Austin Marriott Downtown

Ricky made sure things were in place before we arrived, and his quick, helpful communication made planning easy for my fiancé’s birthday stay at the Marriott Downtown Austin. At check-in, Lily was training Owen. She was warm and professional, offered us an upgrade, and let us choose where our room would be for the celebration. Owen was just as welcoming, walked us to the elevator, and told us about the property. Dre and Zanzibar also helped make the birthday feel extra special. The service was outstanding all around. We’re grateful and can’t wait to return!

The layout of the Austin Narriott downtown is beautiful and relaxing, and the hotel feels very luxurious. The rooms are small, but the beds are comfortable, they’re quiet, and the views are spectacular. The 7th-floor rooftop bar has stunning ambience, and the pool and cabanas are just as impressive. Check-in was easy, and the host walked us to the elevators. Loaf & Vine has sandwiches, coffee, and plenty of convenience foods; it was still serving prepared sandwiches at 10:45pm on Friday, which was great. Corrine is an onsite restaurant, and the food was incredible. There’s a $25 daily experience fee at Austin downtown hotels. I think Austin imposes it, but Marriott gives you $25 a day in food and beverage credit. The fee also covers a few attractions, upgraded WiFi, and free drip coffee each day at Loaf & Vine. I’m a hotel snob, and Marriott really got this property right.

We went for a getaway weekend and would stay here again, and recommend it. After two nights in our first room, we’d had enough and moved because water came hot from both the hot and cold taps and the shower. Letting it run only helped a little, so showering with just hot or warm water was difficult. We were on an upper floor facing away from the river, but every night around 1-2 AM, street music or maybe protests woke us. There was banging and chanting for about an hour, and we could hear it through the windows. The hotel handled the room problem really well. We’re higher-level Marriott Bonvoy members, which may have helped, but they moved us to the presidential suite for our last night. It had two bathrooms, a full living room and dining room, a small kitchenette, and a huge soaker tub. It was far more than we expected or needed, but fun for the night. That was an outlier, though, and not what they’d do for everybody, so I can’t give the typical rooms high marks with their odd layout and other issues. The king room itself was a reasonable size, but you have to walk through the bathroom to get to the bedroom: sink and mirror on the left, shower and separate toilet on the right. Barn-style doors separate the bedroom and toilet, and their big gaps don’t offer much privacy. With two people, one can be showering while the other walks through the bathroom to get coffee, then opens the door where anyone passing can see in. The sheets weren’t fitted and pulled out as soon as I got into bed. Ventilation was poor, so the whole bathroom got humid after a shower, and you felt it coming back into the room. The location is very good for a downtown stay, with lots of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs close by. 6th Street and the Capitol building are easy walks, and Uber, Lyft, and even Waymo were easy to find. We mostly walked and felt safe. The hotel looks modern, clean, and nice. There’s a well-stocked lobby shop with snacks, food, drinks, and sandwiches, three separate bar areas, and an onsite restaurant that gets good reviews, though we didn’t eat there. Marriott elite members can use the “M” club for free breakfast and evening snacks. The upper-level rooftop bar has a tiki-style setup and lots of seating, though it gets crowded on weekends. There’s also a nice-looking rooftop pool and lounge. We didn’t use the workout facilities. We were told Austin charges hotel guests a $25 daily “visitor” fee on top of the room and taxes. The hotel gave us $25 in daily credit for the food shop, bar, or restaurant, which was nice.

Ricky made check-in our best yet. He upgraded our room and gave us helpful, polite recommendations for food and activities in the areas we were considering. He was professional and just a great person. The hotel was beautiful, clean, and well maintained. We had a corner room with a wonderful view of the river and city, and the lounge was clean and stocked with snacks and drinks. The coffee machine was out of order some days, which was the one downside. There’s a great rooftop pool and bar, along with bars in the lobby. The hotel and its location are extraordinary, within easy walking distance of lots of good restaurants and bars. I can’t say enough good things about it. We’ll definitely be back!