Sonesta ES Suites Austin The Domain Area

The rooms had the amenities we needed, and the hotel was clean. Staff were also very accommodating. I took off a few points because breakfast had the same menu every day with little variety, and housekeeping only comes to the rooms once every seven days.

We stayed for a week and had no complaints about the service or anything else. The beds were amazing, breakfast was on point most days, and everything was clean. It's kid friendly and pet friendly, with plenty of stores nearby.

I never found room 230 or saw inside it. After walking around and having several doors close behind me, I felt uneasy and unsafe and decided to leave. There was dog poop in the second-floor hallway, and when I told staff, they just shrugged and said, “Sorry, we have dogs here.” There was also no air conditioning above the first floor, so the upper levels were hot and uncomfortable. The online photos made the place look much nicer than it was in person. I paid nearly $200 through Priceline. When I asked about a refund, the hotel said it couldn't help because I'd booked through a third party. There didn't seem to be any real effort to fix things. The front desk clerk gave me a small package of snacks while I waited outside for an Uber to another hotel. I looked back at the reviews afterward and realized I'd missed warnings about cockroaches and poor room conditions. I'd already had doubts about booking, but decided to give it a chance. I hope this isn't everyone's experience and the hotel can improve, but read the reviews carefully before booking. For me, the stay was unsafe, uncomfortable, and a waste of nearly $200.

We had a great four-night stay, starting with Mike Redonice at the front desk, who welcomed us to Austin as soon as we arrived. He shared local sights and places to visit, then had a list of highly recommended restaurants printed for us the next night. It was a really nice experience.