Austin Motel, Austin

The room was basic but nothing special. There were bugs crawling on me when I layed down to sleep. the towels felt like sandpaper. Would spend the extra money and stay at the San Jose next time

You've heard people say "Keep Austin Weird", well, the weird is here and in full force. This quirky, cute, fun motel is old school Austin at its best. The location alone makes it an amazing deal, with some of Austin's funnest shopping and food all within walking distance. If you want the "local" Austin feel instead of a touristy visit, the Austin Motel is a must! The staff was very friendly and helpful, even delivering towels fresh from the dryer to my room at 11:30pm. They were always really easy to talk to, helpful and accomodating and made me feel right at home. I drove in at 1:30am on a Friday night and there was a cheerful, helpful girl at the front desk who was not put out at all by our late arrival. The rooms themselves are funky and old, just like the motel itself. Sure, they're basic, they don't have mini-fridges or dvd players or a spot to hook up your laptop, but come on, who goes to Austin to sit in their room and work the whole time??? This place is exactly as advertised: funky, retro, fun and unique. The prices range from $75 to $158 depending on the room, and for this location and its authentic Austin vibe, I think it's a hell of a deal. This is NOT your Hyatt experience, and anyone expecting such will be disappointed. I stayed in two different rooms in the motel and loved them both. I happened to like the quirky 50s bathrooms and found the beds quite comfy. I also found it quite refreshing that even when the motel was fully booked, I never heard a peep from any of the surrounding rooms. I didn't even hear the road traffic or club noise coming from Congress! The pool is fantastic--clean, bright, retro and a great place to spend a sunny afternoon in Texas. It was hard to tear myself away to go shopping down Congress, and I find myself daydreaming about it still! I plan to eventually stay in every single room at this motel, and I wouldn't stay anywhere else in Austin!

Why would people just focus on the negitive? I came to the Austin Motel based on a friend's advice and was not disapointed. The place is almost 70 years old-and has charm and history. I found the staff to be human and helpful and they know their city. They do not treat you like a tourist. They are well aware that they are not the 4 Seasons. My room was clean and I never saw a bug but did see the 2 motel cats around. I liked that it remined me of my grandma's house and the price and location were great. I will visit again, recommend to friends, and hope that this place will be there for a long long time.

For me, this place worked primarily because the location was very close to family I was visiting, but otherwise I would be unlikely to stay there. The room was relatively clean, though the towels were rough and cheap. The rooms are very plain, lack refigerators, microwaves or coffee makers. There is no internet access. The shower heads are cheap little jobs and the water can't decide if it wants to fry you or freeze you. You know, it's a cool little place, quirky with murals in the bedrooms and heated tile floors in the bathroom. A nice touch. But the staff does seem a little full of themselves, and are a bit snobby in that "I'm too cool for school" sort of way. They could be much, much nicer for what they charge. The best thing about this place is the fat cat that lives there. Also, they don't give AAA discounts (what hotel doesn't do this?). And, frankly, $95 a night for double occupancy for what was basically just a bed, toilet and shower seems overpriced. Still, if I visit Austin again I will likely stay here because it's location is good. Nearby are very good coffee stands, ice cream parlors and pizzeria. And it isn't the most disgusting place I've stayed in Austin. The Super8 on I-35 holds that distinction for me.

We just got back from a great stay at the Austin Motel. It's too bad the other reviewers weren't impressed by the staff - they definitely didn't meet the same great people that we met. We talked to at least 6 employees over our stay and they were super friendly and helpful with recommendations, calling us cabs, etc. The room was clean and comfortable. It's a renovated 1938 motel, so it's not going to be like a brand new place. The antique furniture was cool, and the A/C unit did well versus the Texas heat. Our bed was comfortable, we slept well. The pool is GREAT! It's large and deep with a nice area around it populated with local plants. The South Congress area is amazing - great food, drink, and music is all right there. A couple of recommendations within a stone's throw are Jo's Coffee for, you guessed it, coffee, and Guero's for great Mexican food. We're definitely going to go back to Austin and to the Austin Motel!

Headback was broken and the place had roaches in the bathroom - big ones! cheap and convenient otherwise pay the extra twenty for someplace else.

Talk about rude people, they act like they have a chain of "W" hotels, the guy at the front desk was completely rude and put out by having to help people. Once we got the key to the room, when got in, it was very plain. The bathroom was not the cleanest and I'll say I expected a little more for the hype surrounding this place. We stayed at the San Jose Hotel, nice environment and nice people, spend your money there instead!!

The people at the desk seemed annoyed by having guests. Except for one person, the staff seemed irritated by even the most innocuous questions. I would be unlikely to stay here again although I thought the whole place looked very cool and it was inexpensive. I'd rather stay someplace where the staff wasn't so unpleasant.