Louisa M.
Yelp
As a Hilton loyalist and frequent guest, the Hilton Austin is one of the worst hotels I've stayed in. It's not the room or the amenities that was the problem, it's the location and its proximity to the local bars and nightclubs. The noise is SO BAD that it was impossible to get a good night's sleep.
I stayed here 6 nights during the SXSW festival, so the rates were crazy expensive. As a HHonors Diamond member, I was upgraded to the Executive Floor, which was nice. The hotel has a small lounge that offers a complimentary continental breakfast and afternoon snacks daily. You could enter the lounge during regular hours to grab a bottle of water or soda, free. A nice perk if you book the Executive Floor.
My stay started off on the wrong foot. It took forever to check in, but not because there was a long line at the front desk (there was not). The employee doing our check-in was acting like a salesperson, trying to get us to pay more to upgrade to a suite. I repeatedly had to tell her "no," but she was persistent about what a "great deal" it was, blah blah blah. FINALLY she gave up, but it was a major annoyance.
You need a room key to get to your floor, so make sure you swipe it in the elevator. And don't even think of trying to sneak into the Executive Lounge without a proper key (and there's an employee to make sure you are eligible for access). The elevators are slow and crowded, so don't waste time if one is open.
There's a Starbucks and a small bar in the lobby, as well as a Mexican restaurant on premises. My husband ate at the restaurant and said it was pretty mediocre, and we had overpriced drinks at the equally mediocre lobby bar twice during our stay. Local bands played live music in the lobby too, which was fun.
The hotel is within walking distance of most of downtown Austin and is steps from the Austin Convention Center, and its location is a huge positive but also a major negative. Parking is expensive, and the hotel is right across the street from bars and clubs that feature LOUD live music until the wee hours. We noticed the noise stopped around 2 am, but it was literally 7 days a week. We were on the 25th floor but still couldn't sleep because it was SO LOUD. I cannot imagine how loud the sound was be from the lower floors.
Our room was comfortable and appeared to be recently renovated. We had a great view of downtown Austin and plenty of room. The in-room refrigerator was a nice touch, and everything felt clean and modern. I didn't like that we had to request housekeeping service, which is an additional pain when you need extra towels, etc. The a/c unit was terrific and kept the room ice cold. I can imagine how important this would be during the hot, humid Texas summers.
I didn't hate this hotel, but I would not stay here again because of the noise. It made my stay absolutely miserable. If you must book here, BRING EARPLUGS!