Menger Hotel — Hotel in San Antonio

I guess everyone's reviews vary by expectations. I first saw this hotel when I was 15 and got to stay in it 20 years later (July 2024). People ask is it really haunted? My room was. I was spoken to in my ear by a female while I was getting dressed. Based on other experiences, it seems they like to spook when you're alone. I'm not afraid so I was able to stand my ground and ask for courtesy!

The hotel looks just like it was 20 years ago. The original lobby entrance is still stunning. I was able to book direct over the phone and speak to a reservations agent who was able to meet my needs. She insisted one of my rooms had a balcony. The thing she didn't mention was it didn't have a view. Well, it did- of a giant building wall but I enjoyed looking out the restroom window to enjoy the architecture across from me.

My other reserved room for the rest of my guests had a pool view and it was stunning to see. Between the originality of the room and pool, you can really immerse yourself as if you were in another time period.

The restrooms did not have ventilation. It got pretty hot in there. I asked staff if the modern rooms have ventilation in the restrooms and they said no. My room's water pressure was great! I didn't expect the shower heads to be so low.

The beds were really comfortable! I know some may be weary of spending the night but just be respectful and ask for respect back. I acknowledged to the ghosts that I know this is their home and I'm here for the night and if they can please let me sleep without disturbance. I cleaned up after myself and put everything away in the closet. I played healing frequency music throughout the night.

I had dinner at the pool area. The salad was very mid. I had better salads at Chick Fil A. The pool went up to 9 feet! There wasn't a pool attendant so used towels and trash were left behind by others. It was hard to find a free lounger.

As for the parking, we used Rivercenter Parking Garage around the block. I've had bad experiences with valet in general and I wasn't about to have my experience tainted with an issue. I'm not sure if they use their own staff or hire third party vendors.

Although construction is right in the road, it's not that inconvenient. To the left, there is a little ramp the construction workers have so you can cross. The entrance to The Alamo is guided by caution tape and a fence. We were able to quickly seek shelter back into the hotel when it started to rain.

The Menger Bar seating area has such a low clearance! It makes me wonder how tall people really were back then. It was a small bar. I encountered racism. I didn't want to make a scene because I didn't want the woman to have my information if I filed a police report for harassment. I also didn't want our experience ruined by an alcoholic who can't control herself just because I used Spanish words.

Next time I stay without such a family affair, I'd like to be in a suite and really embrace the overall atmosphere! This hotel could use so much more love and care. I understand the cost of valet parking because that's what I paid for my self-parking. You should let someone use volunteer or intern hours being a piano player to increase the authenticity.

Overall,...

We booked the Room With a Boo package with the ghost walk and a room in the old (haunted) part of the building. The ghost tour was fabulous and we had an experience in the hotel that leads us to believe it IS haunted! (But not in a scary way)

The hotel is beautiful and smells amazing. It was clean and very nice. It was magnificent walking in and seeing it all. We roamed the halls and the man at the bar was very nice and let my son go in and see the historic parts of the bar.

Definitely get the valet parking it was worth it! From the hotel you can walk to the ghost tour, to the mall, the Alamo, Ripleys Believe It or Not museum, and hit the river walk easily.

Also the city tour bus stops right in front of the hotel and you can catch it for a tour and also to get a ride to other sights in the city then be dropped back off at the hotel so I highly recommend that as well!

Our first room was in the old part of the hotel and it was beautiful. It was one of the smaller suites and it looked out over the courtyard. The only problem we had was the air conditioning didn’t work in the room and it was the hottest part of summer. I called the front desk and they came to look at it and agreed it wasn’t working so they gave us A BOX FAN and called it good. We couldn’t sleep all night it was so hot and miserable. I went and talked to them again in the morning and they said they would get it fixed. When we got back from our day out in the town it was still not fixed so I went back to them again.

Finally they decided to give us another room but they gave us a room in the newer part of the hotel and we paid for a room in the old part so that was disappointing and not right. The room was right by the elevator and had a doorbell on it and also a door to a connecting room which made me very uncomfortable as a single woman traveling alone with an autistic child. They wouldn’t do anything else for us so we settled in for the night. The air conditioning worked but someone was playing around and going up and down the elevator all night and ringing the bell to the room which terrified me and my child. We got no sleep.

I talked with them again and they apologized profusely and said our stay would be free. We left and when I got home I had a bill for the visit on my credit card. I called and emailed the hotel and they claimed they didn’t comp the visit and charged me for the full thing. I filed a report with the credit card company and the hotel fought it and won because I had no proof they told me it would be comped.

I was very disappointed in all of this. As soon as we checked in and told them the a/c wasn’t working we should have gotten another room in the old part of the hotel with a working a/c.

It was a very frustrating and bad experience and though the hotel is beautiful I can’t recommend it because of all that we went through and how we were treated. The maintenance man was really kind and the front desk girl was sweet but the management was very rude and lied to us. It was very sad because I wanted my son to have a great trip and though we had fun otherwise it definitely put a damper on the whole thing and was upsetting for him. For what we paid I would expect much...

If you want a historic hotel, the Menger is perfect for you. If you want a luxury hotel, this is not the spot. I write this review for those who have asthma or lung issues, because I wish I had known prior to booking. My husband and I were in San Antonio for the NCAA final four and was super to excited. When booking, hotels sold out pretty quickly, and we came across the Menger. It looked cute and got great reviews. There are some things that I feel like the reviews have overlooked so thought I would share. First off - asthmatics, beware! The minute you walk into the hotel, they have diffusers in the lobby with a very strong scent (smells sort of like strong perfume mixed with icky smelling air freshener). It didn't bother me that much until the evening, as our room was on the historic side of the building. Around midnight, I had to call the front desk and ask them to turn off the diffusers (as I thought it was coming through the air vents because I continuously smelled it.) Come to find out later on that housekeeping also sprays the furniture in the rooms with a scent (which I believe is what happened when we came back from dinner) since that is when I really smelled it and it wouldn't go away all night. My asthma flared up so bad. The only place I was safe was in the bathroom. I got about 2 hours of sleep that night and my lungs were super inflamed the next morning that I knew we couldn't stay there another night. The downside was due to the final four, all hotels were non refundable. We discussed all of this with their general manager, Alisen, who was kind and understanding regarding my situation. She really went above and beyond to help us find a room that didn't have a smell to it and did the best to accommodate my needs. After getting fresh air for the day, I came to determine that I couldn't go back to the hotel and be around any of their scents for concern of more asthma flare ups. It was either go to a different hotel and be able to enjoy the final four, or stay where we were and end up in the ER. As I'm sure you can tell by reading this, we decided to go with another hotel (that didn't have the need to spray strong chemicals all over.) With all that said, the Menger is sweet (no pun intended) and darling in its own historic way. Be prepared that it is dated, with very small bathrooms. Also to note, our bathroom had brown water in the toilet and also brown water came out of the pipes when using the sink and taking showers, which was a surprise. The shower head trickles out like a bird bath and the water temperature fluctuates, so you may get scalded or have a cold plunge, depending. The rooms and air vents were pretty dusty too, but the beds are comfortable. Breakfast there is decent, and all of the staff were lovely. It is very close and accessible to the Alamo and Riverwalk, which is a perk. Pros: Staff is nice and helpful. Close to Alamo, Riverwalk, etc. Cons: Strong scents throughout hotel, small bathrooms with some issues. If you are prepared in advance and enjoy historic hotels, then you will find the Menger...