She’s Behind Camp Lucy, a Dreamy Austin-Area Escape
Get to know Kim Powell Hanks, the woman behind the beyond-beautiful Camp Lucy, a resort and spa nestled in the heart of Texas Hill Country. (And get a peek at the swoon-worthy interiors!) Image: Leanne Punshon
World traveler and Texas native Kim Powell Hanks boasts a mile-long résumé — event planner, hotelier, designer, wife, mother, and the co-founder of Whim Hospitality, based in Dripping Springs, TX. If you haven’t seen the stunning images of her Dripping Springs resort, Camp Lucy, and its spa, Folklore … they’re bucket-list material. We caught up with Kim to talk hospitality, her favorite spots in Austin, where she finds inspiration, and more.
You’re a woman of many titles: hotelier, designer, wife, and mom, to name a few. What do you consider your “bread and butter” and the work that brings you the most joy?
My favorite hat I get to wear is designer. I love new projects that allow me to explore the color wheel of fabrics and wallpapers. I tend to lean more toward a residential style of decorating in our commercial spaces, which makes our guests feel like they’re visiting a friend’s home.
Equally, I love when the day is over, and I come home to make dinner for my husband and me. We’re empty-nesters, so we get to spend a lot of quality time together plotting our future.
Our bread and butter is our hotel … it brings us so much joy to share our hospitality with the thousands of guests who visit us yearly. A couple of years ago, we were listed in Southern Living magazine as one of the friendliest businesses in the South … you can see and feel how we love having guests stay with us, feeding them, and letting us care for them.
Camp Lucy is beyond dreamy. Can you tell us the origin story?
Camp Lucy is a family property that was owned by Lucy and Roger Hanks, my husband Whit’s parents. It was a sort of weekend camp for his kids, where they would learn to raise geese, ride horses, build a catapult, and ski on the creek. When Lucy moved off the property, Whit wanted to make the land accessible to others.
About that time, I came along, and that’s where our love story began.
I was a wedding planner looking for new venues when I happened upon Camp Lucy. With its antique Vietnamese halls and churches, I knew it could become an iconic place for weddings. Over the past 15 years, we’ve moved from doing only weddings to becoming a full-service resort by adding a hotel, restaurant, vineyard, and now, a spa. Camp Lucy has evolved, but it has kept its charm and unique personality.
What designers and makers helped you bring your vision for Camp Lucy to life?
I have to give a huge high-five to Jackson McElhaney Architects, Interior Designer Charlotte Smiley, and Landscape Designer and all-around talented carpenter, Paul Smith.
Beyond them, I was influenced by my husband Whit’s antiques and love of folk art. I collected art and antiques for two years for the project, from our travels and auctions around the U.S. I let color and light be the guiding force in design so people would be visually inspired, as well as feel recharged through our services. We have a joyful approach to wellness.
Some of the artists I like to highlight are Andrea Kanishipour, who designed 200 unique 3-D tiles for us, and Paolo Sanduli for his terracotta women with sea-sponge hair.
How would you describe your philosophy on hospitality?
My philosophy on hospitality is borrowed from the Carnation Group out of Ireland. They employ the TNT method of hospitality: Tiny Noticeable Touches. That means every employee is empowered to help the guest achieve their perfect vacation day.
I’ve seen a chef helping a guest with a Wiley suitcase, and an activities curator inking out where to source some of the wallpapers we have on display in our spaces. It’s all about caring for the guests and details that make a vacation special.
Camp Lucy has a sister property in England, The Old Bell Hotel. How did that come to be?
In 2018, my husband and I decided we wanted a little more adventure in life. We wanted to live abroad, but we didn’t want to stop working. Since we love being hoteliers, we thought it would be a fun challenge to open a hotel abroad.
The first place we decided to visit was Malmesbury, England, in the Cotswolds region … mostly because everyone with the surname Hanks comes from this town, which is the oldest borough in England. My husband is a Hanks, and he traced his ancestry back to the 1100s. We loved the town so much, we bought a bolthole of our own, and we spend about three months [of the year] living and working there.
The hotel we bought was actually owned by a distant cousin of Whit’s in the 1860s. So instead of calling The Old Bell Hotel a “sister property,” we call it a “cousin property.”
As someone with endless experience in event planning, what current trends are you loving (and leaving)?
It’s important to create memories and moments of surprise … I love Italian champagne vehicles, meals cooked in front of guests on an open flame, late-night snacks of hand-dipped donuts and hand-piped cannolis to order.
What are your favorite sources for inspiration?
Travel is the best teacher. I’m always searching for color-drenched locations that fill my need to be embraced by all the hues. England has taught me the love of wallpaper and hand-painted walls. My favorites are Lewis and Wood, and Melissa White.
In Italy, I’m inspired by the tile work and antiques. When in Spain, I search for folk art and culinary ideas I can bring back to our restaurants. And of course, Vietnam is where we brought back the antique buildings, which became a signature design aesthetic.
What are your favorite spots to eat, shop, and explore in Texas? Any hidden gems you’re willing to share?
I’m a real sushi nerd, so I love Mushashino Sushi Dokoro in Austin. For design, I like SUPPLY in Austin and the James Showroom in Dallas. For clothes, I like to go to the high-end resale shop Moss or the vintage boutique Feathers, in Austin.
What’s next? Any lofty goals or exciting projects you can tease?
We will be opening a second Folklore spa, but this one will be in England. We’re also expanding Camp Lucy’s offerings by adding color therapy retreats, live fire cooking retreats, and other wellness-based programming.
My lofty goal is to expand our hotels to include another handful of interesting properties where history and design cohabitate. I’d also love to bring our Texas BBQ expertise to England!
LIGHTNING ROUND!
Best piece of advice you’ve ever received: Be a river and not a reservoir. Let good things come to you and move through you to others.
Three things you can’t live without: Travel, K-Dramas, and antiquing with my husband
Favorite vacation destination: Ravello is the place I yearn for … it’s called the “Garden in the Sky.” It’s in the lemon orchard-clad foothills of the Amalfi Coast, which offers incredible views of the Mediterranean Sea, dotted with sherbet-colored umbrellas hugging the sand.
Favorite recent read: I’m currently reading two books: Circe by Madeline Miller, which is about a sun-nymph daughter of Helios. If you’re a fan of Greek mythology, it’s a good read. The second is Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier, set in Victorian England. It tells the tale of an unmarried sister who discovers her passion for fossil-finding.
Go-to gift to give (and where to get it!): When traveling in Italy one summer, I visited the island of Capri. Once I trammed up the cliff to the main street of the town, I stumbled into a jewel box of a shop — a storied perfumery lined with melon-colored bottles, founded by Carthusian Monks in 1380.
Carthusia is now my favorite brand to give because of the story and desirable smell. My pick is Mediterraneo, which has lemon, floral, and saltwater notes. You can buy the brand online and in trendy department stores like Liberty of London.
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Women are doing inspiring work around the South. Meet more of them in our FACES of the South archives!
Alissa Harb
Alissa Harb is StyleBlueprint's Managing Editor, based in Nashville. A lifelong Tennessee native, Alissa has over 13 years of experience in digital media and loves writing about food, travel, and entertaining. She is a lover of dogs, true crime, and ordering for the table.