Hilton Garden Inn Austin Downtown

Nice hotel

Hotel was nice and had a number of good features for a mid range hotel. The problem was the area around the hotel was not very nice. I was concerned for my safety walking at night alone in the 2 blocks around the hotel. I was also concerned of possible thefts if I parked in the lot beside the hotel overnight, though the parking garage did have security. Nice views from the top floor bar.

There are several nice places to eat in the area with a wide variety of foods. Prices are generally reasonable. It is a college town so many places cater to the "younger" crowd. Some places to see are the Capital, the University of Texas, the Catholic Cathedral and the nearby lakes.

A Winner....Other than Parking

A generally positive experience. My only complaint: if you have a car---and you need one in Austin---your stuck with a nightly valet parking fee plus tips going in and out. The more I looked at it, there may have been an alternative, but if it existed the attendant purposely misled me, which is the only thing that could be worse than no alternative at all. On certain days, I was in and out of the hotel multiple times, and I found it more cost effective to park at a meter than to tip the attendant every time I went in and out. But the only apparent alternative for overnight was the valet. I read a lot about noise, and it’s true there is a package of ear plugs on the night stand. In my experience, it was a non-issue. And I was there over the Halloween weekend. Very convenient to 6th Avenue entertainment and an easy walk to Congress Avenue. I’d stay there again, but I’d check out others in the area to compare the parking extortion.

Clean, convenient, reasonably priced

Not as plush as it’s sister Hilton downtown, but adequate and convenient for the $$. Only valet parking available @ $25 a day. Easy walk to restaurants and Sixth Street activities.