don’t think there is one defining thing. Round Top’s location is great for day trips from Houston, and the Austin-San Antonio I-35 corridor, or to stay for an overnight getaway. We have great restaurants and shops, and a world class music venue.

In a place that has been “discovered” by the general public, is there a hidden gem in Round Top that most visitors don’t know about?

The Round Top Festival Institute is a performing arts center established in 1971 by pianist James Dick in Round Top, Texas. The main focus of the institute is the Round Top Music Festival, a six-week summer orchestral training program that runs in June and July.

Round Top’s tourism profile is now known globally. How does the town retain its small-town charms while still appealing to international travelers?

Round Top has very strong zoning restrictions and a very strong Architectural Review Board. This keeps the small-town charm while the Hotel and Lodging Advisory Board is engaged with advertising Round Top’s many offerings.

What makes you proud and happy to be part of the local business community?

Mainly the fact that all the business are working to promote Round Top as a whole, everyone is here helping in some way. As the tourist tide of Round Top rises, all of our ships will float and be prosperous.

How do you see Round Top hostelry changing in the next 10 years?

I really don’t see it changing over the next 10 years. I think for hostelry to change, Round Top is going to have to grow during off Antique Show times and be open every day of the week. Currently only a couple restaurants and specialty stores are open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Round Top retail and dining is mainly on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Unless that changes the hostelry will not need to change. However, Round Top Hotel remains open every day of the year to be available and ready to accommodate any guest needing a comfy place to stay.

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