Holiday Inn Austin -Town Lake By Ihg

“A beautiful example of what the brand once was”

It's a pleasure staying with this property. I probably wouldn't continue to come back simply due to traffic patterns, but I love the brand's history, and how that round building got there under the founder's early years. I can remember being here about 1968, and they have done a pretty good job o… more

It's a pleasure staying with this property. I probably wouldn't continue to come back simply due to traffic patterns, but I love the brand's history, and how that round building got there under the founder's early years. I can remember being here about 1968, and they have done a pretty good job of keeping the building up to standards. This stay was uneventful from check-in to check-out. The person behind the desk noticed I was a regular customer and upgraded my room a lake view room, and they are nice. This was the first in their system to use this round building architecture, and the company built a lot of them across our land. I can only guess the oddly shaped rooms didn't work out as well as they expected only because virtually none of them still operating as hotels still wear the Holiday Inn brand. This one used to have a shrunken copy of the "great sign" on it's roof. Of course that sign is gone since 1982, but I had never seen another one quite that small. Wilson felt that sign was a huge part of the company's success. When the new leadership thought they needed to replace that sign bad things happened, and they have never recovered from it. They still have a dining room, and what I ordered from them was simple, but truly delicious. The presentation was particularly beautiful, and well more than I'd expect from this type of diner. They still have a full bar open in the evenings. All of the ground floor staff was professional, prompt, courteous, and welcoming. They added the garage/annex building in 1981, and it was necessary to attract meeting business. They do have plenty of meeting rooms, and available food service. The grounds have been kept in beautiful condition, and there are a lot of collateral activities within walking distance of the property. The biggest calling card for me is that garage is free to guests. Everyone else in the area has decided to add parking charges, in places where it would be abnormal to pay for parking. I don't want my family, friends, and visitors confronted with parking charges, and that is a huge component of where I stay. This is Texas where every customer drives a bus-sized vehicle, or you don't get there. It's another way properties are using to gouge the customer with surprise charges they are not expecting, but this property has not joined the bad behavior as of yet. The whole place is operating as one would expect, and yes I do recommend them. Their biggest deterrent is the traffic in the city, which has not been improved since the middle 1970's. One day maybe the city leaders will understand they are loosing tourism dollars and do something about the roads just outside the door. Or, maybe they won't and allow an exploding population to completely clog up all access which would be very sad.

less

“Good Location”

My sister and I stayed here for a weekend getaway, and the location was definitely a strong point — less than 300 feet from Lady Bird Lake, which made exploring the area really convenient. The room was clean, comfortable, and perfectly fine for a short stay. We also appreciated having free parking,… more

My sister and I stayed here for a weekend getaway, and the location was definitely a strong point — less than 300 feet from Lady Bird Lake, which made exploring the area really convenient. The room was clean, comfortable, and perfectly fine for a short stay. We also appreciated having free parking, which is always a plus in Austin. However, we found the staff not as friendly or informative as we expected. Basic details like breakfast hours weren’t provided at check‑in, and there was no mention of the hotel shuttle being available. Even though we had a car, we Ubered one of the nights to go just a couple of miles away, and knowing about the shuttle ahead of time would have been helpful.

less

“Nice Enough!”

Hotel is OK, not too fancy but nice enough. Reception staff are a little cold, ot overly concerned with hello, morning etc. but I wouldn't rate them down for that.. Bar is ran by two guys, both really nice an attentive. We got the airport drop off on the way home and the guy, I cant remember hi… more

Hotel is OK, not too fancy but nice enough. Reception staff are a little cold, ot overly concerned with hello, morning etc. but I wouldn't rate them down for that.. Bar is ran by two guys, both really nice an attentive. We got the airport drop off on the way home and the guy, I cant remember his name was really nice. Location wise, hit and miss. Depends what you are hear for. Rainey Street is cute but a bit "hip" We preferred East 6th Street, to the right of the express way, Shangri La and right...Much better for 40+ crowd. Nice hotel, no issues at all, thanks!

less

“Free on-site garage parking was the main reason for selection.”

Definitely an old property built in the 1960's but it was upgraded in the last few years & EVERY employee we encountered was polite, pleasant, courteous & helpful. The renovated Lobby is bright & welcoming, & the hallways, rooms & bathrooms were OK. Only 1 elevator was operating during our stay but… more

Definitely an old property built in the 1960's but it was upgraded in the last few years & EVERY employee we encountered was polite, pleasant, courteous & helpful. The renovated Lobby is bright & welcoming, & the hallways, rooms & bathrooms were OK. Only 1 elevator was operating during our stay but the hotel was not busy so it was not a problem. Were 3 main problems in both our rooms: 1 - HVAC wall units sounded like a diesel truck engine starting up EVERY time they came on, though they did work OK. Apparently new HVAC units were not included in the renovation but should have been & if you are a light sleeper this will be an issue; 2 - absolute LOWEST low flow showers we have encountered in recent memory, anywhere, & definitely unpleasant; 3 - toilet would only flush 1/2 the time in 1 room & barely flushed regularly in the other. Final thought about garage parking: while it is a nice benefit, the hotel management does not remember if or when the place was last cleaned -- if EVER. Sweep this dump & clean out the trash. Be absolutely SURE to get rooms with City or Town Lake views (ending in #'s 36 & higher) to avoid directly facing I-35 & 24/7 freeway noise.

less