From the pictures and some of the prior reviews, I had really thought this would be a pretty decent stay. I had put off making a reservation for this trip and was happy to find a hotel that looked pretty good online. I checked in and they boasted about how they are a "green" hotel and they tell me to stick my card in a slot in the room to engage the AC unit.
The lobby and bar area were pretty good, but first impressions can really let you down later. I entered my 85 plus degree, humid, musty room after a hot ride to the hotel from the airport. I stuck my card in the slot as instructed and awaited the AC to cool the room down. I heard the AC kick in and expected to cool off soon. I took a shower and readied myself for bed. I felt it was a little sticky, but I just attributed it to the hot shower that I just took in the mildew encrusted shower in the bathroom that had no real ventilation. After a couple of hours of still feeling warmer than I thought was normal, I called the front desk and they quickly sent someone up to check the unit. The guy came in, played with the card and ensured me that it should be good from there. It was not.
The next morning I woke up and headed downstairs to get a great cup of Starbucks coffee only to find out that the Starbucks doesn't open until later in the morning after the downtown traffic is already heavy. Needless to say, I left without a coffee that morning as the room coffee was horrible.
I returned late that evening to a hot room again, yet I was so exhausted from a busy day that I just went to sleep. I woke up the next morning in sweat! I asked a friend of mine that was staying at the hotel to stop by to make sure I wasn't complaining for nothing. She came over and said that there was definitely something wrong. This time I called with a bit more frustration and a technician was at the door fairly quickly. The technician told me that this happens all the time and he just completely disconnected the temperature control system and put the unit on the lowest setting with the fan on high. The room was cool within an hour finally.
The service from the technician was great. The front desk personnel could have been a bit more helpful with some of my other concerns and questions, but they weren't outright rude.
I travel to Austin 2-3 times per year and I will ensure that I never stay at this hotel again. That's what I get for waiting to make reservations a little too late! There's a reason that you can probably get same day reservations here!
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