Element Austin Downtown — Hotel in Austin

This review is geared towards the valet service more so than the hotel itself. The hotel staff was friendly and great. Although I was disappointment in the room size, I was understanding that I booked the room the same day.

However, I am extremely disappointment in the valet service attached to the hotel. My firearm was stolen from my vehicle during my stay. When I noticed I left my firearm in my vehicle I called down to the valet and ask if they could bring my vehicle around so that I may retrieve my firearm that was left in the holder adjacent to the driver-side seat. The individual on the phone reassured me my vehicle was in a secured space with ongoing monitoring, cameras and staff members that patrolled that garage which was a Rookie Mistake on my behalf.

Once my vehicle was brought retrieved the next morning, I immediately notice my firearm was missing. The staff member on duty tried to convince me that they’ve never had any items missing before and more importantly, that their staff would never take what didn’t belong to them. To make matters worse, he continued to tell me that the garage was a public parking garage, and their company (Towne Park) does not control security measures which contradicted the previous statement.

I was extremely disappointment with the Element Austin staff when I called and asked to speak with someone about my incident. I was informed that the valets services is contracted out and has nothing to do with the hotel. Which is ironic because I paid to stay at the Element at Austin Downtown and my valet bill was added to my stay at the Element at...

UPDATE: The hotell staff resolved the booking issue and the stay was excellent. Excellent location very close to the capitol and 6th street, clean rooms and nice breakfast, they also have wine/beer avaialble in the lobby on the evenings. No self parking and valet parking is expensive like $60 per night with in and out priveleges but it is the same with most of the hotels in downtown. You might find cheaper parking garages nearby, we didn't have time for that.

BEWARE of third party sites. I haven't completed my stay, the review is for the booking process, will update it after I complete my stay. I booked a last minute NYE trip through hotels.com. The total price was $90 less on hotels.com compared to the marriott website so I booked through them. This hotel does not have free parking and the only option is valet. While booking, I was given an option to accept a higher room rate to include parking and I chose that. The receipt does not show parking as a separate item because it is included with the room rate and it clearly says free parking. When I called the hotel, they don't recognize the free parking and do not honor the commitment from hotels.com. I called hotels.com and they spoke to the hotel and I have wasted lot of time trying to resolve this issue and it is still not resolved. Lesson learned the hard way, DO NOT choose any extras if you book with third party, there is no guarantee the hotel...

Whenever I’m in downtown Austin, the only place I will ever be staying at is Element. When I say they go the extra mile, I mean it. For starters, the front desk staff were all warm, welcoming, friendly, and accommodating. After hearing about our nightmarish trip back home, Johnathan (the supervisor) gave us a complimentary room upgrade and talked to me for 10 minutes about my interests before recommending a multitude of restaurants and bars within walking distance to check out. When we got up to the actual room, the space was very clean, the bed was comfortable, and the city view was incredible (also bonus points for being an eco-friendly hotel that uses energy efficient lighting and recycled, ocean fishing nets in their flooring). Overall, great location, great staff, great room, great stay. I’d highly recommend this hotel if you’re ever in the downtown...