jianghann
18. Oktober 2024
I'll start by noting that this is handily the nicest Hampton Inn I've ever seen, in part because it's quite literally almost new, and doesn't seem to be drawing much guest traffic as of yet. At the same time, it's also one of the most oddly located hotels I can recall seeing – and I say that as a one-time professional hotel critic. (I couldn't even hazard a guess how many I've stayed in, but it's over 500.) Just for context: I live in Austin, and as it so happens the Hampton Inn is about a 10-minute walk from my apartment. (Since I'm a hotel nerd, I've stayed in most of Austin's at some point.) At least until this one, the Hampton Inns I've seen were largely or entirely "either-or": a given property was either a standalone, basically cookie-cutter design in suburban areas, small cities and along various highways, or it was an urban "mid-size" tower which I'm putting in quotes because that usually means at least 10 stories. (The Hampton Inn in downtown Austin is 16.) I watched this place being built from the ground up, and I was admittedly quite surprised when I saw that it'd be a combo Hampton Inn / Home2Suites development. (The latter was built simultaneously in a separate building.) Reason being: the surrounding area has a severe shortage of apartments to rent, and up until shortly before it opened, the development had no signage of any kind. (Like others, I assumed it was another apartment building or something.) And while East Austin in general is trendy, there aren't any restaurants or bars particularly near the hotel. Further, East Austin remains very much hit-or-miss: the area has million-dollar homes within two blocks of public housing projects. This is true for the hotel as well. I do NOT mean to infer that public housing is automatically "dangerous," or even that East Austin has a "crime problem." My point is that the immediate surrounding area is quiet at night since it has no retail business, restaurants or bars, and particularly if you're not familiar with Austin, I'd definitely avoid walking to the hotel via either E 4th or E 5th St. Finally, there are several nearby boutique hotel options that don't seem to cost much more (at least at this writing), and are all better-located. The East Austin Hotel and Arrive Hotel are both on Sixth and further west, closer to the area's restaurants, bars & nightlife. The Heywood Hotel is a true boutique on Cesar Chavez St., and it & Sixth are where 90% of East Austin's things to do are located.
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