Austin Motel

This has been a motel for 90 years on South Congress.
I love the rooms, they're eclectic big low-style with a mix of old and update. The old and new are so well blended to give a funky and homey feel.
Beds are super comfy. Had the best nights of rest there.
Staff is so nice, helpful, friendly, and just super fun to be around.
I love the little bodega with motel merch, provisions, etc.
Fully stocked mini fridge in the rooms with baskets of great snacks (though we didn't partake in either).
I absolutely love this affordable and unique spot in the heart of ATX.

*Note: This review is for the pool*

Austin summers are hot... triple digit hot! (No surprise there). Beat the heat with a pool reservation at the Austin Motel pool! You can buy 3-hour day passes online (Mon-Thurs is $25, Fri-Sun is $45). You can also swim in the evenings from 5-10pm at a discount, because let's be honest, it's hot at all hours of the day in Austin (Mon-Thurs nights $20, Fri-Sun nights $25). The Austin Motel pool also does "Full Moon Swims" from 5-10pm every full moon day, which is essentially just an excuse for me to go to the pool. Full moon tickets are $20 and discounted drinks are available at the pool bar.

-Pool seating is plentiful, there were ~32 ish lounge chairs and 2 tables with 5 chairs each when I went.
-Parking: Expect to pay for parking in the nearby surface lots or parking garages around Congress, OR you might get lucky and find free street parking in the neighborhoods! Just be sure you don't park on a street that's marked for residents only.

Bring your sunscreen, book, and a friend and enjoy this kidney-bean-shaped pool to escape the summer heat. Highly recommend.

I think it was just ok. The best part is the location: right in the middle of Congress St with all its restaurants and bars and shops. We still Uber'd to restaurants downtown and on Lamar, though -- so it's not walkable to there.

Yea, the vibe is pretty cool -- with its retro feel and neon lights and cute pool. However, otherwise it just feels a bit outdated. We didn't have the cool wallpaper in our room you see in all their photos. We actually didn't even have a phone in our room, so at first were at a loss how to call the front desk. (What if your cell phone dies?) For $300/night, I was honestly hoping to maybe at least get some cute room photos. Not the case. Just felt a bit drab.

We also had to lug our big suitcases in the heat up quite a few stairs to get to our room. Same on the way out. Again, whatever -- I'm healthy, so 1st world problems. But for $300/night... I hear there's some more luxurious options for half the price in the area.

We splurged on a room here for our little SXSW visit post Texas Hill Country Rallye. Small, cute room but great to be in the middle of it all. If only the March weather was better for the pool. We used it once. Great facility, awesome location.

I was hesitant to write a review of this hotel because the staff was very friendly and helped me reschedule a missed reservation that they didn't have to do. I saw this written up many years ago in and have always wanted to stay at a fixed up retro motor court hotel so I thought this would be the way to get the experience I wanted without staying in a dump.

It's not a dump... but it's not great either. Rooms are small, finish out is very basic and not in great shape, the doors need weatherstripping badly, and I'd be okay won't this if they were charging luxury hotel room rates for this place. The Embassy Suites a half mile down the road is half the price of this.

In retrospect I wished we walked around, taken in the charm of this place and wished we had stayed here instead of actually staying here.

Very cute and renovated (kind of) retro motel from the 1930's. Bed was comfortable, pool was nice, there was A/C and the room was clean. Here's what I didn't like: upon checking in we're told there won't be room service bc of COVID.. which isn't an acceptable policy anymore IMO, there is zero shelving in the bathroom so it's impossible to do hair/make-up in the tiny bathroom. We were able to ask for fresh towels, but bc there's no room service our damp towels piled up on the floor. I believe hotel's should lower their nightly rate if there's no room service. We left overall disappointed with our stay here.

Great way to spend our anniversary- we'd always wanted to stay here! Super cute retro vibes and surprisingly comfy bed! Staff was really nice- they even left us a little happy anniversary note with two topo chicos! Location is amazing, hence the crazy high prices. We chose a random weekday just to stay below 300/night.

Overpriced and overhyped!
Staff know nothing about hospitality. Their who gives a crap attitude gets old real fast. Outdoor area filled with light blue stained couches and chairs, ew! Place needs to be updated, rooms are atrocious -bathroom is bare minimum formica and poor lighting, literally a florescent bulb across the mirror, floors in room are filthy dirty sticky Spanish tiles that haven't been cleaned in years. Wasn't willing to take my shoes off indoors. At night the walk from the lot to the main area is thru an outdoor stairwell with no lighting, No one working there cared about the lack of lights at night! Too busy trying to peacock for the selfie.

We attended Christmas wonderland that was put on by Austin Motel ! What a charming Motel ! Love all the decorations and bodega too ! Many areas to take sweet photos we loved it and wished I could have brought my daughter next time I will for sure ! Thank you Austin Motel for making this beautiful display for so many to enjoy the season

The way to enjoy this well located, iconic local Austin motel is to buy a day pass to the pool. They have changing rooms, fun pool with bar, music and novelty floats! Spend the day at the pool, go eat dinner early, then enjoy pool into the evening. Joanne's Fine Foods is attached to hotel and has the best tortillas!

Do not stay here. The rooms are truly terrible. The door to our room faced the parking lot, and didn't even close properly. There were gaps on all 4 sides. The bathroom was tiny and dingy. There was no counter space at all. Overall, the room felt dirty with hardly any amenities. The rate of $300+/night was very overpriced. I felt ripped off. Do not stay here, just do not.