Moxy Austin - University — Hotel in Austin

It is a unique experience and I will likely stay there again even though the experience may be geared for a younger crowd than me. It started when I called to inquire about parking. The site mentions it's available for a charge but I needed more info. The front desk guy alerted me that if you reserve in advance the can guarantee a spot, but otherwise you take a chance. The price for parking was steep (around $40/ night), so we passed. The way he insisted I should book in advance was not disrespectful but a bit pushy, but maybe out of concern. Then when we arrived it was odd because rather than feeling like a hotel front desk it felt like the check in at a restaurant/bar... right behind the check in clerk is a bar with people lined up to get some drinks. The atmosphere was certainly festive for a Friday afternoon (4pm). An interior patio with people in costume (Xmas theme) made me feel a bit out of place, but looked fun. Once in the room I was happy that the room's space was nicely distributed because I knew it was a small room. Somehow we ended up in the hearing impaired accessibility room (I guess doorbell makes lights flash), but not sure how that happened. I do not think I picked that during reservation, as all I entered was lower floor preference, so maybe this was it...

We went out after check in and did not return till after 10pm and it was still loud and busy in the first floor. You already require to swipe room key to get the elevator to operate but after getting to the room floor there was a security person in a chair. Did not ask us for anything but I assume they are there to control room access/ avoid parties forming???? The view from the room was a gas station which is not particularly charming but with the foot traffic on Guadalupe it was more interesting than disturbing.

Two things that keep me from giving it 5 stars and perhaps are potential reasons for less stars was that through the night there was noise outside the room. A lot of foot traffic in and out as late/early as 3:30am. I also noticed there was hallway light making it through the crack of the door, which although you could not see through the fairly sizeable gap, allowed sound to easily get in the room. And the second big issue was that on an unusually warm December night with temperatures in the 70's the AC stopped working overnight causing the room to be uncomfortable to sleep in. I think the fan of the unit stopped blowing so we were left with no air circulation and warm air in the room. At first I thought it was one of those occupancy sensors that tries to outsmart you and decides you're not there because you are too still, but this happened overnight and in the morning we noticed and error in the thermostat. We called the front desk as we're trying to get ready before checking out, but needing to get in the shower and getting ready we didn't really want a tech in the room. Unfortunately they could not offer any trickery advice to get it to work. Later we did call again and told them we'd take them up on the offer but 30 minutes later the tech showed up as we were walking out the door... maybe next time we'll have better luck. I am willing...

I’m giving Moxy Austin 5 stars because I was comfortable and their customer service was excellent. From check in, to the bar, to the 24 hours tacos, I felt welcome.

I do, however, want to share some thoughts about things so that others won’t be surprised, like I was. I’ve never stayed at a Moxy hotel before so I didn’t know what to expect. I can live with these things but others may not.

Check in is at the bar. I didn’t know this and wandered around the lounge where a live DJ was blasting party music on a Saturday night. After a minute or two, someone saw me with my bags and lead me to the front area of the bar for check in. The parking garage is tiny and costs $39/day. If you’ve ever tried to park anywhere in downtown Austin, you’re just happy to have a place to park! Every hotel in this area charges extra for parking and the Moxy is no different. The garage is small so I would imagine it would be a challenge for giant Texas trucks. But bring your parking garage ticket to the front desk and they’ll connect it to your hotel room key so you can come and go in the garage using your key. Here are a few things of note about the hotel room (I stayed in a single queen room):

• the bathroom is part of the room. The sink is right inside the door & there’s a large sliding curtain that can be closed separating it from the bed.
• the lights are automatic. As someone who goes to the bathroom several times during the night, it was alarming to have the lights come on every time.
• there is no closet. There is a coat rack with a few hangers, a bench for a suitcase and open shelving under the bed for placing clothes. I was only staying for two nights so I never unpacked.
• there is no desk. There’s a fold down shelf that can be used as a desk. Max weight is 25 lbs.
• there are no curtains. There are two shades that can be lowered, including one that blocks outside light.
• the bed is super comfy but the sheets are scratchy. I was surprised at how scratchy the sheets were. But I still slept like a dream.
• there is no bathtub....but the shower is amazing. I have nothing more to say about it except ahhhhhh.

The hotel offers a great lounge/bar, including outside seating, and Zombie tacos is serving 24 hours a day. (Seriously, why don’t more hotels offer 24 hours food choices?!) We received a free cocktail or mocktail upon arrival. I’m not sure if they do this for all hotel guests or just us who were checking in during the first week of opening.

I was happy to stay in the modern, industrial, Texas-themed room, with its leather trimmings and GIANT TV made for easy streaming, and I gladly stay at Moxy Austin again, especially with its close proximity...

This location is located in the UT college district, north of downtown, with lots of students around the neighborhood and a few places to eat at nearby.||The lobby is cool looking with a few places to relax in, as well as a large outdoor patio. Theres a couple of classic sit down video game machines (Pac-Man/Galaga) to play on. ||Upon check-in we didn’t feel that welcomed and the front desk does not have a happy feel, like at other Moxy locations I’ve stayed at. I felt like a number instead of a valued customer. Further, being a Bonvoy Titanium member, I expected much better service. |There’s no morning breakfast buffet, only a Taco place that’s attached to the lobby to order at using a terminal screen. Being a Titanium member, we had a credit for breakfast, but we had no guidance on how to use it at the taco place that made breakfast tacos and breakfast quesadillas. The Moxy front desk woman with the black hat and black mask (I could hardly make out any of her spoken words) made me feel like I was bothering her when I asked how to use our breakfast credit. Without saying much, after she investigated our account, she walked over to the taco desk and coldly asked what we wanted. She didn’t even apologize fot the hassle, or that she was unaware of their exact breakfast offerings, even though they were listed on a sign above. She took our order and said nothing else other than giving us an order number. Wow, what an uncomfortable encounter. If I was her manager, I would fire her on the spot for treating guests so poorly. ||The Moxy female bartender we encountered was decent and made us a couple of drinks, although with 80% ice. ||The room we staying in was clean with a separate toilet room from the shower. Oddly, the shower had no air vent, steam just went throughout the room. |The TV was large, in front of the bed, but the TV interface was very slow to react to remote control commands. |The A/C was quiet and efficient. |The bed was uncomfortable; it felt very hard and lumpy. ||Given the poor front desk experience and lumpy bed, I wouldn’t rush to stay here again. They really need to do a better job with certain front desk staff welcoming guests, being much more friendly, and pleasantly answering any questions...