Embassy Suites by Hilton Austin Central

There was plenty of parking, and it was free, even though signs said to pay by the App and the online booking page asked me to buy parking. I chose not to pay. You can also park on the street along the hotel, and the area seemed pretty safe. The hotel is old but well-maintained. My suite had two queen beds and a sofa bed, basically two rooms and one bathroom. The bath was small but worked fine. The atrium was spacious, and the corridors were wide and open. The indoor heated pool and hot tub were a nice bonus, and breakfast was huge and free. A chef even made a custom omelette for me. It was an amazing experience.

My AC never got below 73 even though I had it set to 68, and the toilet needed several flushes to work. The place is dated, but it was fairly quiet despite all the rooms opening onto the huge indoor courtyard. Breakfast was okay. The website says it’s made to order, but it’s actually a buffet with an omelette station.

I had a great stay. Breakfast was great, and happy hour had snacks and discounted drinks. The location is a little outside downtown, but the Uber ride wasn’t too bad. The elevators were a bit small and slow, so be prepared for that. My room was spacious, the bed was comfortable, and I had several pillows to choose from. That was nice since I like a flatter pillow and most hotels only have fluffy ones. The bathroom was a bit dated and small compared with the sitting area and bedroom, but it didn’t bother me. The shower had great water pressure.

We spent the weekend here and were very disappointed, especially after paying around $250 a night. The room looked neat when we returned on Saturday afternoon, with the bed made and things tidy at first glance. But there were visible stains from the previous night still on the sheets, so it seemed the bedding hadn’t been changed. Two pieces of trash we’d left the night before were still under the bathroom sink. It made us question the cleanliness. The service was also poor. On Saturday we called the front desk to ask for water through room service and got a cold, unhelpful answer: free water meant going downstairs to the lobby water station ourselves, otherwise we could buy it at the bar. Nobody offered to help or accommodate us. Then on Sunday around 10:30 AM, both lobby coffee containers and all four water dispensers were empty. It felt like basic hospitality standards weren’t being met. Two elevators were out of order on a busy Saturday, and no one seemed to repair them during the day, making it very inconvenient to get around. Between the service, maintenance problems, and housekeeping concerns, the stay fell short of expectations. Sadly, we wouldn’t choose this hotel again.