Hampton Inn by Hilton Austin East Side 5th Street

I'll start by noting that this is handily the nicest Hampton Inn I've ever seen, in part because it's quite literally almost new, and doesn't seem to be drawing much guest traffic as of yet. At the same time, it's also one of the most oddly located hotels I can recall seeing – and I say that as a one-time professional hotel critic. (I couldn't even hazard a guess how many I've stayed in, but it's over 500.) Just for context: I live in Austin, and as it so happens the Hampton Inn is about a 10-minute walk from my apartment. (Since I'm a hotel nerd, I've stayed in most of Austin's at some point.) At least until this one, the Hampton Inns I've seen were largely or entirely "either-or": a given property was either a standalone, basically cookie-cutter design in suburban areas, small cities and along various highways, or it was an urban "mid-size" tower which I'm putting in quotes because that usually means at least 10 stories. (The Hampton Inn in downtown Austin is 16.) I watched this place being built from the ground up, and I was admittedly quite surprised when I saw that it'd be a combo Hampton Inn / Home2Suites development. (The latter was built simultaneously in a separate building.) Reason being: the surrounding area has a severe shortage of apartments to rent, and up until shortly before it opened, the development had no signage of any kind. (Like others, I assumed it was another apartment building or something.) And while East Austin in general is trendy, there aren't any restaurants or bars particularly near the hotel. Further, East Austin remains very much hit-or-miss: the area has million-dollar homes within two blocks of public housing projects. This is true for the hotel as well. I do NOT mean to infer that public housing is automatically "dangerous," or even that East Austin has a "crime problem." My point is that the immediate surrounding area is quiet at night since it has no retail business, restaurants or bars, and particularly if you're not familiar with Austin, I'd definitely avoid walking to the hotel via either E 4th or E 5th St. Finally, there are several nearby boutique hotel options that don't seem to cost much more (at least at this writing), and are all better-located. The East Austin Hotel and Arrive Hotel are both on Sixth and further west, closer to the area's restaurants, bars & nightlife. The Heywood Hotel is a true boutique on Cesar Chavez St., and it & Sixth are where 90% of East Austin's things to do are located.

Very nice new hotel enjoyed a good night sleep. Everyone was nice and friendly. Location is great close to downtown and not as pricey!!! Shoutout to Felipe and Sonia in breakfast area great service!😀😃😀 We parked out in street felt save 😀

Sonia in the morning breakfast dining room was amazing. She made the trip so wonderful such a joy to see her every morning! And also the head manager Kristin, I nicknamed her sunshine! I was at the hotel for 2 weeks highly recommend it! All the staff was so nice in the morning. Breakfast was delicious. The rooms were very very clean and new.

This is the ONLY hotel we will stay in from now on. It is fairly new, only open for about 7 weeks. The staff at the desk are BEYOND friendly and welcoming. The breakfast was amazing. Our room was so cozy and clean. It was just soooo nice all the way around I could not be happier & so glad we found this hotel. 10/10 recommend!

We had a great time staying at the new Hampton! The service was impeccable, the staff members were friendly, and overall, they were very helpful in every regard. As an individual with a disability, it’s always great seeing accessibility and ample space in the rooms. Mariah took care of us from check in to check out, and went above, and beyond to make sure we were comfortable!

Mariah provided excellent service on my first trip to the East side Hampton. The rooms were beautiful and the service was impeccable. You would’ve thought that I was the only person in the hotel. What a great way to start my stay. I only had my trip planned for one night, but I wish I had stayed a few more days. I didn’t know what to expect as I drove up to this Hideaway that’s tucked away by train tracks and a gravel one-way road.

We enjoyed the service and atmosphere. The beds were so comfortable. I loved that there was covered parking witt security. My family and I will be returning here. The staff were pleasant and friendly. Highly recommend others to stay at this location.

Superb location - highly recommend walking to east 6th street for dinner or drinks. Also, I was pleasantly surprised by my room - it was more spacious than a typical Hampton. I will definitely be back (next time with my swim suit) to lounge in the courtyard pool area. Overall 10/10 - quality, service, location all top notch.