Fairmont Austin
A towering Austin icon.
57.5/100 | C TIER
See my detailed evaluation here. Learn more about my methodology.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Fairmont Austin, largest hotel by room count in the Fairmont portfolio, from the pool area.
I have been to the Fairmont Austin twice in the past 6 months. Both were to visit one of my best friends, who currently attends the University of Texas in Austin. The first time was in August 2021, where I was to be honest quite disappointed with not only the level of service but especially the crowd & ambiance of the hotel. After staying in various Fairmonts across the world, I have come to develop high expectations when staying at one. The Fairmont Austin initially disappointed me in that regard, with mediocre service I attributed to the less than desirable crowd in residence during my first stay. I wrote a brief negative review after my stay and the Director of Guest Experiences reached out to me personally (by phone call) and asked if I would give them a second chance next time I was in the area. Before this, I had planned to try out the Kimpton down the street.
The second stay was much better than the first, although I still wouldn’t say it was up to the standard of what I envision Fairmont hotels should be. I think it’s inherently impossible to fill my high expectations, given the hotel has more than a thousand rooms spread over almost 40 floors. I do think the Fairmont is Austin’s second best hotel next to the Four Seasons, which commands an outrageous $1000/night rate.
I’m going to combine my two stays into this review. The good and the bad.
Arrival
I took an Uber from Austin Bergstrom airport both times. It was around $35 for the cheapest option, which isn’t cheap for a 25 minute ride. The Fairmont Austin has a very nice entry area with a huge porte-cochère. There are doormen, however (maybe because of COVID, but I doubt it) there aren’t enough to help with the seemingly never ending flow of guests coming to this huge hotel. Thankfully, I arrived with only a duffel bag and a backpack so I didn’t really need any help. With everyone busy helping other guests, I walked in on my own and was met with this beautiful sight:
What is this, a Vegas hotel? Then I remembered- in terms of room quantity, it was indeed quite similar to a hotel on the Vegas Strip. As you can see, although everyone over the age of 10 is supposed to be wearing masks, not everyone was. This was in August 2021 when COVID was on the uptrend again. I was very disappointed with Fairmont Austin not following their own policies. Although this is subjective, the decor of the hotel was also a little strange for me. I couldn’t grasp what kind of theme they were trying to go for. The blues on the walls, with the brown, gold, oak, and green colors all clash against each other. On top of that, there are statues of horses in the hotel and obviously fake flora all over the place. It just isn’t cohesive. This hotel was built only a few years ago and it already feels outdated.
After a 15 minute wait, I was finally at the front of the line.
Corner Room
I booked a Corner Room on both occasions, but the second time my room was far superior as it was on a higher floor and had both a shower and a bathtub. Although their website claims all corner rooms have a separate shower/tub setup, the first time my corner room on the 11th floor only had a bathtub. There really isn’t much to say about this room other than it’s pretty small. There really isn’t any area to lounge around if your room is configured with two beds like mine was.
The first time I received a pool view. It looked quite relaxing… not. On the north end of the pool, it looks like there’s literally no space to move around. I can’t believe people in Texas just pretended like COVID didn’t exist. On my second visit, I received a welcome letter and cute decorated chocolate plate with a letter from the Director of Guest Experiences, Ryan, who invited me back. The last couple pictures are the much better view from this room.
Breakfast
Breakfast can be taken via in-room dining or at Revue, their main restaurant. During my August visit, we took breakfast in our room every day. The food was of good quality and delivered promptly. In October, with COVID winding down, we took breakfast at Revue. Notice how you can either have access to a buffet or order a la carte. My first two days, I ordered a la carte dishes- their version of the Avocado Toast and an Acai Smoothie Bowl. The avocado toast was very salty, but tolerable and good overall. The third day, I opted for the buffet option. I thought the food quality in general was fantastic at the Fairmont Austin. (Look at those sausages!)
Wellness Facilities
The Fairmont Austin has a nice rooftop pool that was much more appealing on my second visit. It was far more quiet, presumably due to the party crowd not around in October. By the way, this made a huge difference in the ambiance of the hotel. The Director of Guest Experience, Ryan, explained to me on the phone that they usually see business travelers (the Fairmont Austin is directly connected to the Austin Convention Center) and not the young, party crowd present in August.
Sadly, I didn’t get to use these facilities as much as I would have wanted. The weather in October was a little too cold to be outside in a pool for me.
The Fairmont also has a spa, but this was closed during COVID. It also has a fitness center which I unfortunately did not get a chance to visit on both trips.
Conclusion
The Fairmont Austin is definitely my favorite hotel in Austin (for now). It’s clean, the service is decent, and the hotel is pleasant when it’s a little more quiet. The hotel’s management definitely cares about the experiences of its guests, as evidenced by Ryan reaching out to me.
I will definitely be visiting Austin again soon, and plan to try the Fairmont Gold experience next time I go. The Fairmont Gold concept is a “hotel within a hotel” experience for the more discerning traveller that was closed because of COVID both times I went. This includes a couple private floors near the top of the hotel where a Club lounge and private concierge are ready for guests.
Other than that, there’s not really much to write about here. It’s a nice American city hotel!
Final Rating
Service: 13/30
Standards: 4/20
Arrival
Greeted at entrance
✓ Doors opened
Bags taken
Refreshments offered
Introduced to hotel facilities and room/suite
Intimacy
After interaction with staff, do they remember your preferences?
After interaction with staff, do they remember and address you by name?
Housekeeping
Turndown service
Aware of whether or not you’re in the room
✓ Concierge
Attitude: 7/10
Service recovery: (extra category) Incredible, the management at Fairmont really care about how their guests feel about the hotel. Most other hotels, even the best ones, will simply leave a pre-written message expressing regret of a guest’s unsatisfactory stay. This hotel isn’t like that. I think this deserves a few extra points. +2 points
Rooms: 13.5/25
Quality 3.5/5
Views 3.5/5
Cleanliness 3.5/5
Standards 3/10
Entry room larger than 500 square feet
Electronic controls for room functionality
Separate bathtub
Rainfall shower head
✓ Reputable brand of amenities (Le Labo)
Pillow menu
✓ Nespresso or equivalent coffee machine
Balcony
✓ Welcome amenity
Multiple welcome amenities
Facilities 13.5/20
Public space design
Lobby 3/5
Pool 4/5
Other Areas 3/5
Quality and Cleanliness 3.5/5
Food 10/15
Standards 2/5
Multiple restaurants
One prestigious chef owned restaurant
✓ Breakfast buffet
✓ a la carte option with breakfast
Asian, Local, Juice, Pastry, and Western sections in buffet
Quality 8/10
Location 7.5/10
Standards (3 points possible, 1 point each)
Walking distance to a major mall (within 10 minutes)
✓ Walking distance to at least 4 restaurants (within 5 minutes)
✓ Walking distance to at least two major attractions (less than 10 minutes)
Safety 2.5/3
Walkability of surrounding area 3/4