Embassy Suites by Hilton Austin Arboretum

The location was excellent. However the entire hotel shows clear signs of neglect. There is plastic covering a hole in the ceiling of the lobby. The carpet in the rooms was buckling/rippling in both rooms we stayed in (more on that in a bit). There were 2 instances where there were no face plates on cable outlets, the lamp shades were bent out of shape and dirty and there were hooks in the wall where there should have been pictures but the pictures were removed and the hooks just left behind. So we stayed there for a week and on the second night our AC started making weird noises, like a lawn mower engine, and wasn't blowing any air. I called down to the front desk and they sent up maintenance and the blower fan died. We were told there were no other rooms available that night and i had to insisted on having at least room fans because its Texas and the windows wont open. I was then told the best other they could do was a 30% discount for that one night. We then had to go back and forth about when we could move into a new room the next day. I also failed to mention that we have a 3 year old and a 15 month old baby. I was disappointed in the condition of the property. I will NEVER stay here again.

The first room we were given had white stains on the carpet, brown stains on the chair, and the sofa. I really didn't want to sit down anywhere. I picked up the phone to request another room, and the phone didn't work. We went downstairs to the front desk to request another room. There was no apology, and we were given another room with a different bed than we requested. The new room was okay, but it was down some hall with no window to see into the atrium. Of course, when we went to make a cup of coffee after dinner we found out the coffee machine didn't work. The good news was the phone did work, but the bad news was the front desk didn't answer. They recording said if it was urgent to call right back, well, they still didn't answer. So we had to get dressed and go back to the front desk. A much newer coffee machine was delivered to our room. I understand the furnishings being old but the hotel has to have working telephones, working coffee machines and answer at the front desk.

Embassy Suites is the Hilton property with the most (unrealized) potential. Like so many, this hotel has good bones but is probably 20 years past the renovation due date. The ventilation at breakfast is so bad that everyone leaves smelling like a grill cook. Things are generally maintained, but it could be so much better. Charging for parking in the suburbs is also a dumb annoyance. My biggest pet peeve with this and other Hiltons is the front desk uses people that simply would not have been hired five years ago. No eye contact, never a smile, no welcoming at all.

This is a decent property but beware - they charge for parking. All of us who travel expect to pay to park in downtown hotels but in a suburban location like this one, charging to park is a sleazy way to extract more money from those who stay at the hotel. Furthermore, we have a handicap placard which under normal circumstances would exempt us from parking fees, Embassy Suites could care less. We had to pay. It’s just plain low class. We got the run around from an unfriendly desk associate who then refused to take responsibility and blamed the company who manages the parking. This is ridiculous. While the hotel itself is in a convenient location, it is difficult to get to. We travel to Austin quite often but will certainly not be staying at this property again.

I've stayed here many times over the last several years. It had been a few months since my last stay but recommended this site for a recent business meeting for hotel accommodations. I was surprised to learn that they now charge a parking fee and to pay you have to go to a separate site and enter vehicle license and credit card information, not a convenient process. The AC in my room took forever to cool down so I woke up hot in the middle of the night. One of my business associates had some type of white powder on a countertop. When they went to the front desk to address the situation, they were offered a different room that another customer had just given up because the toilet was not working properly. The staff did go properly clean the room so she ended up staying in the same room. There are several other options for staying in the Arboretum area, so I will choose another location before going back.