We nearly skipped visiting Austin during our visit to Texas but I am so glad we didn’t as it has become one of our favourite US cities that we have been to with the kids.
Prior to our visit to Austin, we spent hours researching hotels in different areas of the city that would be child friendly.
Our search wasn’t helped by the fact that Motor GP was on over the weekend we arrived, filling many of the hotels to capacity, but we were glad to find that one of our first choices the Hyatt Regency Austin was available.
We are big fans of Hyatt properties and the Hyatt Regency Austin exceeded our expectations, it’s a fantastic hotel for families visiting Austin. We chose this hotel because of its great location offering easy access to everything the city had to offer.
As we arrived in Austin late in the evening after a long transatlantic flight from London it was great to know that it was just a short commute to the Hyatt Regency Austin, a 20 minute taxi-ride away in downtown Austin.
The hotel is one of the largest in Austin with 448 rooms and its large lobby area opens into a towering central atrium rising 17 stories, which is typical of many Hyatt properties bring back memories of our stay at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando.
Aside from the impressive lobby, what really stands out at the Hyatt Regency Austin was the warm friendly welcome we received on check-in, thanking us for our loyalty to the Hyatt brand.
Family Rooms at the Hyatt Regency Austin
Our room at the Hyatt Regency Austin was really impressive and beautifully decorated after the recent £47 million renovation to the hotel.
I loved the subtle references to Austin as the live music capital of the world in the artwork above our beds creating a contemporary and stylish ambience whilst the massive 55” wall-mounted TV caught the attention of the girls.
We stayed in one of their river view corner rooms on the 12th floor which provided the most amazing views over downtown Austin and Lady Bird Lake from the large wraparound windows.
We had the perfect view of the South Congress bridge from our room, home to Austin’s famous nightly show, where up to 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats set off from under the bridge for their evening snack.
This was Holly’s favourite spot in the room. She would sit there and play with her toys taking in the views whilst her sister would be happily writing away on the spacious desk.
What made the Hyatt Regency Austin stand out were the many thoughtful little touches. On each of the girls’ beds when we arrived in our room were two plush toy bats for Chloe and Holly.
These little bats were adorable and the look on their faces when they saw their new toys was brilliant and was such a thoughtful touch by the hotel.
As the girls named their bats and started making themselves at home – covering their beds with some of their favourite toys from home (which we always say is a sign of a good hotel) the next shriek of excitement came from Chloe as she noticed that the hotel had left treats and drinks for us to enjoy.
After a long flight from London this was such an amazing welcome and certainly provided us with the much needed energy boost we needed.
This was a greatly appreciated gesture and what made the Hyatt Regency Austin such a special and memorable hotel for us.
As you would expect from one of the leading hotels in Austin, our room was of a very high standard offering all of the comforts required for a great family stay including:
- Complimentary high speed Wi-Fi
- A mini fridge
- Air conditioning
- Tea and coffee making facilities
- A large safe
- White fluffy bathrobes and slippers
Were the beds as comfortable as they looked? Yep! We love the Hyatt Grand Beds and all had a great night’s sleep and we were refreshed each morning to discover Austin’s sights and attractions.
The smart modern en-suite bathroom consisted of a shower over the bath and maintained to a very high standard. At the Hyatt Regency Austin you get all the toiletries you need, basically you don’t need to bring any with you as the hotel have thought of everything a traveller would ever need – from shaving foam and deodorants to a plentiful supply of designer toiletries.
Facilities
The girls faces lit up when they found the hotel had a swimming pool – it’s one of their favourite things to do on holiday. The pool at the Hyatt Regency Austin is your typical city pool hotel, small but perfect for Holly and Chloe to have fun in the Texan sun.
The only disappointment about the Hyatt Regency Austin was that there was no executive lounge.
Relaxing in the lounge after a busy day out is one of our favourite things to do, however there were lots of public spaces and a lovely restaurant/bar area to sit and relax especially on the outdoor terrace overlooking Lady Bird Lake and views of Austin’s skyline. The Starbucks in the lobby was also a frequent stop off for us when returning back to the hotel.
Dining
We had breakfast each morning at Southwest Bistro at the hotel offering an impressive buffet selection of hot breakfast items, small pastries, cakes, fruit and cereals and was a great way to start each day in Austin.
With so many great dining choices in Austin, the city is a foodies dream so we only had dinner at Marker 10 in the hotel once before our cruise with Capital Cruises on Lady Bird Lake.
Dinner was really family friendly with dishes such as chicken tenders whilst I had the Bat Bridge Burger and my husband chose the fajitas. The meals were delicious along with great service.
Location
One of the main reasons why we chose the Hyatt Regency Austin was because of its great location.
Located on the banks of Lady Bird Lake with great views of downtown Austin, the hotel is in a great location for visiting the sights of Austin and in particular Congress Avenue bridge, home to Austin’s most famous residents 1.5 million Mexican bats. (you can read what we got up to in Austin here)
It took us less than 5 minutes walk to reach the bridge to watch this amazing spectacle and we were lucky enough to witness it, which we think was down to Holly’s new toy bat.
Overall and is it family friendly
Definitely, the Hyatt Regency Austin is an excellent family friendly hotel and is highly recommended.
The level of service provided at the Hyatt Regency Austin was exceptional from the housekeeping staff to the general manager, who made our stay so special and memorable
We had such a wonderful stay and it was the perfect location for us to explore the great family attractions of Austin, which has become one of our favourite cities in America.
We found that the best rates are found booking direct with the Hyatt Regency Austin starting at $215 per night. If you have Hyatt points (like we did) rooms start from a very reasonable 15,000 points per night.