Falling Glass and a Missing Hostess at the Shuttered W

Hard times at the W: the hotel has temporarily shuttered after glass window panes fell to the ground for the third time yesterday. The first time the glass fell, it landed in the pool and injured two people who are now suing the W as well as Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

Of course, this means Trace and all of the hotel's bars are closed until further notice, as well. The hotel intends to replace every glass balcony panel on the building before reopening.

Meanwhile, the body of a former Trace hostess who went missing in May was found in air ducts that lead to Perry’s Steakhouse. Police believe she got stuck while trying to get inside the restaurant to speak with a friend and don't believe foul play was involved.

Here's a press release from Stratus Properties about what the hotel is doing to maintain safety in light of the glass debacle:

W Austin Media Statement by Beau Armstrong, CEO Stratus Properties

Today as you know, another glass balcony panel at the W Austin building shattered in place and fell, breaking two panels directly below, and sending glass into the pool area, which was closed. The entire team here at the W couldn’t be more devastated that this has occurred, but unfortunately after consulting with numerous experts we still do not know why this has happened.

So here’s what we’re doing. We are replacing every piece of balcony glass on the building. To do this safely we are working with the City to:

1. Shut down several lanes of traffic around 3 sides of the building. This will mean some delays on Lavaca, Third and Guadalupe until the panels on those sides of the building can be removed. We apologize for any inconvenience but our first priority is public safety.
2. Close the sidewalks entirely around the building until protective pedestrian walkways are installed.
3. We are also working to relocate current and future hotel guests, and closing the hotel until further notice. We’d like to thank our local hotel partners in advance for welcoming our guests and helping us during this difficult time.

We have experts and the City of Austin on site to ensure this work is done safely and as expeditiously as possible. Safety is our top priority.

Again, the entire team is devastated by these incidents, and we apologize to our hotel guests, our residents, our neighbors, and to the City. We will make this right.

· W Austin Hotel Closes Until Further Notice After More Glass Falls [Statesman]
· Lawsuit in For W Falling Glass Incident [KXAN]
· Police: Body of Missing Woman Found in Building’s Air Duct [Statesman]