South Congress Hotel

The location worked well for us, with lots of restaurants nearby, but a usable mini fridge would have been handy for leftovers. The one in our room was packed with drinks, so there was no room for anything else. We were told there are no rooms with two beds, and swapping the sofa for a sleeper sofa would make sense. We also missed having coffee in the room, which is standard at many hotels and can affect where guests choose to stay. The room itself had a lovely style, beautiful hardwood floors, and brass bathroom fixtures. The divider made the large space practical, with a sitting area on one side and the bed on the other. The bed was extremely comfortable, though the low-sloped chairs weren't. I'd suggest replacing one with a standard upright chair. We can't return because we prefer two beds, or a bed and sleeper sofa, along with in-room coffee and a usable mini fridge. Hope this honest review helps.

I was there for a wedding celebration. The front desk service was excellent throughout, but the lighting was poor at the workspace, and the unusual fixtures had no obvious switches. I guess that's part of what they mean by a boutique hotel. Others in our group mentioned hot water problems, which I didn't have until this morning, when there was no hot water just before I left and wanted a shower. At these prices, the hotel needs to do better.

South Congress Hotel used to be one of our favorite places, but after this Saturday I'm not sure we'll return. My husband and I had our staycation honeymoon here, and it became our first and last stop on South Congress for a rare date night. We'd park in the convenient garage, stop for a drink and remember our mini moon before dinner, then come back for downtime at the lobby bar. This time, staff gave us cold looks and no greeting when we arrived. After dinner, we came back to the front doors and were met with more stares and no welcome. A small bald man eventually stood in our way and confrontationally asked why we were there. When we explained, he said the lobby was closed. We asked to take the elevator to our car, but he told us to walk around to the garage entrance and moved toward us to herd us away. That entrance is a sharp ramp with no pedestrian walkway, so you have to walk where cars drive and shimmy around the security gate arm. It felt like we were paying a premium for inconvenient parking, and it was a lousy end to our date night and our last memory of a place tied to happy milestones. I understand there may have been a private event in the lobby, but was treating loyal long-time guests rudely necessary? Could they have handled it another way? There was no sign or staff warning us when we arrived that the space would close later. In my opinion, this was a bad misstep, and nobody on staff provided a redeeming service experience. Even if we aren't hotel guests, plenty of other Austin hotels would treat us respectfully. I'd rather spend my money there. It's sad that this place is soured for us now.

The staff were friendly and helpful, and both the hotel and bar are fantastic. Also, this couch is literally the best couch in the world. I'm giving one star only because, as a Tesla owner, the car's charging map doesn't make it clear that parking will cost $48.