How to Compare Austin Hotels

Posted by rlashea on July 12, 2010

The Austin, Texas city motto may be “Let’s Keep Austin Weird,” but the majority of hotels in the city are the same cookie cutter chain hotels offered in other cities throughout the U.S.

The most notable exception is The Driskill, a landmark hotel from 1886, located in Austin’s downtown.

Before picking an Austin hotel, you may want to compare a few to find out which hotel offers the best accommodations for your traveling party.

Use a travel booking website, like Kayak.com, to compare Austin hotels based on price and star rating. Simply type Austin, TX into the city box. Enter the dates of your visit to Austin, the number of rooms and guests and click “Search.” If you check the boxes next to the other travel sites listed on the page, like Expedia and Travelocity, Kayak provides you with results from the other travel sites as well.

Compare the hotels in a certain section of town or hotels that are near a specific attraction. Kayak.com and Expedia both offer the option of searching for hotels by attraction. When you type Austin into the box on Kayak, a list of attractions in Austin come up automatically, including the University of Texas and Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. On Expedia, when you click on the “Hotels” option, you can select “Attraction” from the “Find Hotels Near” box.

Read the fine print to uncover hidden fees at the hotels that you are considering for your Austin stay. Even hotels that have the exact same price may differ in price when additional fees are factored in. Downtown Austin hotels are likely to have a parking fee, for instance, while hotels outside of the downtown area may provide free parking. Some hotels may charge for Wi-Fi access, while others offer it for free.

Evaluate the amenities that each Austin hotel offers. If you are traveling by air to Austin, you may want a hotel with an airport shuttle. If you plan to spend your nights in Austin’s 6th Street Entertainment District, you may want a hotel in the area or one that provides a 24-hour shuttle to the district.

Check out traveler reviews of the hotels on the Sherman’s Travel website or on TripAdvisor.com. Sherman’s Travel also offers an expert review of each hotel, alongside the user reviews. These reviews can be especially helpful in determining factors such as the hotel’s cleanliness and the noise level in the guest rooms.