The Stephen F. Austin Royal Sonesta Hotel

This is not the Stephen F Austin Hotel I remember from years past. I used to travel to Austin frequently and always enjoyed staying here, but sadly, much of the old charm has been remodeled away. The unique character of the old rooms, including the tiled bathroom fixtures, is gone. Above the second floor, the hotel now resembles a generic corporate chain. While the location is excellent, I found the overall experience disappointing and overpriced for the level of service provided. There was no turndown service, no robes, and the shampoo dispensers in the shower felt more like something you'd find in a budget motel. Housekeeping had to be requested, and when I did ask, the staff member seemed noticeably irritated. Additionally, the valet service seemed expensive for the area. Unfortunately, the combination of these factors has left me feeling that this is no longer the exceptional hotel it once was. I don’t think I’ll be staying here again in the future.

Wonderful place..staff is great..friendly and helpful. Restaurant the Roaring Fork and the breakfast cafe were excellent..restaurant is larger than it appears!! Wait staff were great! Outside balcony area in the bar..very fun to sit and sip outside. Room was samll but that was the only bad thing I have to say..beds were great,coffee and tea available in room,did I say the beds were great..maybe the most comfortable I have had. Great location Would highly recommend

This historic downtown hotel is located far enough away to escape the mayhem of 6th Street that was hopping during our stay, which included the final day of SXSW and St. Patrick's Day. Sonesta appears to be prioritizing maintaining the historic charm and elegance of the first high-rise hotel in Austin, which opened in 1924. The Deluxe King Suite that I booked for my brother and I gave us each separate sleeping quarters and bathrooms (one shower). I was impressed by the comfort of the pullout sofa and by how soundproof the suite was. When my brother arrived in the middle of the night after a late flight, the heavy french doors shielded me from hearing any of his fumbling around! I took advantage of the spacious and clean fitness room that provided refreshing cold towels! There was a great variety of newer equipment that appeared to be well-maintained. I dined at the attached Roaring Fork Restaurant twice because it is a gem and quite convenient. At the end of a busy day of touring, we relaxed and enjoyed the sounds and sights, including a wonderful view (that includes the Capitol Building) of the heart of downtown from the second floor terrace, which is part of Stephen F's Bar & Terrace. Though costly, the Valet Service was excellent. The manager is wise to staff the gateway to the hotel with such pleasant and competent team members.

I decided to take in the full experience of SXSW by staying at the historic Stephen F Austin Royal Sonesta Hotel since close to many activities like the movie premiers at the Paramount Theatre located next door. I valeted my vehicle where the parking attendants were super nice. They do not have a system to use either a QR code or text message to tip them so cash is the only option. The check-in process was quick and the front desk attendants are very professional and even remember your name. Unlike the new modern hotels downtown this one was a classic and elegant. The room had that wow factor full of luxury along with a huge bath. There was a nice view of the skyline, mini fridge, couch (pull-out bed), and separate vanity. The hotel has access to a pantry store, the Stephen F’s Bar and Terrace which is one of my favorite bars in Austin, Café Fuller where I enjoyed morning breakfast, and the Roaring Fork where I had dinner. They do have a fitness room and indoor pool & spa. The area around the hotel is very safe. Overall had a great stay.

A Pleasant Experience, on the whole. A nicer room than expected, although many people would find it small I don't because I'm British. I thought the decor was a nice mix between modern and old. However let down by noisy air conditioning that kept us both awake. No amount of fiddling with the settings would get it to the right temperature it was either too hot or too cold. The bar area was very swish and I thought that was a nice touch to the hotel. However, the pool area did look a little bit shabby and in need of redecoration. It just wasn't the standard of your average four star hotel in it's decoration. That being said, I did appreciate having the pool to myself to exercise. However this is something I'm finding in all American hotels - no one's ever in the pool EVER?! In a British hotel, the pool is full early AM & late night with guests exercising🤷‍♀️🤔! There was also a nice powerful hot hot tub, which was very enjoyable, especially on my own! I found the food quite expensive in comparison to its competitors, as we ordered room service. The burger was generous size portion, but it wasn't cooked to how my friend had requested, and they had specifically asked well done medium rare etc etc Check in was swift, and the receptionist was pleasant and thorough. However, a little bit too thorough. I'm going to mention this because I think a lot of people will actually see this as a positive, especially if you are are maybe business person with a public profile. Myself and my 'friend' FWB😜 had literally checked in 20 minutes previously and she saw he was with me, she chatted to us both. 20 minutes later he went down with my Amex as we couldn't work out how to order room service. She refused to serve him because he couldn't remember my surname, despite having Just seen me with him, and him in possession of a hotel key card (* as a funny side note I should be thanking her because it then opened up a delicate conversation about, as my clown couldn't remember my family name after 5 yrs of knowing me on & off, that would have been very difficult to start without that Trigger🤣🤣🤣) However, that aside I do think that is EXCESSIVE security levels, and I didn't really appreciate having to put on clothes and track down to reception to get our din-dins. As said, however a lot of people would find this security element a bonus. I have an issue with people's obsession with security in general, I mean we live in orwellian 1984 times now and you just have to accept it, is my approach, otherwise it's all too much of a hassle and an admin! I absolutely love the CitizenM down the road, where we usually stay, and can't wait to try The Fairmont. Although this isn't a bad hotel I would definitely choose those other hotels over this. Apologies for any obvious typos or grqmatical errors from my voice to text software and my being too lazy to correct them. ❤️