Hotel Ella

Everything

Parking was a rip- off

This place should be my favorite place in Austin. But, it fails in so many ways that you just can't really stay here and expect a good experience. First the good. Checkin was pleasant. Bartender was great and bar food pretty good. Bar was empty on a Wednesday night so we had plenty of room. Grounds are nice place to sit during the day. Now the bad. Valet is blindingly incompetent, lost my car but still managed to charge $60 a night, before tax (and before they had found my car). Room was fair, but no desk, and in fact no real chair to sit in. Could use a deep clean and a paint job. You need to be very careful to fully close the door. Pull hard. If you have Room 218, you just have to accept that people from the balcony can enter your room through the sliding glass door that doesn't always lock effectively, Don't plan on a nap, or to engage in a phone call in your room in the afternoon, because the music in the pool area is rendered into a loud thump, thump, thump within the rooms from about Noon until sometime in the early evening. No place to work or read a book in the room. No desk or even a comfortable chair. Clunky little trendy looking stool you can balance on, but that is it. Shower was beyond water saving; more of a drip straight down the wall. You'll need to catch it in your hands and splash yourself. And breakfast in Goodall's was a complete disaster. 40 minutes after ordering, we still didn't have food or even coffee. The surly waiter took our order and never returned. Others were going back into the kitchen themselves to check on things. So we left, hungry. Manager at the front desk said he would talk to "Food and Beverage" about that, but didn't seem to think our experience warranted an apology. So, go for a drink and a flatbread but don't stay at the Ella. This place has been getting progressively worse over the last few years. Time to shut it down and start over.

My stay at Hotel Ella was truly unforgettable, and a big part of that was thanks to the incredible staff. From the moment my boyfriend and I arrived, everything felt so thoughtful and perfectly curated to make our experience special. Cece really went above and beyond to make our stay wonderful. She was so warm, attentive, and genuinely invested in making sure we were comfortable and happy the entire time. I enjoyed being with her when I stayed here last year, and I was ecstatic to have her taking care of me AGAIN this trip. Hotel Ella created such a beautiful and relaxing atmosphere, and with Cece’s exceptional service, it made our time there feel even more memorable. It was the perfect getaway for me and my boyfriend, and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. We will definitely be back!