Embassy Suites by Hilton Austin Central — Hotel in Austin

We travel with the state and hadn't stayed here in over 6 years. We couldn't pass up the rate and honestly speaking I did check out the positive reviews. I decided to give this hotel a change to wow me and boy did it! When a hotel lets you pick your rooms online and keeps you posted on your stay that's a great start! Location is centrally located so it made it easy to get to downtown. The neighborhood seems a little sketchy when you first get there but we had no issues at all and the inside is beautiful. It's right off the intersection so we could jump on 35 and go anywhere. It's paid parking around $12-$15 bucks. We parked in the front and again had no issues. I don't remember seeing in on the website but it would be great so we can add parking and have it set up already as part of the booking. Just my two cents but no biggie. Now, fast forward to the check in. First, of all the hotel inside is beautiful. It's decorated very modern. It's extremely clean too. Let me just say the front desk folks won me over! From Mark checking us in to the young lady that continued to attend to us during our stay. We checked in and Mark greeted us with a smile and OMG he made us feel like Triple Diamond members instead of just a Tier 1 member. Mark and the front desk folks 5 Stars! We checked into the rooms and noticed one of the fridges wasn't working. Immediately maintenance was in the room checking it. Nothing was wrong it just needed to be set. Maintenance 5 stars! The rooms were super clean. No dust at all. No issues at all. The rooms seem to be somewhat updated especially the great beds. Slept through the night and woke up with no back pains. I brought my own pillow so can't comment on the pillows. There is carpet everywhere but felt like a composite rug and not a shaggy type. I'm sure it's because of the pool. The rooms are spacious. We had two rooms both 2 bedroom suite ( 2 queen beds and a living room area) with TVs in each room. Lots of channels to choose from too. Bathrooms are spacious with decent showers and all updated faucets and fixtures. Lighting on the dim side but open up the curtains and all the natural light comes in. Housekeeping 5 stars! We did roam around the hotel and they seem to have a decent work out room and pool. Didn't have time to really inspect but will at the next stay. We had eat lunch downstairs ( not at the restaurant) and did notice flies. I'm not sure if it's due to the heat? NO where else did we see them so I'm blaming it the 110 degree heat or the spicy food we were eating :) Breakfast: Talk about a great selection. It's definitely Embassy Suites standards. We can't complain about the food. We were full. Everything was so clean and the plates were being picked up as soon as someone finished. I would love to see if refried beans and flour tortillas could be added to the menu :) lol I can't complain, bacon, eggs and toast was enough for me. The omelets seem to also hit the spot with my family. Checkout: Easiest check out ever! Mark also took time out to thank us for staying at the hotel and again was super genuine with his words. We've never had someone be so tentative to the guest. I give the front desk folks 5 Stars and Mark 5 stars and 2 high fives!! We can't wait to go back and experience again such amazing service and perks! I highly recommend it based on price, cleanliness, location convenience but mostly the front staff and Mark! Best customer service we've received and we travel a lot. I'm a super picky person and so is my family....no one ever complained one bit. Thank you...

We decided to stay at Embassy Suites Austin Central because we usually have great experiences while staying at other Hilton Embassy Suites. Day one of our stay started off terrible because when we entered our room the furniture was falling apart, holes were in the wall, and the bathroom floor was dirty. After changing rooms; we gave embassy suites a second try. In our new room we discovered the following issues. First, the room smelled like sewage and this odor was coming from the bar sink in the living room. Secondly, we pulled out the sofa bed for the kids and found gold fish snacks underneath. Thirdly, the TV's did not work and it would state error 771 no signal. Fourth, on our third day of stay we requested for the room to be cleaned and when we returned to the room the only thing housekeeping did was gave new towels. The beds were left unmade, trash was still in room, and the floors were left not vacuumed. Fifth, we found crickets all around our room. At night they would make loud chirping noises which freaked my kids out. Sixth, when you arrive they inform you that you have to pay $14 a day for self parking. However, there are additional fees on top of that $14 a day that you will also have to pay such as tax, service charge, and a credit card fee. This made our total for parking increase by additional $20 for our entire length of stay. This amount is paid to another company by the name of propark mobility. You would think that paying this amount the parking lot would be patrolled for safety and security in addition to it being patrolled to look for vehicles who may have parked in the parking lot without paying the associated fees. However, this is not the case. For on our fourth day of stay our vehicle was broken into and our belongings was stolen. The hotel stay informed us to report the incident to 311. After doing so, we asked if the security cams in the parking lot were functional. The staff informed us that the cameras are for show and do not work. The safety and security of the parking lot was one of the most frustrating issues that we encountered. Seventh, the A/C in the hotel room do not work. The only thing that works is the fan. Eighth, the mini fridge in the room is falling apart and needs to be defrosted. A build up of ice and frost was running down the back of the fridge from the small freezer at the top. Ninth, there is only one laundry room in the whole hotel with 2 washers and dryers located on the 2nd floor. The washer and dryers were non-operational during our stay and have been non-operational for at least 4 months prior to our stay (according to a review from a previous guest on another post). Tenth, the breakfast was ok besides all of the flies flying around at the buffet but at least they have lids to cover the food. Eleventh, the gym was a good size but it does not appear that they perform routine maintenance on their equipment. My final words of this review is to recommend that before booking a stay at this hotel please do your homework and research on rather or not this hotel is a good fit for you and...

This week we stayed at Embassy Suites on Interstate 35 and 290 in Austin. I love Embassy Suites. I’ve been choosing them when possible for the last 35 years.

I paid for the room through Priceline and got it for $100. When we arrived, we were informed there was a $6 (actually nearly $9) parking fee (in other words, a nearly 10% additional charge than what I had been led to understand).

OK. Here comes my rant:

It was only a $9 additional fee, but it felt more like $90 in additional frustration! I told the clerk that we were not informed ahead of time about this charge. He said he was sorry, but that was Priceline’s fault, not Embassy Suites’. In other words, “pass the buck.” I ask if he could wave the fee and he said unfortunately he couldn’t. To add to the frustration, even then I wasn’t allowed to pay cash, but had to use a card on a website of another company that manages parking (MIND YOU - this was just a regular hotel parking lot; you know, like the kind that is NATURALLY ASSUMED TO BE FREE at other hotels).

I was also told that the fee couldn’t be waived because it was “another company” that managed the parking lot, not Embassy Suites themselves.

Well, isn’t that a very UN-customer-friendly way to do business? First, nickel and dime them. Why the hell not just make that part of the room cost? Then, SHIELD yourself from responsibility by saying, “it’s not us, it’s another company” - Oh - I bet you money the “other company” doesn’t OWN the lot, I guarantee it is owned by Hilton Company, just like the rest of the property. And I guarantee the hotel gets some kind of kick-back from every parking spot. But this way of doing it creates a nice buffer between the frustrated customer and the hotel itself. “Don’t look at us, we didn’t do this, another company did,” is a lot like Charles Manson saying he didn’t murder anyone, other people did (at his behest).

I understand it was only $9. But it ruined my visit there and, as I said to the person at the counter, I will never be back to that property and I will tell others by way of review and word of mouth to stay away. Not because of a mere $9, but because of the business philosophy behind it.

There...