The Frances Modern Inn — Hotel in Austin

Location: It is a short drive / long-walk away from downtown however, not short of places to eat. I forgot a few things and Quickie Pickie was only about 2 blocks away. It's a small grocery store/sundries/coffee shop/restaurant/hang out spot. You can grab a scooter as well and head off for an adventure. I got in late while it was storming outside so was able to door dash something fairly quickly as everything is pretty close by. On my run, I got to take a few photos with some impressive artwork that up close were extremely impressive.

Restaurants: Poeta is on the first floor and out of town guests get a 25% discount. I went there for lunch and it was simply delicious. The Hibiscus Soda mocktail was so good. Plenty of restaurants within walking distance including Franklin's BBQ, Paperboy, and Hillside Farmacy. Lots of food trucks as well.

Amenities: THE ESPRESSO MAKER outside of my room was icing on the cake. I need caffeine constantly and it was such a relief to just walk right into the cute little lounge area outside my room and grab a cup. Y'all saved me like $40 worth of coffee at Starbucks 🤣. The refrigerator was stocked with sparking water, creamer, and oatmilk creamer (THANK YOU). Rooftop patio and restaurant patio as well. No pool. But AMAZING soaking tub in the medium-plus and larger rooms. Also, I appreciated that the elevator was fast 😂.

Accomodations: WOW WOW WOW!! the designer of the hotel is AMAZING. I've never been to Europe but I felt like I was. Romantic, modern, vintage vibes. The bed was like a giant cloud. The balcony was beautiful and overlooks Kenny Darham's Backyard (event venue and food truck stop). Make-up remover wipes, black washcloths, ear plugs, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, bubble bath, and the fluffiest bathrobe ever included in the room. They also had a wine opener in the drawer for any winos. I was told that each room is different so to book a different room each time. I loved not having any key cards. It's just a dialpad to get in my room. I will say that I did find in Room 10 that you have to make sure the door is pulled tightly once you leave or else it may not automatically locked.

Service: TOP TIER. They have 3 Maitre D's that take various shifts. Andrew was amazing!! I spoke to him in length at the restaurant and gave me such great tips on the area and info on the hotel. He was so personable and just extreme friendly. The hotel already exceeded my expectations but his extra special touch of hospitality makes me not want to stay anywhere else for any future stays. His authenticity and genuineness was just so refreshing. Prior to my check-in I received a very detailed email. But was grateful that close to the check-in time they sent me the instructions again via text. No need to check-in or check out at a desk. Just walked straight to my room and entered in the code they gave me. They have phone number you can text or call to contact the Maitre D for anything so it was super convenient. Just had to text them upon check-out.

Parking: Free. 4 parking spots within the gate in the back. Everything else is street parking. Not too many people drove there so parking wasn't an issue for me but just something to keep in mind.

My only regret is not staying longer. I will DEFINITELY BE BACK. Thank you for making my little work trip feel...

The hubby and I were in great need of 'me together with you alone' time to recharge, while celebrating our 30 years+ anniversary. Frances Modern Inn gave us just that and so much more. Quiet moments to just sit in each other's company, while sipping bubbly water and eating cookies. It remainded me of our earlier years when being with one another was enough, and we didn't rely on electronics to fill in the silent gaps. From the outside: a plain white front to the back of rustic-ornate gates welcome us to Europe by way of Austin for our 2-day getway in the XL, a double decker mini apartment with a refrigerator, dishwasher, oven + a dining room table that seats 6. Designed with minut details, our stay took our minds on a whimiscal journey from Great Britain to Germany to Spain and back as we explored the local paintings throughout the rooms, admired the combination of textures (wood, glass, mirror, metal, stone), love of songbird wallpaper, inviting bold colors, clawball foot tub (a dare not to get inside for fear I couldn't get out or didn't want to get out - same thing) - haha. Each night, a reminder to self 'step down or up to and from the bed' onto scattered Turkish rugs to Saltillo tile. And most importantly, there are stairs down. On the first evening, we sat on the 2nd-floor patio with a tropical-vibe, a wall-size mural of a giant bird overhead, cool drinks to quench thirsts or warm ones to welcome the day, Abba introduced us to Louie, the resident cat as we toured other rooms noting the uniqueness of each - bright green walls? We fell in love. Pocket doors, a very, very tall chair and round windows - oh my! We also caught a glimpse of new mural in the works on the 3rd floor, during our walk to the rooftop which reminded us we were still in Austin by the pristine skyline. We dined at Quickie Pickie, the sandwiches - rock, and for a moment considered what it would be like to live downtown. We slept like literal logs though I don't recall rolling as much, and we began our day as we left off vegging on the leather sofa, admiring the space, its vintage charm, and allowing ourselves to breath whole-heartedly, chillaxing with chuckles and giggles of memories of our past. Our final night, Louie joined us on the wallway patio of our room, to listen to a live jazz performance from Kenny Dorhan's Backyard, while sipping more bubbly waters. The crème de la crème... We shall be back, when the renovations are complete for another staycation in Austin's hideaway called...

This small hotel is perfect! They go out of their way to make sure your stay is comfortable.

Warning, this will be a detailed review.

Prior to check in they sent an email welcoming us to the area with detailed instructions on what room we were assigned to, how to get in our room. Each room has a digital keypad to enter. Also the code to access the parking lot in the back.

The parking lot in back is very small but there is street parking available and also an over flow lot just down the street, which we never needed to use, because we alway got to park in back or on the street in front.

We booked a Medium room that had a balcony facing the street and also the food truck. One night the food trucks had a documentary they showed on the stage.

Street noise was not an issue. The rooms are pretty soundproofed.

Louie the cat was friendly, and loved to get some pets.

Coffee machine offers multiple selections of coffee / latte / options. They also have a mini fridge next to the coffee bar with different flavor water selections to choose from.

Coffee machines are just outside the room on each floor in the common lounge area.

In your room is a nice big bathroom, closet with a small safe that can fit a laptop or iPad. Dresser desk combination with a small mini fridge. Queens size bed, digital alarm clock and a white noise sound machine. Bed is comfortable. They also supply two very plush robes. There was plenty of USB plug ins, 2 on both sides of the bed along with additional in the alarm clock and on the desk.

Rooftop deck we went up there our last night and got some awesome pictures of downtown Austin skyline.

Hotel is on 11th which makes it easy if you want to walk to the capital and then explore downtown. We didn’t want to drive to Moody Center and pay for parking so we took and Uber to Moody Center which was only $10. After the concert we walked downtown then back to hotel around midnight and we felt safe.

Staff were excellent! Everyone we encountered was polite...