Hotels Near Cathedral of Junk in Austin

In the words of Bette Davis, “What a Dump.” In its favor, we had a nice view of Lady Bird Lake from our window, which was pretty to wake up to, and the water pressure in the shower was great! The bathroom seemed partially updated and was pretty decent. Free parking, too. There were a few HBO channels on tv. However, the hotel is very dated and not very clean looking. The indoor parking garage was filthy and was dimly lit. Didn’t feel very safe in there, so we parked in the outside lot whenever possible. No greeting from the night time desk clerk when we came back from dinner, as she seemed to purposely be avoiding eye contact with us (she wasn’t on the phone or busy with someone else). The elevators were very smudgy and too dark, also. The beds slumped a bit in the middle, the linens were old and tired looking, and the chair in the corner looked worse than some I’ve put by the curb. An old leak on the ceiling was poorly patched up, and there were stains on the desk chair, carpet and walls. The door to the adjoining room didn’t provide enough sound proofing, as I heard our neighbor’s phone convo loud and clear. The pool area didn’t look very inviting, as there were no umbrellas or trees to block the strong sun. We wanted to stay in downtown Austin to be within walking distance to things, so this was the least expensive option. But not much could be walked to from there, and the area it was in was a bit sketchy, so we ended up taking Ubers, anyway. We had booked our last night at a hotel in the Arboretum area, because this one went up to a ridiculously high amount for Friday night (music festival in town), and it ended up being just as convenient to take an Uber from there (15-20 mins) to downtown. Plus, the hotel was much nicer and way less expensive. Live and learn.

Cambria is a newer hotel amidst the redevelopment projects taking place near Rainey Street, a historic landmark of homes turned into entertainment venues. Cambria is opposite side of the spectrum with innovative decor and relaxation. Note that parking costs 49USD per day with valet access only. We chose not to rent a car based on our needs in Austin. Came to visit my son and his family with my eldest son, so we wanted to have some options near nightlife activities. Local drivers shared info on the changes made to the nearby historic street, and staff was friendly with all needs. The water statiins were a plus. Where I think Cambria can improve is in the price of the rooms, menu items and operation hours of their lobby bar/roof bar since staff was short during our stay. Walking to the entertainment street required the back alley short trek, and that aspect took away from the lush atmosphere of the hotel. Grafitti and Limestone hotel venues can easily adjust their marketung strategies towards in-house entertainment along with the Valet arrangement to flow more smoothly and affordably. It’s a lovely hotel which can become full circle staycation with a few adjustments regarding that aspect. New business developments working alongside grass roots businesses is key to smooth changes for both visitors and long-time locals. The pool atmosphere is great, the gym is clean, and the first floor waiting area an easy meeting spot.

We opted to stay on Rainey based on what Rainey was like in the past. However, we didn’t realize that this is the new site for redevelopment in Austin, so a lot of the charm of Rainey is being replaced by high-rises. The hotel did provide early plugs in the room to help block out construction noise, and for that I was super thankful. The hotel sent the typical welcome text earlier on check-in day. We checked in online and opted for a digital key because we’d arrive after midnight, and wanted to go straight to our room. Upon arrival, our digital key didn’t work at the garage or at our room. We went back to the lobby and waited a while without anyone coming up to help. After yelling “hello,” to try and get help, an employee came to the front desk. It wasn’t the typical welcome, as they seemed kind of put out about us being there - but hey it was 3 am so I can overlook that. After getting us regular room keys, I asked if my digital key would work now too. They shared that the digital key system was new and had not been working. The welcome text really should have mentioned that. The room smelled off when we arrived - almost like BO. Possibly it was from someone cooking onions in a nearby room, but it was just as pungent then next morning.. When we got the “how was you stay text”, we mentioned the smell. The front desk staff was helpful and offered to have housekeeping go by and freshen the room. When we arrived back at the room that evening, there was an aerosol odor-ban food smell remover spray on the table. Nothing else was done and the room smell was just as bad. Same smell on the day we departed. Our room was on the 16th floor so possibly other areas were not as bad. If you do opt to stay here, it is not terrible. Set your expectations lower as it is more like a Choice Hotels brand stay than a Hilton family stay. Also if you reserve the one bedroom king and plan to have your kids stay on the sofa bed, know it is not paid out like some other Homewood suites. The sofa bed is the same, but the only way to access the bathroom is via the bedroom. Also, the sink and vanity are not separated from the bedroom by a door and the shower is the old tub insert shower combo. So if your kids are teens and stay up later like ours do, just get two rooms. The place really needs an update all around to be up to be we usually experience at a Homewood. Hopefully it is up for one soon as the location is great. We’ll be booking at the Hilton instead when returning to Austin, though.

This hotel is good, with an outdoor swimming pool, it is still open at this time, and the breakfast is ok. Personally, I prefer fitness, the gym is OK, and overall I am satisfied. 🔔Service: Well, the self-service printer is not easy to use, the front desk helped to call, the people are very good. 🍃 Environment: OK 🧹 Hygiene: OK 🚗 Transportation: OK

Big clean room, comfy bed and the breakfast was also good. Nightshift-staff was really welcoming. But it would be good to mention in the hotel description that the airport-shuttle stops at 11pm. Anyway we can recommend and would book this hotel again. :)

Unfortunately my husband and I will not choose to stay at this hotel again. (We stayed recently overnight in late March, 2023, before catching a plane the next day.) Pros: the staff working the Night Shift upon our arrival was courteous and tried to be helpful, and the morning breakfast was acceptable. However this did not make up for the hotel’s shortcomings which were numerous—as I will outline here. Cons: (1) the microwave had no plate and was therefore unusable until shortly before we checked out, when at last someone located a replacement plate. (2) the carpet was dirty with visible stains (3) the window shade would not open properly (4) the very heavy dishwasher door fell open unexpectedly several times, once hitting me (hard!) on the leg. (this was especially concerning since the dishwasher is installed in the entrance to the room and one must walk past it to enter or exit the room) (5) the dishwasher leaked water onto the floor, posing a slipping hazard (the water was hard to see ) (6) there were unsightly yellow stains on the bedding of one bed (7) no toaster was provided (8) the water coming from the two faucets smelled and tasted like mold. After returning from our trip we outlined all of these problems in an email message to the manager on duty, but we have never received any sort of reply from him. (We tried to reach him several times by phone before we left the hotel, but he could not be reached)

To begin, the atmosphere is lively! I am a lively person, but being there for business I was sad that I didn’t have more energy to truly enjoy the experience. This is a great hotel for a bachelorette or weekend getaway for sure! First, the front desk ladies are super friendly and welcoming— they also provided a poker chip for a complimentary drink. The bar was great as well and I thoroughly enjoyed the signature cocktail. The bartenders were very nice and accommodating. On to the room... small, but honestly, the cleanest room I’ve ever seen! It reminds me of European rooms which are small, but the fun isn’t in the room, right?! Very pleased with the comfortable and clean room. I’ll certainly return for pleasure on the next round :)

Front Desk Shante was a delight!! EVERYTHING a guest needed to know about the hotel and surrounding eateries was right there! I showed up road weary and was greeted with a beaming smile, fantastic disposition, and unchallenged professionalism. The room was clean, quiet, loaded with the necessary amenities and downright comfortable. The proximity to the Capital was a huge plus for a Monday morning commute!!

I wish I could review this hotel with 0, but unfortunately I cannot. I am currently having the worst hotel experience of my life and, I must say, I have been around the world. Today I realized that I slept on a pillow that has an urine stain on its pillow case. Urine. Someone else's urine. I am not sure what is going on with the hotel, but I forgiven the dirty sticky room carpet, the elevator out of service, but URINE on the pillow case is beyond unacceptable. It is a sanitary problem. The front desk attendant in silence looking at me does not help either. I just want to get out of here as fast as I can and never come back!

It’s a little far from downtown but very convenient to the highway, so it’s not a dealbreaker. Super clean. Price was right.