Zanzibar, Austin Marriott Downtown: Rooftop Sun Shades Seven Floors Up, Twice
Zanzibar is the rooftop bar and pool deck on the seventh floor of the Austin Marriott Downtown, a turf lawn under big fans with the skyline on three sides. The west side takes the afternoon sun and the wind off the river. White Lodging asked us to shade it without closing it, on an expedited schedule ahead of the hotel’s opening. Four motorized screens went in during November 2020. They asked us back for the south side in 2024.
What we built
- Customer: Zanzibar at the Austin Marriott Downtown, Austin, Texas, owned and operated by White Lodging, who also brought us to Canopy by Hilton in San Antonio.
- Phase 1, November 2020: 4 motorized high-wind sun shades in flat black Nano 97 mesh with bronze hoods and tracks, each 185 inches wide by 168 inches (14 feet) tall, on three new bronze 4x4 posts. About 860 square feet.
- Phase 2, January 2024: 3 more motorized shades on the south patio, 124 to 208 inches wide and 150 inches tall, same mesh and hardware, on new 4x4 posts. About 530 square feet.
- Controls: remotes for each phase, with the screens grouped so staff drop a whole side at once.
- No clear vinyl. Shade, glare and wind control with the view intact.
Before and after
Before, the deck was a cable rail and a long drop to Cesar Chavez Street, with nothing between the loungers and the west sun. The screens hang from the canopy steel between new posts set in front of the rail, so with the screens up the deck looks untouched, and with them down the lawn becomes a shaded room with the skyline still showing through the mesh.
Six steps, June 2020 to January 2024
- June 23, 2020: quote for the west side, four screens and three posts.
- October 7, 2020: expedited to a six-week lead time so the deck would be ready for the hotel’s opening.
- October 8, 2020: design consultation on the roof, every opening measured to the canopy steel.
- October 9, 2020: into manufacturing. Shipped October 26 on a dedicated truck.
- November 5, 2020: installed by our crew.
- November 2023 to January 2024: the south patio. Deposit November 13, design consultation December 1, into manufacturing December 28, installed January 10, 2024, signed off January 13.
What made this one different
Height and schedule. A seventh-floor deck in downtown Austin gets wind a ground patio never sees, so the screens are the high-wind version with keder tracks that hold the mesh at both edges, and the posts are set to carry a 14-foot drop. The first phase ran from order to installed in four weeks on an expedited build so the roof would be ready for the hotel to open.
The second part is the relationship. White Lodging came back three years later for the other side of the deck, has had us up for service each season since, and brought us to its Canopy by Hilton in San Antonio in 2026. That is what a rooftop job is supposed to turn into.
Specs
| System | Motorized high-wind sun shade, keder-track retention, 7 units in two phases |
| Fabric | Flat black Nano 97 mesh, flame-rated to NFPA 701 |
| Largest unit | 208 inches wide (2024); 168 inches tall (2020) |
| Wind rating | Warrantied to 65 mph, deployed. Nano 97/99 shade mesh within size limits is wind tested to 110 mph. |
| Warranty | 5 years on motors, 3 years on workmanship |
| Lead time | 6 weeks expedited on phase 1; about 8 weeks from deposit on phase 2 |
| Installation | Our own crew, both phases. Outlet locations only; we do not do the electrical. |
Ready for a number on your patio?
Tell us about your space and we'll come back with a design and a number. Commercial projects only — $10,000 minimum, installed.