Chip & Joanna Gaines opened a hotel in Waco, TX.. do we like it? 

Chip and Joanna met in college and I think their vision has always been to put Waco on the map. They are are about full employment for their home town. Gotta give them credit for that.

Not Paige not wanting to admit to herself that she actually wants to go to Waco for fun and she will enjoy every second of it. 😂😂

resident of texas here ☝🏻 i went to their hotel in nov to celebrate a birthday (i live 3 hours away from waco) and it was nice! as a longtime observer of fixer upper, it is definitely very apparent just how much joanna's design style has changed from where she started. it felt a little too magazine-y to me, felt more like a store than an actual living environment. (i immediately felt that specific areas were prime locations for millennial instagram pics yk) i can't talk to the actual rooms, but i just went to the restaurant on the first floor which was very cute! we talked to one of the waiters and he told us how he's been working for c&j for years and that they are very loved by their staff and occasionally stop by the hotel to greet everyone. speaking on their transformation of waco, as a casual visitor, it does make me sad to see how neglected a lot of the areas around their establishments are. it's a very old city with large low-income areas so if you go expecting the entire city to be like what c&j advertise, you'll be disappointed. the restaurant waiter mentioned this, that a lot of the city does not approve of their work because of how they attract tourism to their own businesses while smaller local businesses do not reap those rewards and usually have to close down. this can also be seen in the actual housing market that while c&j helped w new developments, older residents were not able to keep up with increasing prices and were forced to foreclose/move out. it's a nuanced issue because you could also argue about how many jobs they have brought to the city, but i personally think that c&j have good intentions behind their work. edit: if you plan to visit, i would also suggest to keep an eye out for specific college events (football games, graduations, etc) since baylor university is only a few minutes away from most magnolia establishments

I gotta say I really respect that Chip and Joanna do most of their renovations in their hometown so that their reputation is out for everyone to see. They really put Waco on the map for the rest of us Americans not living in Texas or the Southwest

The bangs are def banging now

They stayed at the Hotel Emma a couple of years ago when I worked there and looking at the end product of their hotel, you can see they took ALOT of inspiration from hotel Emma. The library, the design of the bathrooms, the design of the rooms, even having a signature scent. This tickled me

Alcohol is actually a liquid depressant. Most people are unaware of this fact. Impressed you have figured that out from experience. Excellent self-awareness.

A trip to the Marlton Hotel (or other hotels) in NY to see a really good example of a consistent/quality design style, would also be amazing! 💕

I'm here for whatever direction you choose to go in Paige, knowing it will be entertaining, informative and humorous.

If you go, don't go in July thru September. As a texan, trust me. The heat is no joke, especially if you're not used to it.

Beginning of the video: I’m not someone who would go to Waco End: I need to go to Waco

The Apple TV show "The Curse" does a great job at lampooning Chip & Joanna and the whole HGTV/social media hero thing. It's so uncomfortable to watch.... but brilliant.

I’m really excited for your channel in 2024. Sounds like you have a lot of cool stuff in store for us!

I agree, Paige. Itsso sooo close. I was wanting more art deco touches (lighting/shapes) n less modern. Peace girl. Was happy to see ur face. Happy New Year Sister! I need to order a bag! lol

Oof, I relate to that sad feeling alcohol brings, I guess it brings out what we keep pushing back or try to move on from. Hope you have a great year!! Can't wait to see what you do this year ✨

If you go to Waco, visit Style Station, a mind blowing vintage store just north of Waco in the middle of nowhere. Also, the owners of Style Station are long time Waco residents and will give you the locals perspective of Chip and Joanna. It’s pretty interesting.

43 turning 44 in a a month and I can tell you sis....alcohol free life is the way to go ( I know it sounds boring, but its much better not to get that sadness )

They are for sure a nice couple. But am I the only one who thinks they are both creepy?

you need to do a travel video on waco texas (i commented this before you said it 😭) but you totally should and go fully into it and try to meet them too

You should definitely tour it all!!

Tbh I think C and J changed their style bc they're no longer the taste makers they once were. They pretty much defined "modern farmhouse" and pushed it into over saturation. The reaction against that style has been so intense and ongoing for years, that I think the rise of Neotraditional and warm, rich tones resurfacing is part of the pushback against the cold, white/black/gray C&J modern farmhouse. Now they have to play catch-up with what's popular, so they're kinda riding on the coattails of the return of neotrad.

There are a lot of Moroccan design elements/motifs in the original architecture (front door and windows) seems like they could have thoughtfully brought some of that into the interior design. But it was beautifully done. I like all the dark walls and drama that creates - very nice for a hotel.

"This is why you clicked on the video, to look at the hotel" - no way Paige! I clicked for you cause I love hearing your thoughts and I will watch anything you make ASAP! ❣❣❣

The Silos is a fun visit! They also have a restaurant in Waco and there are other things to check out like the Dr. Pepper museum, Waco Surf, and a few other spots. Just with the small town feel. It’s only 1.5 hours from Austin and 1.5 hours from Dallas (it’s in the middle) so you could tack it on to a trip to either of the major cities.

You actually recommended Magnolia paint to me and I’ve used three of their colors for the interior of my house. Their paint colors are fantastic!

The windows in the 1928 are spectacular. Thanks for this peek, Paige!

Happy new year 🎊 looking forward to the new endeavors this years!!:)

SO EXCITED for the chicago pop up!

About to watch the video but have an idea for you Paige - looking through Ikeas new collection and rating it/giving advice on what you’d buy. The textiles are actually really fun and unique, I was pleasantly surprised.

So excited for WAS shower curtains! I've been living with a Walmart plastic one waiting for this announcement.

Happy new year Paige! 🎉

I’m so excited for the shower curtain launch!!

They are cute, gotta give them that. My mom is one of those people who went to Waco for a ‘vacation’ to see the Silos/shops/coffee shop etc … now I have a large white plaster fern thing hiding in my guest room closet that she gifted me from there. lol

Oaige if you go you have to go when the roundtop antique fair is happening you would love it and it’s only about 1.5 hour drive from Waco.

If you go to Waco please take Kate! Also I was thinking... if you're going to tour things maybe you could start touring some hotels in LA? I live in Australia and have only been to LA once when I was younger and dgaf about interior design, so it's just as cool for me to see LA spaces as to see Chip and Joanna Gains spaces.

So excited for the shower curtain launch! How can I make sure I see a preview before the drop, so I don't miss out by being indecisive? ;)

Can’t stop thinking about “The Curse” when I think about Chip and Joanna

These are my all time favourite videos to watch ❤

we definitely need to see you on the road! :)) field trip to waco!!!

Local to the June Motel and can confirm that they have very few bookings (especially in the winter) Their restaurant Heydays is paying the bills but unfortunately the food is not that great to sustain them in the long run.

Would love a vid of your fave hotel decor (the hoxton, the marlton, etc)

I'm sorry but that house flip at 3:45 is a CRIME

you're saving my Sunday evening !!!

Oooo the event space reminds me of the renovation that Lamb & Co did to their historical event space in Washington. Their show called Unsellable Houses would be an interesting review/reaction video. They seem to do a lot of “different styles” that end up looking the same…I’m not always impressed with their “upgrades”

The library is an exact copy of the old Nomad library, which is considered one of the most magnificent spaces in New York City. The Nomad library furniture may be higher quality, but it looks identical.

YESSS!!! Renovations & decor!!! YESSSS 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

You two should definitely go to Waco! I went with my mom and sister last summer and it was a lot of fun (even if you’re not a Chip&Joanna super fan). There’s a lot of other fun spots in town, too.

Please do a wedding video on what decor/ venue/ vibe you would do 😭 asking as a newly engaged overwhelmed girlie

YES..... GO! Would love to see that video. I hope you do more videos.... I just like hearing you talk. It's like hanging out with a friend. You talk like a normal person, not some curated you tube voice......you and Caroline are my favs.

Now I really want you to go to Waco Texas and do 'in person' review of their projects!

I call that the “drunk shame” it’s this weird thing that happens with alcohol ☺️ I’m still here for the videos, I live in Southern California, but was just up in Canada to see my family, where my sister showed up to our breakfast with your WAS new bags! Wahoo🛼

Unrelated to their hotel but i just moved Chicago (Logan area) and Ive been bingeing your channel to get ideas for my place. Soo ready to see more videos from you about what to do for 2024 and more episodes of COTFH. Also curious if you have any secret or not so secret shops here in Chicago that i need to look at for vintage furniture and decor??

i love when you review like shows. would LOOOVE to hear your thoughts on hollywood houselift they do so many projects its quick

I found myself agreeing with your observations. You articulated your opinions a lot better than I would have, though! Have fun when you go to Waco.😊

I enjoyed this episode. I like seeing photos of design.

Would love to see a video on lighting and your favorite light fixtures! Have you ever considered doing a dedicated video about lighting?

Would be very interested to see how you'd decorate/furnish the hotel to make it really shine!

paige go to waco challenge !!!! i would live for that video

guess they are running out of "farmhouse" decor (thank god!!!) we can only hope they refine their future decor to a little more sophistication. On another note: nice save to restore that building. Room pricing is out of whack...you are 90 min to Dallas & 2.5 hrs.+ min to Houston-San Antonio Austin areas ..nothing else to do there in "Waco"........alcohol depresses your system, Paige...that is why you felt down for a few days.......Happy New Year!!..the Year of the Dragon! Love the Marlton

Yes you should tour it is fabulous. You will love the cupcakes at the bakery they are worth the trip.

It looks great ! I think people who are a road trip away would definitely visit. It's a new road trip destination I feel

As someone who regularly has to go to Waco, Texas for work, I am happy to see more development there 😄

looking forward to you decorating others’ places!!

Love this video (as usual), the sound quality was grating though.

You should go. The design of the spaces in the stores was fantastic. The church is renovated. The town is interesting. The town tour was fun. The food was very good, loved it myself. Waco is an experience. ❤

Hey Paige - What do you think of the Firmdale hotels in London UK? Sometimes a little too pattern-y for me, but there are some great colour palettes and a wealth of design elements to be enjoyed.

Go to Waco the same time Roundup antique show is going on. It’s 2 hrs away so doable. It’s the best antiques show and would make a great video

The building is absolutely beautiful❣Yeh, that aerial shot of the library really brings home how the furnishings/decor let the space down🤨 They ruined their hardwork, what a bummer!

Yay you are back. All is good in the world again.lol

Would love to see you tourthe Gaines’ Waco establishments, and if possible, interview Chip and Joanna☺️

you need to have a waco week! go down there, a couple of tours, maybe contact them ahead of time to see if they’re down to give you extra access, and do one big episode. who knows

I really am loving what they did with their boutique hotel. ❤

They are a crashing bore any why would anyone want to go to Waco ❤

it does look so target... but love the marlton! used to go there for coffee all the time. even though i should have booked a room i'm too cheap to have stayed there since i lived a couple blocks away lol. also love anything by liz lambert, especially her personal marfa casita.

Yes you should go to Waco and check it out. I went in June with a friend who is all about chip and Joanna. It didn’t matter that much to me but I went and was super impressed and now I want to go back. It’s such a cool place

Waco person here. Yes, they have done some good here, but the gentrification is a real issue. Our housing market here is crazy and tourism in downtown is ridiculous. 🙄 Good luck keeping your house or buying in or around the county, especially in the city, as property taxes and values have jumped to by leaps and bounds. Before c&j, you could get a really nice house from 20k to 60k. Now, you can only find a dump that isn't liveable for 90k. The downtown area has definitely benefited, but the lower income community immediately around the Mag Bubble has been pushed out of their homes. I hear from tourists all the time how there is nothing to do in our town after visiting Mag. The town is growing, but if Baylor isn't playing, there isn't much to do or see here.

Love your stuff, Paige! When you're critiquing, I'd love to hear more about why you think something is bad. You spoke a lot about the furniture, light fixtures, wallpaper, decor, etc. being bad, but I'd love to know why you you don't like something. I'm still training my eye for design, so explaining exactly what isn't working and providing a solution would be super helpful for us who are still learning!

They missed the chance to go hard on art deco.

Go to Waco! That would be fun to live vicariously!

YES fly out! You’d be a hoot like always! I’m all in like always 😊

Please do the Waco trip!

I would love to see what furnishings you would put it instead! To get a feel for how it could be better

Recos for hotels in Chicago? Might try to head over for the pop up in June.

This couple are actually geniuses; Mostly people in the world don't like to have unique style, Mostly people actually love following trends. So their style is money maker 😊 I think if they were not in it for the money they would probably have a very well designed home/spaces personal to themselves

You and Kate should totally go stay there for a more in depth review. Also, it would be super chaotic and maybe bad but you should consider staying at the June lol

Paige can you please do a review of the new ikea products ? Thanks

Last year my roommate and I took a long weekend trip to Austin and then made a day trip to Waco. It was super easy and a great way to see Waco without having to take a whole vacation there 😉

I totally agree with the furnishing/ decor bringing the vibe/ effect down, but the bad photo was a render not an actual photo

My sister and I drove 18 hours to Waco 6 years ago. Absolute fun! You gotta go. Avoid the Spring Marathon Run, everything is booked and 3x the cost!

If you go to Waco . You should try to go to Round Top antique festival while you’re here . Lots of people from California are going to round top . Which has actually caused the prices at Round Top to go up . Enough on that . Come to Texas. Love watching you Melody from Texas

Some of the shows on magnolia network are honestly really good, I was surprised

I don’t know how to feel about C and J, on one side you read a lot about how the renovations they’ve done weren’t properly built, and how they’re pushing out the locals due to property tax increases. Feels like they took over the town.

You and Paige should definitely go to Waco and film all of their properties, bakery, the Silos, blah blah blah. I am sure you won't be the only person filming. From what I understand there may not be a direct flight into Waco but you can deal with that. Your insight regarding "Gainestown" would be enjoyable. You are Paige Wassel - you should be able to call Joanna direct and get a hotel room booking soon.

Here for Wassel in Waco

I don't know how you do vintage in a high traffic area that would need to be replaced continually. They did use antique tables and storage pieces. I also think the pendant lamps might have been a nod to the original use of the building. Shriners/masons. I think for a hotel their has to be a practical solution for some things

surprised you didn’t comment on the sofa at the end of the bed!!!

It would have been nice to see them embrace some art deco furnishings mixed in with some more modern pieces. Same with the colour scheme and the lighting fixtures. It looks nice enough. I’m glad they renovated an old building with character and history. They’ve got something going on, like McGee and Co when it comes to the housewares and if you’re looking for a sleeker, more polished catalogue look … well, they’ve both done that really well. It’s pleasant. It feels warm and inviting. But ya, agreed. It’s still like a catalogue. Or a showroom.

How did you hear about the Marlton Hotel in NYC? Have you stayed there before?

the rooms are named after some of the big streets in waco

They use that furniture to stay on brand with the furniture they sell at target. It’s cross branding and really smart. They’re thinking about finances I’m sure they’d choose other items if it weren’t for the brand