Microtel Inn & Suites Austin Airport

In case you’re not familiar, Microtel means a tiny room (a couple of feet on both sides of the queen bed), a tiny microwave and fridge, and a tiny desk. Even the tub seemed small. All that would be acceptable at a tiny price, but there are other hotels in the same price range that offer more. But the real issue is that the mattress was well past due replacement. Too soft, sagging in the middle, and lumpy. Combined with an A/​C unit that was loud enough to drown out the thunder outside, sleep was something that came only in fits and starts.
Oh, the free breakfast? Other than the fresh, cook it yourself waffles, not much to write home about. Worth about what you pay for it.

If you say the shuttle will be there at a certain time or offer to take you somewhere at a certain time, I’d expect to be a little more reliable. If it happens once, that’s understandable, but 4 times is not. I’ve been given rooms here with people in them or that smell incredibly awful and if I didn’t have to stay here for work I probably wouldn’t.

Got to the hotel about 1.5 hour early and my room was available and checked. Wasn’t sure what to expect for a «micro hotel», but I liked the smaller room. Room was clean and the AC was set low which was nice. Shower water pressure was good and bathroom was clean. For the location and price I would stay again. Can’t speak to the breakfast as I will be checking out before it’s available. Plus they have an airport shuttle.

Great room, decent breakfast, and a very convenient hotel shuttle. The bed is amazing! I fell asleep almost immediately. This place is a great value!

Wasn’t a peaceful stay. It’s near the airport and they should be expecting people to come and go at odd hours. Holy mackerel… the sounds of other customer’s doors closing all night was bloody LOUD. There’s a Denny’s and a 7 – 11 within walking distance. Not a walk I would make after dark. The toilet seat was broken. The ceiling above the shower had water damage most likely from a leak on the next floor up. The safety latch on the front door wasn’t secure. Obvious smudges on the TV and mirror indicate a lack of attention to detail on room cleaning. The staff was friendly enough. I left before the free breakfast started so can’t comment on that. A very short drive to Bergstrom International. Wasn’t bothered by jet engine noises, just those doors. Company booked business trip so I didn’t have a choice in the matter. I would have gone somewhere further from the airport that had better amenities. Looks like they paid $ 99 plus tax for the room.

I don’t know what these other reviewers are used to but I found this place to be disgusting! There were two buggers on the bed cover and a period stain on the bed sheets. I am seriously thinking about sleeping in my car tonight… I know it will be more sanitary!

Very clean, courteous staff and very good price. If you are just looking for a place to stay the night, it works much better than most. A couple of places to eat within walking distance and a very helpful shuttle driver.

We’ve been doing the Shiner GASP (Great Austin to Shiner Pedal) for 4 years in a row now. The previous 2 years, we’ve stayed at this same Microtel. The previous years were good, they happily put some breakfast out earlier than normal so that the riders could get a granola bar or some cereal in us before 100 miles on a bicycle. We appreciated that!
Unfortunately, this year was quite different. I don’t know if there has been any change in management, but the whole thing was one terrible thing after another. We booked about a month in advance, and were told that due to a concert in town that same weekend, we would be a 2-​night-​stay minimum. They informed us that this was a common occurrence when a concert like this was happening, and that every hotel in the area would be charging this way. There was a 15% off special, so we figured we had about as decent a deal we would find, so we booked it.
When we arrived on Friday, around 2, we knew we were early (check in is at 3). We went ahead and got the key to the one of 4 rooms that WAS ready and started moving all of our bicycles into that room. The other three rooms were not ready until FIVE pm… a bit extreme if you ask me. They really should have been ready by 3. Having been in the service industry, I understand sometimes that stuff happens… but what was lacking here was the communication. If they’d just kept us updated, said «we are so sorry, we are working as quickly as we can to get the rooms ready» or something, it would have been appreciated. That was not the case. It took a extra 2 hours.
The following morning, the cyclists headed out at 6:30am. In past years, they’d happily put out the cold breakfast for us so we could eat something (breakfast is supposed to be out at 7) but would not do that this year. It’s not as accommodating as in the past, but I know it’s their choice. What was bothersome was that at 7 am, when the others in our group made their way down to get breakfast around 7:15, there was STILL nothing out… Again, late with no explanation or apology.
The others who were not riding asked if since we didn’t get our rooms until 2 hours past check-​in, if they could check out at 12 instead of 11. They were given a lot of grief, then allowed 11:30 checkout time. The front desk attendant then informed them that we had the rooms for 2 nights, so they had all day if they wanted.
Again, we never NEEDED the second day. When they left at 11:30, we wouldn’t be returning to Austin at all.
As I learned more and more of these facts, after completing the bike ride, I was increasingly furious. The last straw was to find out from a fellow rider who stayed at the hotel across the street from us was NOT charged a 2-​night minimum!!!
I spoke with the manager the day after our stay, and was informed that we would be receiving a refund for that second night. Here we are 2 weeks later, and I’ve yet to see this refund. I will be following up first thing in the morning.
Even though we’ve had plenty of decent stays here in past years, we will not be returning. It’s too bad, because we will be participating in this ride for YEARS to come.

Look at the photo of the room we stayed in. Whats there to complain about. Definitely a recommend but the only thing is breakfast is what you pay what you get so OK in that area. Otherwise 4 stars all around.

Wow — really surprised at how awesome this hotel was! Here’s the breakdown…
–We stayed here in June 2012, which also happened to be during cricket season. If you’ve traveled through Austin during cricket season you know what I’m talking about. That said, they did have a few crickets in the hotel, however, not NEARLY as many as we had in the hotel we stayed at prior to Microtel, and they were very sensitive to the customers in making sure the crickets were taken care of.
–Had a computer station right in the lobby, which was SUPER convenient for printing boarding passes, and free!
–Rooms were spacious and very comfortable, hotel was charming having cookies out in the evening, and offering a complementary breakfast.
–Very close to the airport, and walking distance to restaurants and convenience store. The staff was very friendly in recommending dining options.
The price was amazing, and again, couldn’t believe how nice everything was for what we were paying. I will definitely be checking out the Microtel hotel line for upcoming travel needs!

Pros:
Price
Cleanliness (except for the elevator, which needs to be vacuumed more often)
Size of the room (queen suite) and amount of storage space
Friendliness of staff
Breakfast (except for the kid who got seconds without getting a new plate — his parent (s) need to train him better, and the hotel needs more, larger signs above the breakfast bar), which included scrambled eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, plus the usual array of cereals and pastries
Sheets — clean and soft. I love that everything on the bed, with the possible exception of a decorative strip of cloth across the foot of the bed, appeared to be washable.
Free wifi, which worked fine if a bit slowly (54 Mbps).

Cons:
The lighting in the room! When you turn on the light behind the bed, it’s like a searchlight, an effect not helped by a surplus of mirrors. I gave up on any thought of reading in bed, as there was no way I could get sleepy with that light blasting. The rest of the lights in the room were of the same intensity — the only place there was a smallish light was by the kitchen area. There was also a frosted-​glass divider between the bed and couch areas that would reflect the tiniest amount of light, meaning I did not have a dark room to sleep in, which I hate.
The size of the bed, even for a single person. I really don’t think that was a queen. OK, looking at my CA King at home, maybe it was a queen, but It was certainly not suitable for two adult human beings. It was barely big enough for one, me. I can’t believe all the years two adults normally slept in a full bed — how did they not push each other off the sides? And I couldn’t sleep near the edge, as I prefer — it kind of sloped toward the edges. Still, I suppose it was pretty good for a hotel bed. I’m spoiled by memory foam with a 2″ latex topper.
The in-​room coffee. Maybe I should have used the packet to make two cups instead of four — then it might have been OK.
TV reception of local channels — pretty snowy.

Good value for the money. Very good room set up. Well designed and clean. Friendly and helpful staff. But the lights. The white lights in the whole hotel. Horrible. If they just would be yellow, the whole atmosphere would be so much cozier. The hotel is designed so nicely and contemporary clean but the lights don’t compliment the good design. The white lights just give it a hospital feeling.

Wow! Very pleasantly surprised by how nice this hotel is! It was built in April of this year and the beds are amazing ! Price is awesome for the location too.
Highly recommended.