Hotels Near Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods in Austin

I am currently staying at this hotel due to a conference and I cannot wait to leave. I knocked off one star because as soon as I entered the room, it had somewhat of a musty smell. I have sprayed Lysol and perfume around the entrance (where the smell comes from) but it still lingers. The remote felt sticky and I also cleaned it with Lysol to use it. The rooms are dimly lit and the hotel in general is very outdated. I knocked off two additional stars because of the bathroom. It was just gross and dingy. It’s dimly lit, the toilet seat looks like it was peeling at the top, but the worst was the bathtub. I found a hair in a corner. The water can come out very hot, which I don’t mind, but the water would not drain in the tub while showering. Nothing probably Drain-O wouldn’t fix I think, someone else also reported the same problem a few floors up. It was just uncomfortable. The bed linens also felt a little itchy. I had to double check there were no bed bugs but I confirmed it was the linens. I mean, if you are looking for a place to stay, at the price, you can find other cleaner hotel rooms. Overall, it’s made for an uncomfortable experience.

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.

I arrived at the Stephen F Austin Royal Sonesta at 2am after a delayed flight. It took 20 minutes for me to check-in due to issues with the hotel computer system. It might have been worth the wait, because I was upgraded to a suite. But I'd say that the suite was quirky: two rooms, nice furnishings, but no amenities. For example, the bar area in the living space had a sink but no accessories or drinks that you might expect to find on a bar. I fell asleep at 3am, and was woken at 8:45am by construction noises directly behind my bed. The noises included loud voices, drilling, banging, and scraping. Even with top-of-the-line ear plugs, it still woke me up. When I reported this issue via text message, the hotel manager looked into it instantly. He was on my floor talking to the hotel engineers by the time that I left my room. The manager recognized that I was the guest who had complained about noise, and apologized. He let me know that the work was supposed to be completed later in the day, and expressed sympathy for my rough morning. The manager set me up with some perks that made my stay more enjoyable and made up for the bad experience. So, all's well that ends well. The rest of my stay was good, especially because the hotel was in a really convenient location -- walking distance from my business meetings, restaurants, and tourist sites.

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.

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)

The staff is exemplary: both Rose and Patricia took care of my transportation needs from and to the airport. The service is a breeze as you need to have a Smartphone and be able to use Lyft, the ride sharing service. They take care of that for you. Breakfast was very quick after you fill out the order, and the attendant will have that ready for you in no time. I stayed in room 301 during my stay and it was very clean and had no issues with the bed or internet. There are plenty of channels to choose from on the television. Servicing of the room is on-request only. I did ask for the hotel to be serviced on Sunday, but the housekeeper did not come by. I realized that it was Super Bowl Sunday, and most likely had to get home to watch it. There is a small refrigerator in the room, which is always handy and convenient. I did order food from one of the local restaurants, and the driver did leave it at the front desk without amy problems. i had a few issues with billing, but the staff resolved them then and there; no need to wait for the general manager. The staff is empowered to make your stay comfortable. Property cleanliness in and around the elevator in the evening hours were ok; some debris in the elevator when I returned to the hotel on Sunday night, but other than that, it is a clean hotel. Although I did not drive during my stay, there was ample parking in the lot with designated ”Diamond member” parking near the entrance. I will definitely return and stay because the staff (Rose and Patricia) is friendly and professional.

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.