Hotels Near French Legation State Historic Site in Austin

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.

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.

Came to town for a concert and chose the Hilton for its proximity to Moody Center and lovely photos of the property. From the moment we pulled in and were greeted by the valet staff, to checking in with Chris Hartfield (sp?) at the front desk, we knew we’d picked the right place. Chris was very welcoming and even worked to get us into a larger room which was not available online. He was so kind, gave us information to help us with our evening around town and made us feel at home. Our room was clean and spacious, the decor was nice and beds/bedding was very comfortable. We chose to take a Lyft to the event but took a nice walk thru Austin on the way back to enjoy the city. Highly recommend and wish we could have stayed longer.

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 :)

Stinky room and hotel!!! I will never go back to this hotel ever I was not impressed with anything at this hotel and for the price they charge you can get sooooo much better with free food drinks etc, I know cause I stayed at another one 15min away from there! The only thing I can say that was good is it was a very quite hotel, I only stayed one night but during that time it was very quite and the guy did change our rooms immediately because of the smoke smell

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. :)

This hotel has all the basics: spacious rooms, comfortable beds, very decent continental breakfast, and everything works. However, it is in desperate need of a face lift - new carpets, upholstery, etc. There is a strong smell of ”old”. We went first to a Target to buy air freshener which we used liberally in both rooms all three days we were there. If you can deal with that, this hotel provides good value.

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!!

The hotel staff were extremely helpful whenever I needed information. The complementary breakfast served in the mornings was a lifesaver and included in the cost of the room, not an add-on and with lots of choice, like scrambled eggs, sausage patties, pancakes, cereal, etc. The bed was very comfy and the 3rd floor room was very quiet. The water was nice and hot when taking a shower with lots of water pressure. The hotel room included a fridge, microwave oven, Keurig machine and a comfy couch. Bathroom included towels and all the little things like soap, shampoo, etc. This hotel is very close (About a $12 cab ride) to the Via Fortuna office complex. About a $45 cab ride from the airport. Room rate was reasonable considering I got a single king sized bed and a large room. The hotel room was very clean. Would highly recommend.

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