Pictures and a little more information can be found on the hotel review on my blog... It has been years since I have stayed in a Hampton Inn, as they just stopped being in cities to which I travelled to frequently. But a recent promotion between Hilton Hhonors and Aeroplan offering me free Gold Status, and 50,000 points if I stayed four times by May 15th drew me to this Downtown Austin Property.

Although a few blocks off the beaten path, it is really close to the Convention Center and would make a great hotel to stay at for an event such as SXSW.

My plane landed in Austin at 1:30 in the afternoon, so I decided to use public transit to get downtown, as the Airport Flyer 100 bus stops a few blocks away from the hotel on 6th street. Bus fare is $1.00 and 40 minutes after stepping on the bus, I was in my room. Although not all too convenient if you had a large amount of luggage, with my roll-aboard and the beautiful weather, I did not mind the four block walk at all.

The greeting at the check-in desk was friendly, and the attendant very efficient. She recognized my Hhonors Gold Status, asked for a credit card and ID, and told me that breakfast was served from 6:00 -10:00 am on the second floor, and that Monday to Thursday there was free beer, wine and appetizers from 5:00 - 6:30 pm also on the second floor.

Like at all other Hampton Inns, Internet access is free, and there is an access code printed on your room key folder.

The lobby area of the hotel is small, and doesn't provide a whole lot in terms of seating, but the breakfast area in addition to lots of tables and an outside balcony, also has a variety of couches, lounge chairs and TV which can be used throughout the day.

Although it was not indicated at check-in I was upgraded because of my status to what the hotel calls a Studio Suite. A large room, with a couch, wet bar, microwave and fridge. The room really felt spacious, and it was a great space to watch the Winter Olympic coverage which was on at the time!

The room was clean, and felt new, but suffered from a problem than many budget friendly hotels face. Although all the furniture and fixtures are new-looking and in great shape, their lower cost and build quality, make the room look a little dated. Not sure what a hotel can do in this regard, but it really is a shame that you are walking into a recently built hotel, and it just looks to be a little past it's prime, even though that is not the case!

The bed was relatively firm, and didn't give me that sense of floating away that happens when crawling into some beds, but I did have a great nights sleep, and although the pillows were soft, were a little on the lumpy side. But again, they didn't detract from my quality of sleep. They just didn't feel as luxurious as other hotels I have been to.

I went down to the second floor for the evening reception, and it was full of business men in white shirts and ties having a beer or glass of wine. You can tell it is an appreciated amenity which many people take advantage of.

There was a self-serve bar with a carafe of white and red wine, and two taps for draught beer. Miller Lite and Shiner Bock were on offer, and plastic beer cups were stacked high next to the taps. Chips, Salsa and a hot cheese dispenser were what I was after this night, but there were also an array of other snacks such as Chex Mix, crackers and a few other items that didn't catch my eye. So I would not call what the hotel offers, appetizers, more bar snacks, but along with a pint of beer, were just what I wanted this evening.

There was a manager milling around, welcoming the guests, however I wanted to watch the Gold Medal Hockey game between the Canadian and US Women's teams so I headed back to my room with my beer and snacks!

Like most other Hampton Inns, the bathroom is sparse, although spacious in volume. The towels looked thin and threadbare, but were actually quite soft. Again I think it just comes down to the fact that the materials for flooring, countertops and the tub/shower are of lower cost, and just give an impression of a lower quality than they really are. Again too bad, as the hotel is much more expensive than the Super 8 up the road, but seems to have the same fit and finish.

Another nice touch is the small little shop adjacent to the front desk offering snacks, drinks and some sundries 24 hours a day. Was convenient rather than having to search out a drink machine or a convenience store.

And although there is no restaurant in the hotel, they do offer room service from PF Changs, and another restaurant across the street, and there is a Crepe restaurant in the hotel building, however its affiliation to the hotel is unknown to me. There are other restaurants and convenience store within 1 block of the hotel, and 6th Street and its many bars and restaurants is just four blocks away!

I arrived for breakfast at 9:30 and was met by five different cereal options, yogurt, fresh bananas and apples, two different fruit salads, a large array of pastries, cinnamon buns, muffins and breads for toast, along with a large assortment of jams, spreads, and cream cheeses.

I avoided the carbs today, and went for the hot food, which was really just luke warm, and some of it was inedible. Once the Western Omelette was peeled away from the parchment paper in the chafing dish, I was left with a tasty although cold omelette (with the bottom portion still stuck to the parchment paper). The ham more resembled poker chips and I did not even try to get my teeth through it. The home fries were seasoned and were actually quite warm and tasty.

The cold hot food, and lacklustre condition of the items might have been due to my arrival 30 minutes before the end of breakfast, but there was lots of everything left, so I am assuming they do a good job of replenishing everything throughout the day. I just have some concerns about the healthiness of consuming lukewarm eggs, and cold hard ham. This was the only issue I had with the breakfast, and must say that the grapefruit in the fruit salad was fresh and not bitter at all... indeed very tasty!

Having to get some work done today, I called down at 11:00 am for a 1:00 pm late check-out and was accommodated no problem (regular check-out time is noon).