I just finished up a terrific stay at the Four Seasons Austin.

The hotel is in a spectacular location right along the banks of Lake Austin (which looked a lot more like a river to me). There is a 4 mile running trial directly behind the Hotel and a quick walk across the river you can rent canoes by the Hyatt.

The hotel itself is very attractive and comfortable but not oppulent. Rooms were nice but nothing special.

The service however was exceptional, and I loved the little touches such as an overnight shoe shine and my choice of newspapers delivered to the door. Also some of the friendliest people I had ever encountered at a hotel.

Try to get a room overlooking the river/lake if possible. It is definitely worht the additional $30 or so I paid.

Stayed two nights at this hotel earlier in the week. Nice rooms, comfy beds and excellent service. The one bad thing I noticed was that my bathroom was not that clean upon arrival. I would have changed rooms, but I had already unpacked.

Overall, for a Four Seasons Hotel it's just okay, but the service is above average, so I think I would consider staying here again in the future.

I've stayed at a number of places in Austin including the Marriott, the Omni, the Driskill, the DoubleTree Suites. But after experimenting around I find myself returning to the Four Seasons. The first couple of times I stayed here I wasn't that impressed with it as a luxury hotel, but I realized once I tried other places, this was the preferred hotel to be in Austin.

I think it is the unassuming simplicity of the hotel that threw me off initially - it is not over the top or extravagant in its' decor. But it is immaculately clean, has straight forward service and is consistent in its quality. While it is a mature hotel (less of the 6th Street crowd) I feel comfortable bringing my wife and young children to stay on nonbusiness trips although the regular guest rooms are not really big enough for more than 2 adults and one child.

Overall, I try to stay here when I travel to Austin. The Driskill has more character, but also seemed to be a popular spot for high school or college functions. The Omni was very ordinary and not on the lake. The Marriott is right by the highway and is also a definite step below the Four Seasons.

Nice hotel, but for the price and reputation as a Four Seasons hotel I would have expected more.

Pros:

Many amenities, lovely outdoor area facing the lake

Beautiful lobby

convenient location

Cons:

Pricy

"bland" interior

paper thin walls, no soundproofing anywhere

uncomfortable bed

staff not as attentive as other Four Seasons

Verdict:

Unless you HAVE to have a pool, stay at the Driskill or the Hampton Inn in Downtown Austin.

My husband & I stayed here 4th of July week-end & had a relaxing week-end without kids. We loved the location & amenities at this hotel. We loved the easy access to the wonderful hike & bike trail, downtown, & the view of the river. We parked the car & walked everywhere. It was great! THe service at the pool was wonderful as was the restaurant.

Negative - We had to wait at the front desk for about 15 minutes to check-in because only one person was working & someone had some issues she was resolving. We also had to wait a while for the concierge. I was a bit disappointed about the size/layout of the room (it seemed small & a typical layout of a standard hotel room). The pool area is small & when it got busy, there weren't 2 chaises together so some couples left.

But all in all, it is a great hotel & we would definitely go back!

Made reservations for two artists from St. Petersburg, Russia,who were doing a show in Houston. Well known in Europe and are doing same misty photography in Florence, Italy thus well travled. Their stay at the Four Seasons was delightful to hear.Alexsei took off his shoes before entering the bathroom...it was so spellbound. What a great introduction to our beautiful Austin.Of course, we all met them for breakfast and they loved the natural beauty of this place called the Four Seasons.Okay, these were Russians, right? But then I went in for a massage at the Health Club and a woman from Dallas tells me what a delight to drive down to Austin and stay at the Four Seasons...AND THEN, she adds, her 13 year old son was enchanted with the bathroom...so very white and beautiful.You figure!

I found the staff at the Four Seasons to be extremely attentive and responsive. Our tiniest wish was their command. The accomodations were spectacular. Our room overlooked the lovely grounds and Town Lake down below. The bed was comfortable and the turn-down service included a fresh down comforter at night. There was complimentary shoe shine service and newspaper, and room service was prompt and very professional. Very pleased with the experience.

I recently rented three rooms for a December graduation trip, and returned again in January. Our 80+ year old grandparents didn't know they even made hotels so beautiful. We rented the cheapest rooms on a low floor and were completely satisfied. The "downtown" view is great ... no need to pay extra to view the "lake". The piano/vocalist who plays in the lobby bar/restaurant is wonderful. Ask for a hamburger there, which isn't on the bar menu but is delicious. My only complaint was that they charge for high-speed internet in the rooms. I used the free internet connection in the lobby instead to check email. We will be staying there again.

I recently stayed at the Four Seasons in Austin, and had a great time.

I was upgraded to a much nicer room with a balcony when I arrived. The one hour pressing service left our clothes looking perfect. The lobby bar was beautiful and fun. The service was friendly and extremely competent. The Sunday brunch was the best I've ever had. Overall, it was a wonderful stay at a great hotel.

I went to Austin for a two day business trip and arrived at the Four Seasons only to find that they did not have a room for me. It was 11:30 PM at night and such a disappointment to have to be shipped somewhere else at such a late hour. I did go back the next day (only because the hotel I went to was sold out that night) and was upgraded due to the situation the prior evening. This was a nice gesture, but the thermostat in the room did not work and my room was heated by the sun for hours. This problem was not fixed while I was there. I had to wait 1 hour for room service to bring my dinner, the staff at the bar were so busy I was only able to order one drink in the 45 minutes that I waited and it was never delivered to me, the towels that were left in my room DEFINATELY weren't fresh, there was hair on the toilet and in the middle of the night I was woken up by a cricket that had found it's way into my room. Upon checking out of the hotel, I expressed my disatisfaction with my stay and asked for a possible reduction in rate. The clerk looked at me like I was crazy and stated "I can't authorize that and my manger is out of town." Obviously this hotel is popular; but for this homegrown Texas girl, I prefer service over myth.