Hotel Review: W Austin
The first W hotel was launched in New York City in 1998. Since its successful debut, Marriott embraced its strong brand; W hotels have fashionable, energetic, and festive vibes. I immediately think of bold neon signs and pool parties when I think of the W DNA, which is exactly the opposite of how I felt during the Coronavirus pandemic. The lockdown and lack of social gatherings have made me feel tired, so I decided to stay a night at the W Austin for a fun, relaxing staycation. My stay at the hotel was full of positive surprises, and I cannot wait to return to W Austin in the future.
I’ve always loved how sophisticated the W hotel signs looked.
What Card(s) Should You Use to Book?
I earn tons of Marriott Bonvoy points by using my American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card. It is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $3,000 within your first 3 months of card membership. It earns 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar when you book directly with Marriott, 3X points on dining and flights booked directly with airlines, and 2X on all other purchases. Paired with Marriott’s promotions and AMEX offers, it opens doors to endless points-earning opportunities.
The Bonvoy Brilliant comes with great benefits that can substantially offset its annual fee. Photo credit: www.americanexpress.com
The Bonvoy Brilliant Card does come with a hefty $450 annual fee but offers tons of perks to significantly offset its costs. The card features the following benefits:
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status, the mid-tier status offered in Marriott’s member ecosystem
$300 Marriott Bonvoy statement credit that can be applied towards your room rate
$100 property credit when booked directly with Marriott and staying a minimum of two nights at Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis properties
One free night certificate, redeemable for properties worth up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night
Access to Priority Pass lounges
15 Elite Night Credits that can prove helpful for chasing Bonvoy status
Even if you don’t stay at Marriott properties often, this card is still a must-have in my opinion. It’s a true example of a keeper card that offers benefits that outweigh the annual fee.
If you’d like to apply for the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! Click HERE to access my referral link!
I have another Marriott Bonvoy credit card: the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business Card. It is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $3,000 within your first 3 months of card membership. It earns 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar when you book directly with Marriott, 4X points on dining, U.S. shipping purchases, U.S. wireless telephone services, and at U.S. gas stations. All other purchases earn 2X points.
The Marriott Bonvoy Business Card is the only Marriott business card on the market. Photo credit: www.americanexpress.com
The Bonvoy Business Card’s annual fee is $125 and offers decent benefits to justify the cost:
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status, the low-tier status offered in Marriott’s member ecosystem
One free night certificate, redeemable for properties worth up to 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night
15 Elite Night Credits that will help you achieve a higher Bonvoy status
As you can see, the card’s benefits are less substantial than the ones from the Bonvoy Brilliant Card, but it is a great long-term keeper card due to its annual free night certificate perk. Furthermore, it is absolutely necessary if you want to chase a higher Marriott Bonvoy status because it is the only Marriott business card that is on the market and will grant you an additional 15 Elite Night Credits. Lastly, even though it is a business credit card, it is very likely that you could get it approved. Check out my article on how to apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor.
If you’d like to apply for the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Business card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! Click HERE to access my referral link!
Lobby & Check-In Review
I used two Marriott certificates for this stay. The first one was the free night certificate I received upon meeting the Titanium Elite status. W properties are usually Category 6 hotels, meaning that a peak price could be as high as 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, and an off-peak price could be as low as 40,000. Since my stay was during the off-peak season, I was able to redeem the certificate for a night at the W Austin. Then, a week before I booked my stay, I used one of my Suite Night Award certificates to secure a Cool Corner Suite for the weekend. The hotel would start checking the availability five days before arrival, and a day or two later, I received a confirmation email that my request has been approved.
Suite Night Awards can save you a lot of money for special occasions.
The W Austin was located in the heart of downtown Austin, Texas. Parking spaces were limited, but the hotel offered valet service for $49 a night. The entrance door was tall and heavy and had a cute succulent-moss installation along with a chic W Austin sign. The lobby was quite empty and monotone, but art installations and paintings made it feel more welcome.
There were many artwork in the lobby, pained and installed by different artists.
There was a concierge desk in the lobby, but no one was available.
The concierge desk was not in service due to Coronavirus.
Our room was not ready when we checked in, so we decided to wait in the Living Room, which is the hotel’s version of a lounge.
The Living Room served as an elegant lounge for hotel guests.
The main area of the Living Room featured a Tequila Bar, which was not open in the afternoon.
The tequila bar was closed, but I definitely want to revisit it when the pandemic comes to an end.
The room next door opened up to the Record Room which had over 8,000 records and a functioning fireplace.
The fireplace and old records gave the room more intimacy than the Living Room.
At 4:30 pm, the Record Room opens the door to an adjacent room, the Secret Bar, where guests could enjoy signature cocktails while enjoying the music from a vintage McIntosh sound system. After lounging for about 15 minutes, our room was ready. We received room keys and an oversized guitar pick that served as a 10% discount pass towards food and beverage purchases in the hotel.
The guitar pick pass was such a clever idea. Little details like this make the hotel shine.
Finally, we went to the 12th floor to check into the upgraded Cool Corner Suite room.
Living Room Review
The first thing I saw when I entered the room was a mobile console with a flat-screen TV, which looked somewhat bare.
The TV stand felt out of place and was showing its age.
I actually watched the TV during the stay, and it was disappointing to find out it was not a smart TV. Most modern hotels have smart TV nowadays which allow guests to watch Netflix and YouTube. Only being able to watch cable channels felt outdated, especially at a W hotel. The living room had an L-shaped couch in the corner, along with small, ottomans.
The couch was quite uncomfortable, but the throw pillows helped to position my back.
The couch was uncomfortable, and I definitely couldn’t see myself sleeping on it. Across from the sofa was a tattered work desk that housed a mini-fridge, fully stocked with overpriced items.
The desk was the most tattered piece of furniture in the entire suite.
To my surprise, I could not find a coffee machine in the living room, and there wasn’t one in the bedroom either. I called the front desk, and they told me they would send a Nespresso machine to my room. I was happy that they offered a Nespresso machine over a Keurig machine, and while we were making coffee, we heard a knock on the door.
I love Nespresso, and any hotel with a Nespresso machine earns extra brownie points from me!
When I answered the door, I was greeted with a bottle of prosecco and a hand-written card from the hotel. Even though my birthday was a month past at that time, the card congratulated me on my birthday.
I seriously appreciated the Prosecco and the hand-written card. Thank you W Austin!
It was somewhat confusing, but I gladly accepted it and truly appreciated the hotel’s kind gesture. A welcome amenity that recognizes the guest’s elite status and special days makes such a positive impression on me.
Bedroom Review
The bedroom featured a comfortable king bed and a panoramic corner view of downtown Austin. The second TV was wall-mounted and also lacked smart TV functions.
The bedroom was stylish and felt bigger and more open with panoramic windows.
I wish the windows were taller because they could’ve captured more of the beautiful city lights at night.
I wish the windows were taller because the night view was worth it.
A lounge sofa and a small side table filled the room by the corner windows. I liked the bright red color of the lounge sofa, but it was more intolerable than the sofa in the living room.
The strong red color of the lounge sofa really brightened the room.
The nightstands were clean, and a minimum number of USB ports and outlets were available.
Because of the charging hub on the nightstand, I didn’t have to look for an outlet behind the bed.
A tall closet blended well with the room on one corner of the room. I used the bathrobe after a shower, and I must admit that the robe was extra soft and cozy.
The robes were thick and soft, elevating my bath experience.
Bathroom Review
The bathroom was the main reason I used the Suite Night Award certificate to secure a Cool Corner Suite. The highlight of the bathroom was the tub, and there was a large window by the tub so you could overlook the city while taking a relaxing bath.
The tub was big enough to fit two small adults.
The bathroom only had a single sink but had plenty of counter space to store any toiletries and belongings.
The minimalistic sink was well matched with the atmosphere of the suite.
Facial skincare items were by /skin regimen/. I personally enjoyed using the vegetable soap; it wasn’t harsh, and the scent was pleasant.
It was my first vegetable soap, but I was impressed with the scent as well as its cleansing power.
Across from the sink, there was a walk-in shower, and sadly, it only had a normal showerhead.
The normal showered was somewhat unexpected for a W hotel.
Moreover, the water temperature did not get up to the level I prefer, making the shower experience lukewarm. The shower toiletries were by Davines, featuring its Momo lineup.
The silver push contained a bath sponge.
Lastly, the toilet was in its own water closet, which I always prefer over the open layout.
I always prefer having a water closet in my hotel bathroom for enhanced privacy.
Gym Review
After settling in, I went to the gym to do some afternoon workouts. The gym floor also housed AWAY Spa if you were interested in getting spa treatments.
AWAY Spa is on the same level as the gym.
As soon as I entered the gym, I was welcomed with chilled towels and nitrile gloves for workouts.
I always appreciate refreshing chilled towels at the gym.
The gym was massive and had every imaginable piece of equipment. The hotel blocked every other cardio equipment allowing guests to stay socially distant from each other.
Even with social distancing, two Peloton units were accessible.
Even with social distancing safety measures, two Pelotons were available for guests. The weight rack was quite extensive. As an avid gym-goer, it was great to see a full-blown dumbbell rack with the weights going up to 100 lb.
A wide variety of weights were available to hotel guests.
However, for me, the highlight of the gym was the squat rack with an Olympic bar—a rare piece of equipment at a hotel gym.
Doing deadlifts while overlooking the city? Yes please!
The other side of the gym featured an airy yoga/pilates room.
The room was spacious enough to hold a large class.
Hotel guests could rent clean foam rollers and yoga mats for free, and it seemed the hotel was sanitizing the mats after every use.
All the shared yoga resources were clean and organized well.
The other side of the room was furnished with pilates equipment.
I am not so familiar with pilates, but it seemed they had all the basic equipment.
Usually, a hotel gym has a bare minimum of amenities and only provides essential equipment. However, the gym at the W Austin had everything I desired; From chilled towels and gloves to a squat rack and a pilates/yoga room, the gym was considerate of a wide variety of gym audiences, and I was delighted with my experience at the gym.
There were more strength exercise machines in the back.
Pool Review
Even though the weather was a bit chilly for a dip in the pool, I decided to check it out. The pool entrance had clear lockers for guests to store valuables or small belongings.
The locker was tiny so you can really only store small personal belongings.
There were two pools, and the main one was bigger and had more private cabanas and kasbahs, which may be reserved for a rental fee plus a minimum spend.
If the weather was nicer, I would’ve sunbathed and enjoyed everything the pool could offer.
Unfortunately, the seats were stained and dirty. Each cabana and kasbah was equipped with outlets and a cable TV for guests to enjoy.
TVs were very outdated, and the seats were stained.
Though the pool remained largely unoccupied during my stay, it definitely represented what W hotels are known for. I certainly want to revisit the property in the summer to experience the pool.
The pool drainage system was weirdly soothing to look at.
The second pool was smaller in scale but felt uncluttered and spacious. The palm trees and gravel gave me Southwestern vibes. The smaller pool felt more private without the usual traffic the pool gets, but I am sure it gets crowded because of the bar.
The palm trees gave the pool a different vibe than the first pool.
The pool also had an open bar that was closed when I visited, and there were low and high tops available for guests to lounge while sipping on cocktails. if you want to visit the pools but don’t want to say in the hotel, you can still do that. The WET deck is available to non-hotel guests Mondays - Thursdays from 11 am to 6 pm with the purchase of a day pass.
Checkout Review
I rarely write about the checkout experience, but I wanted to mention how personable and charming the experience at the W Austin was. A night before we checked out, we visited the Secret Bar and had two signature cocktails. With taxes and the tip, the bill came out to $48. I charged it to my room and planned to pay using my Marriott gift card when I check out the next day.
The Secret Room used provocative red fluorescent lighting.
On the following day, a front desk representative assisted me with the checkout process but had technical difficulties trying to apply the gift card towards the bill. To my surprise, the representative offered to waive the statement “since I was celebrating my birthday.” I was confused as to why the hotel kept congratulating me on my belated birthday, but I thanked the hotel for waiving the bill. Perhaps my Titanium Elite status boosted my chance of receiving a bottle of Prosecco and two signature cocktails for free.
Summary
Overall, my stay at the W Austin was relaxing and enjoyable. The Cool Corner Suite did show some age with the tattered desk and outdated TVs, but the room was spacious, and the bathtub was superb with a view of downtown Austin. The fully stocked gym was terrific for any sweat seekers, and although I didn’t get to use the pool, I could imagine spending all day at the pool, sunbathing and sipping on cocktails. Aside from excellent amenities, what stood out to me the most was the service from the staff. I am sure my Titanium Elite status did not hurt, but receiving a complimentary bottle of champagne and waiving my drink bill was a nice gesture from the hotel and will keep me returning to Marriott properties in the future. If you are looking for a fun, energetic, yet luxurious stay in Austin, I highly recommend staying at the W Austin.
