I had a pleasant stay here. Given that it is a 1000 room convention hotel, they really work hard to make the individual guest comfortable.

About 4 days before my arrival, I got an email stating that I had been given a complimentary upgrade to a hospitality suite. And indeed I had. It was a massive suite on the 12th floor. The bedroom was like any other, comfortable size with a large chaise by the window. The bathroom had the shower in the tub. The living/dining room was huge. There was a dining table with seats for 6, a bar/kitchen, and an extensive sitting area with a big flat screen TV. However, I gave it up. The Grand Club is on the 23rd floor. There is no direct access from the 12th floor to the 23rd floor. You must take the elevator to the 5th floor, walk to a different bank, and go back up to the 23rd floor. The hotel was hosting a large convention (900 attendees) and there were hospitality suites on the 5th floor. I was alone, and didn't need all the excess space. I happily gave it up in exchange for a room on the 22nd floor.

The lounge is quite nice for a US hotel. Given the size of the hotel, I was surprised to find very few people in the lounge at any time. It had a variety of seating areas, as well as a few tables and a longer bar table with bar stools on both sides. The food was quite good. There were a number of beverage refrigerators with a range of juices, water (sparkling and still), and soft drinks. Continental breakfast was reasonably extensive, with cereals, yogurt, hardboiled eggs, salmon, capers, onion, bagels, muffins, and breads. There were cookies in the afternoon. Evening appetizers were all cold, but again good. There were a range of roasted vegetables, hummus, some cheeses, salmon, prosciutto, and crackers. The hosts, both morning and evening, were very warm and hospitable.

The hotel is "on the riverwalk" but an extension built down to the Convention Center with no shops or restaurants. Still, it was just 5 to 7 minutes to walk to a very busy elbow in the Riverwalk. There were a number of restaurants there. It was also only a 5 minute walk to La Villita, a historic village with artisan shops. La Villita is open from 10am to 6pm.

New York Times published an article two weeks ago on 36 hours in San Antonio.

Taxi fare to the hotel is roughly $24, not much of a premium on the $18 that the shuttle van charges.