An enjoyable, modern hotel in Austin, Texas with a beautiful interior and friendly staff. The location isn’t as convenient as other options but it’s still walkable.

This stay occurred in December 2022.

Booking

My volunteering work related to the healthcare industry required me to travel to Austin, Texas, resulting in a four-night stay here at the Fairmont. While the trip was paid for by the volunteer organization, this review here represents my own experience and views.

Rooms were going for $199/night during this stay, a fair price for the hotel. The Fairmont is part of the Accor hotel chain, which doesn’t have many properties within North America. Accor Live Limitless points are essentially a fixed rebate off the price of the room, with redemptions starting at 2,000 points to remove a 40 euro charge. Ultimately, I feel the best way to pay for rooms is to look for the best cash rate and don’t worry so much about the rewards program given the limited footprint in North America.

Arrival and First Impressions

Since this stay occurred in December, the hotel lobby was nicely decorated for the season, with plenty of lighted trees and even a nutcracker covered with macarons (no, I didn’t see anyone try to eat the display). I found my way over to the lobby where I was checked into my room.

I should note that while there is public transportation available with a rail option from AUS to the city, the Fairmont is unfortunately not conveniently located near the stops. I found it better to just take a Lyft to the hotel.

The Room

I arrived to my room for this trip (2807). The room was nice, clean, and inviting with plenty of lighting and tasteful design. The bed had plenty of support and there were plenty of power outlets by both sides of the bed. I was a fan of the décor here: the color scheme was appealing and fresh, the furniture felt modern and attractive, and walls felt properly balanced. There was a proper desk, a nice chair for lounging, and a TV that felt large enough. In terms of the main living area, I think it checks all the boxes of what I’m looking for in a hotel room.

Adjacent to the bedroom is the bathroom, which gave me the same vibe. Honestly, I feel the designer did an excellent job with the flow of the room. The bathroom was plenty functional, with easy access to the shower controls, towels where you need them, and plenty of countertop space on the vanity. It did take me a moment to realize the trash cans were hidden away within the vanity as I was used to them being located next to the toilet. Amenities were from Le Labo, an excellent option. Perhaps the only surprising thing was that the lotion bottle supplied in the room was advertised as $50. For that price, they could have at least provided a brand new bottle and not one that was half-used.

Each night, there was a proper turndown service. At check in, the front desk asked for a preferred time the first night, but they seemed to come earlier in the evening each successive night. Each night, they would drop off a pair of slippers, a carton of water, and a chocolate. Speaking of the water — while I normally enjoy boxed water, I must admit this one had a very slight smell of old milk. It was a bit off-setting and was the biggest downside of the stay. I ended up not drinking it most nights, instead opting for bottles of water purchased from the hotel lobby.

The view from the room was decent, with a view of the freeway along the right and a view of downtown along the left. I think the view helps illuminate the distance the hotel is away from the rest of the action. It is a decent walk, preventing me from being able to tour the city most days but giving me a little exercise on the day I was able to go exploring.

Food and Beverage

Due to my late arrival the first night, I didn’t feel like getting out. So I ended up ordering room service, comprised of a salad, salmon, a few drinks, and a delicious chocolate dessert. I do like the convenience of room service, but the dilemma is having to either order dinner and dessert at the same time (where the dessert melts before you get around to it) or ordering the dessert at a later time (which costs more and could mean you end up waiting another 30-45 minutes to get it). I chose the former, and the dessert was still a treat despite the ice cream being partially melted.

I did have dinner at one of the restaurants downstairs, which billed itself as an Italian-Asian fusion experience. I should have realized by the combination that the Asian food wouldn’t be the most authentic. I ordered the cavatelli, brussel sprouts, roasted pork belly bao, and the ube brulee. Of these, the best dish was the cavatelli, which had the right amount of bite to it and plenty of cheese. I found the brussel sprouts to have too much sauce–if they kept the flavor of the dish with the roasted taste of sprouts, it would have been much tastier. The bao was a bit awkward to eat. The slabs of pork belly used were too tough and made chewing difficult. I also expected the bao to be more like a bun rather than styled like Peking duck but with a thicker bread. And the ube brulee was a tad too sweet for my taste. I’d say if you dine here, you should stick to the Italian food.

Around the Hotel

I did make it up to the floor with the pool. Despite the pool being closed for the season, it was a nice area to relax in. The hotel had a number of lawn games available and most people seemed to avoid the floor, perhaps because who would decide to use a pool in December?

There were also a couple of bubble rooms. I didn’t attempt to go inside, but it seemed like a cozy, semi-private way to have a conversation with others.

Around the City

As I mentioned above, I was able to make it out to explore the city for a few hours one day. I made my way over to the state capitol and took a walk through the building. It’s a beautiful building and sadly I wasn’t able to attend one of the many free tours they have available.

I hadn’t realized the University of Texas was so close to the state capitol, but I caught a glimpse of it and decided to take a walk around campus. I can’t say I’m a fan, but it was a lovely campus and I was glad to have an opportunity to take a stroll there.

Recommendation: Yes

I felt the Fairmont Austin was a wonderful hotel. Yes, the hotel could be closer to the city center and the boxed water could be improved (I’m just going to assume it was a bad batch and give it the benefit of the doubt). But the hotel hit all the right notes with the room. In the end, isn’t that the most important part about a hotel, given it’s where you spend most of the time? Combine that with a beautifully decorated lobby and other shared spaces, and friendly staff, and they have a good recipe for success here. I wouldn’t hesitate to return here.

Have you been to the Fairmont Austin before? What were your thoughts?