Had to attend a conference at the Austin Convention Center and thought the Hilton next to the convention center would be a good choice because I've stayed in a few before and they were quite nice. Unfortunately, I was a bit let down. The room felt a little unclean (ie, I wasn't thrilled about walking around barefoot) and the noise level was ridiculous. Over the weekend, it felt a little like the Las Vegas of the south; I saw at least three bachelorette parties leaving the hotel to go out (and was privileged to listen to one half the night before they got busted). The walls are thin and the room doesn't have a fan of any kind (bathroom or temperature guage).
And what a stingy place! Everything was extra, including the workout facility, which is extremely unfortunate because the weather here is absolutely horrific this time of year, which makes going outside prohibitive. I suppose it's fairly normal to pay extra for internet, but I've traveled a lot (including to some really top notch hotels in way bigger cities than Austin) and their workout centers were free. What a total rap.
The restaurants downstairs are unbelievably overpriced, even more than in places like New York and DC, and the food isn't that good. And finally, I'm a big fan of local coffee shops, but it's quite a walk to get to any of those from here.
Overall, pretty sub-par experience.
It's unlikely I'll patronize this place ever again.
hotel reviews