Westin Austin at the Domain isn’t downtown. If you need to be in Downtown Austin, you don’t want to stay here, you would face a 20 minute drive without traffic and heading into the city at peak business times it would be much more.
But if you need to be north of downtown, it’s a good hotel that often prices much less than downtown alternatives.
This four year old hotel is at the back of the Domain outdoor walking mall. There are plenty of restaurants, there’s shopping, and the staff are quite nice.
In some ways it’s fairly non-descript, with standard Westin rooms.
Here was my view waking up in the morning:
The parking lot though gets very full, likely juiced by non-hotel guests. (Parking is free for everyone, as is internet.)
Many readers know that I have a thing about coffee. And I frequently wake up early. One expectation that I have staying at any hotel that purports to be full service is the possibility of coffee in the morning no matter the time. I also don’t like in-room coffee, usually, because I want fresh cream — if it comes as a powder I do not want it.
Interestingly the hotel offers 24 hour room service — but that does not include coffee. I called down one morning before the nearby Starbucks in the Domain shopping center opened. Apparently the front desk staff actually handle overnight room service, they’ve been trained to make sandwiches. But they haven’t been shown how to use the giant machine that creates pots of coffee.
What the front desk staff member who answered the phone didn’t tell me — until I went downstairs to the desk, thinking I’d be speaking to someone other than the person I had called at ‘Service Express’ — was that they can make espresso drinks, because that machine they’ve been trained to use. The very accommodating staff member not only made a couple for me, but insisted I take them for free.
In any case, a good hotel if the location works for you. My rate there was $159 and I was happy with the property at that price point.
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“Westin Austin at the Domain I Guess is Kinda Sorta in Austin”
I don’t understand the snark. The hotel’s name tells you exactly where it is.
I had a similar experience at the Hyatt Place Chicago River North the other week. Even though there is plentiful drip coffee available in the morning during their complimentary breakfast service (which presumably is brewed on site), they do not offer drip coffee at their lobby grab and go bar during the rest of the day, and can only make you espresso beverages.
Urban, the restaurant at the hotel, is one of the best (and most under-rated) restaurants in the Domain. They participate in OpenTable and Restaurants.com so I can triple dip, using an r.com discount voucher, getting OT points and SPG points for dining there. Fantastic value.
I actually really like this hotel – I think it is my favorite hotel in Austin…in part because it isn’t really in Austin. I’m not a very downtown Austin gal due to traffic, parking issues, etc. so the Domain part of town is fantastic for avoiding the downtown drama when that isn’t the purpose of your visit.
The rooms are all pretty much standard, so don’t get your hopes up for a suite here, but it is great for a one or two night trip that isn’t focused on downtown activities.
It can get pretty pricey during the week on certain days (close to $300), but weekends are often closer to $120 if there aren’t any big events in town. Very nice staff and good walkable stores and restaurants in the Domain area.
Stayed at this hotel several times while relocating to Austin a few years ago – very nice, large, comfortable rooms. Great service.
It’s located in the north part of Austin, on the north end of MOPAC. If you like malls and strip centers – it’s the place for you! Also, the new Google Austin office is close by plus a lot of other corporate HQ’s and other offices – so it’s pretty much a corporate crowd staying there.
I didn’t sense any snark in Gary’s statement.
I wonder if good in room coffee is actually possible? I have never had it.
The Wake Up Westin one cup coffeemaker makes a nice cup, and even includes Starbucks packets. But fresh cream or milk would be a nice addition.
The title is a little odd. The majority of hotels in Austin are probably “kinda sorta in Austin” if you only consider downtown relevant. That’s probably true for tons of cities.
I’ve stayed in hotels in Austin probably 20+ times a year for almost a decade and I stay all over town but rarely downtown. I find the Arboretum up north and 35+71 down south more convenient.