Hotel Saint Cecilia, Bunkhouse Hotels — Hotel in Austin

Before I go further here, I would like to stress how beautifully ornamented this hotel is, and how fantastic the location is. It is a stunning property, with a beautiful, quirky aesthetic and it is just off of SoCo (but thankfully, absent of crowds). The lounge is cozy and pleasant to hang out in. There were a few small thoughtful touches that we all appreciated, like a personal note welcoming us. The daytime staff were mostly kind and welcoming, and all the staff tried to be responsive to our fairly basic requests, but we felt strongly that they simply didn't have the resources (materially or otherwise) to meet very basic necessities, nor basic comforts that we expect from a hotel of this class. At night, it felt like there was a shortage of trained, equipped hospitality staff around, even on the weekends! Further, the amenities felt limited, as the pool was not cleaned (it was heated, however) and there were no activities happening over the weekend we stayed. Mostly importantly (and as I was surprised to see mentioned in a few other reviews from nearly a year ago in 2023), even getting extra blankets and a comforter for the sofa and rollaway bed in the Poolside Bungalow felt like a challenge, and we were told that they simply didn't have enough to accommodate our group (although it was eventually resolved, to the staff's credit for going out of their way to find some for us late at night after a bit of frustration on both of our parts). The Poolside Bungalow was supposed to comfortably accommodate all four of us on our girl's trip, and while the bed was mostly lovely, the couch and the rollaway bed were simply inadequate for the other two guests in our group. Springs noticeably stuck out of it! For this price, we had much greater expectations for basic comforts, particularly for the comfort of the supplemental sleeping arrangements, and for the the adequacy of the bedding (it was particularly cold over the weekend we stayed). Simply providing a foam pad on the rollaway and extra blankets and/or duvets in the closet for guests to use at their will would be a marked improvement! Had we known that the additional sleeping spaces would not be adequately comfortable, we would have simply opted to book two separate rooms instead. Perhaps this space should not be marketing to groups of over two people (as we are not even nearly the first to mention this in reviews?). A few other space issues to note that are not critical, but that did not meet our expectations for comfort in a hotel of this class; 1) The shades are not blackout, and lights on the porch are left on all night, so sleeping in the living area was challenging for light sensitive sleepers (all four of us, unfortunately); 2) Simple, basic amenities like a hot water kettle and/or a coffee maker would be such a value-add for most of us, and with very little overall cost to the hotel; 3) Drinking water should be free and provided each day for each guest at no additional cost!; 4) Less importantly, a full length mirror would improve the functionality of the space; 5) And lastly, there were so many beautifully curated but high-priced mini bar items, but no free drinking water or tea. I would even pay for the tea bags in theory, but it just felt so petty to charge $10 for a fancy toothbrush or for bottled water when we had paid so much for the room. It feels like hospitality 101- minimally meet but ideally exceed your customer's most basic expectations! In short, a beautiful concept and great location that didn't deliver on comfort or service expectations...

This venue and hotel are beautiful and the service staff were all very nice and it is was a bummer that the event staff really made for a sub-par experience.

If you do not value customer service, clear communication, privacy at a private event or love to have endless arguments, then this event space is for you!

If you value any of the above I would strongly suggest looking elsewhere. Unless, Nancy no longer works here. Then just proceed with caution. I am not 100% sure if Nancy's actions were forced by company policies or not. If her actions were forced I do apologize to Nancy for this review. This being said, the actions as a whole are still inexcusable for a high-end establishment.

The space, food, and day of service staff are all great. Especially the bartender. She is extra awesome.

I got married last week and had our celebratory dinner in the courtyard. Did I mention it was beautiful?

When you first meet Nancy, she is nice and easy to work with but as soon as the deposit is down, the contract is signed and if your event needs any changes to your event throughout the ordeal she is brash and seemingly, purposefully deceitful. The amount of stress and tears she personally made my bride feel throughout this ordeal is, unfortunately, a huge blemish on our otherwise beautiful day. As mentioned in a lot of other reviews -- "make sure that you have a written record of all communication with the event’s staff, especially Nancy. It will be essential to reference when there is an inevitable issue." From the beginning, we were promised the entire courtyard and even paid a ~$1,500 event fee for the rights to it. Upon arrival, our tables had been pushed to the far side of the patio where there were no lights. The other side had been set up for the public to use and had a large party gathering. We immediately asked why and Sarah --the assistant-- explained that they never "explicitly said" it would be a private event and she seemed not to care about our concerns. We are very covid conscious and this made for an uncomfortable night. There were hours of phone calls and conversations that were had prior to the day of to make sure everything went flawlessly.

A couple of positive notes - the bartender is an awesome person and the service staff are very friendly. The food was also pretty decent. This being said, we were forced into having a $3,000 food budget for...

This is a three star hotel at a five star price.

This hotel is classified as a five star property on its Google profile, but nothing about my experience matched that standard. Ultimately, the property feels poorly managed by an inexperienced hospitality team. This surprised me because this is a Hyatt property.

Our room lacked appropriate lighting, which made it very uncomfortable just to see. Makeup in the bathroom, impossible. (No lighted vanity mirror, which I'd expect from a five star hotel).

To get any kind of light in the room (during the day), you can open the shades. But this is a one-story hotel. So you don't have any privacy with the shades open. People are just walking by a few feet away.

Our room also did not have a full-length mirror, did not have a coffee machine, and it did not have an iron / ironing board. When we requested an iron, it took the staff over 24 hours to produce one.

My husband and I are early risers, and they don't offer room service until 7am. So we were not able to get coffee in the morning when we woke up. This is the first time I've stayed at a nice hotel that doesn't have a coffee machine in the room. And without 24 hour room service, this is totally unacceptable under a five star label.

The property itself is pretty (although the swimming pool is not clean) and the hotel is well positioned just steps away from fun on South Congress. And they do offer access to a wonderful gym just a short walk away (the Kollective). Those were the only positives I can think of.

The cost ended up being $900 per night for a room that was pretty uncomfortable and a friendly but incompetent staff.

Would absolutely not return and I'm very confused by the good reviews.

Again, this is a three star hotel at a five star price. Designed for Instagram...