The Stephen F Austin Royal Sonesta Hotel

Austin, Texas

Virgin rating

Lobby
One Bedroom Suite
One Bedroom Suite
Roaring Fork
Preferred Room
Lobby
One Bedroom Suite
One Bedroom Suite
Roaring Fork
Preferred Room

The hotel

If you’ve got a passion for music and art, then this is the hotel for you. Situated centrally in the Live Music Capital of the World, with an art deco feel to the hotel, the Stephen F Austin Royal Sonesta is an iconic building that has been a staple of the Austin skyline for almost a century. The artistic creativity isn’t doesn’t stop with the beautiful décor, but extends to the handcrafted cocktails and innovative cuisine. Featuring the only outdoor dining terrace on Congress Avenue, you can enjoy breakfast whilst looking out into the city as the dawn breaks, or enjoy a sundowner at the end of a busy day, all with the fresh air on your face. The hotel is within steps of Austin’s State Capitol building and within easy reach of other attractions including Sixth Street, where you’ll never be short of live music to entertain you late into the night. 

Amenities

  • Bar
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Hot tub
  • Internet Access
  • Restaurant
  • Room Service
  • Swimming Pool
  • Valet parking

Where is it

On Congress Avenue, in the heart of Austin, steps from Austin's State Capitol building. Transfer time from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport: Approx. 15 mins.

Hotel information

190 beautifully appointed rooms and suites with sophisticated décor, all featuring complimentary WiFi, cable TV, coffee/tea making facilities, bath robe, hairdryer, and mini bar*.

Deluxe rooms with either 1 king-size bed, 1 queen-size bed or 2 double beds, sleeping maximum 4 adults. 


Preferred rooms are larger in size, featuring a seating area with sofa bed, lounge chair and table, and either 1 king-size bed or 1 queen-size bed, sleeping maximum 2 adults.

One Bedroom Suite featuring a separate living area with sofa bed, and 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 4 adults.


In-room dining services are temporarily suspended. Restaurant and Bar are operating with a limited menu and adjusted hours. Grab n Go in the Lobby is available 24 hours a day. 

The Mezzanine (serving breakfast on an outdoor terrace, with grab ‘n’ go options also available). Roaring Fork (Old-west inspired cuisine, serving lunch and dinner). Stephen F’s Bar (with outdoor terrace, open Thurs-Sat). 

Indoor swimming pool and hot tub. Fitness centre. Austin Jogging routes.

Complimentary WiFi. Room Service (temporarily suspended). Valet parking from $49 plus tax per day (payable locally, fee subject to change). 

*Denotes local charge.

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (1151)
  • Very good (336)
  • Average (103)
  • Poor (51)
  • Terrible (29)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Royale Sonesta

Nov 14, 2023 Tony M Boston, Massachusetts

Hotel was clean and the staff were excellent. I was there for a conference and had materials sent and the staff were super helpful in helping me find everything that I needed. Good location and easy to get around the city. I would stay here again.
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Historic hotel with high-quality rooms and a quiet vibe

Nov 10, 2023 CazV03 San Francisco, California

It's a historic hotel with lots of class and character, and the rooms are really nice and well maintained. The bed was incredibly comfortable! Hotel has a great location on Congress Ave and the front desk staff were really friendly and helpful. This was my second time staying here and I'd definitely recommend it again. I had coworkers staying at… Read more
It's a historic hotel with lots of class and character, and the rooms are really nice and well maintained. The bed was incredibly comfortable! Hotel has a great location on Congress Ave and the front desk staff were really friendly and helpful. This was my second time staying here and I'd definitely recommend it again. I had coworkers staying at a few nearby, recently-built hotels, and they all reported that their hotels were super loud with guests partying. That was NOT the vibe at the Royal Sonesta, which I really appreciated on my business trip. I needed my sleep! Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating All's Well That Ends Well

Nov 5, 2023 chaiken Menlo Park, California

I arrived at the Stephen F Austin Royal Sonesta at 2am after a delayed flight. It took 20 minutes for me to check-in due to issues with the hotel computer system. It might have been worth the wait, because I was upgraded to a suite. But I'd say that the suite was quirky: two rooms, nice furnishings, but no amenities. For example, the bar area in… Read more
I arrived at the Stephen F Austin Royal Sonesta at 2am after a delayed flight. It took 20 minutes for me to check-in due to issues with the hotel computer system. It might have been worth the wait, because I was upgraded to a suite. But I'd say that the suite was quirky: two rooms, nice furnishings, but no amenities. For example, the bar area in the living space had a sink but no accessories or drinks that you might expect to find on a bar. I fell asleep at 3am, and was woken at 8:45am by construction noises directly behind my bed. The noises included loud voices, drilling, banging, and scraping. Even with top-of-the-line ear plugs, it still woke me up. When I reported this issue via text message, the hotel manager looked into it instantly. He was on my floor talking to the hotel engineers by the time that I left my room. The manager recognized that I was the guest who had complained about noise, and apologized. He let me know that the work was supposed to be completed later in the day, and expressed sympathy for my rough morning. The manager set me up with some perks that made my stay more enjoyable and made up for the bad experience. So, all's well that ends well. The rest of my stay was good, especially because the hotel was in a really convenient location -- walking distance from my business meetings, restaurants, and tourist sites. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Great place to stay for a business trip or a romantic getaway

Aug 31, 2023 Fearless599563

Lovely hotel, great service, great and convenient area! New favorite for when we’re in Austin. Close to the Capital, multiple great restaurants, all types of Austin nightlife and entertainment venues but enough distance from 6th St to ensure quiet at night when trying to sleep.
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Great location, very comfortable, helpful and friendly staff

Aug 1, 2023 DJinNashville Nashville, Tennessee

For our extended weekend in Austin, we picked to stay at the Stephen F Austin Royal Sonesta because we had points to use. Half our stay was on points, half we payed for. From the moment we arrived to when we left, all the staff at the hotel was very friendly and helpful. They combined our 2 reservations so we didn't need to change room. Then, they… Read more
For our extended weekend in Austin, we picked to stay at the Stephen F Austin Royal Sonesta because we had points to use. Half our stay was on points, half we payed for. From the moment we arrived to when we left, all the staff at the hotel was very friendly and helpful. They combined our 2 reservations so we didn't need to change room. Then, they offered us a late checkout and upgraded our room to a suite with view on the Texas State Capitol. The room felt a bit outdated, yet it was spacious, very comfortable, and well appointed--there's a coffee machine in the room and complementary bottles of water. The bed was also very comfortable. We very much enjoyed our stay at the Royal Sonesta--it's location is centrally located, steps away from all the action, yet not in the middle of the bars and noisy streets. We would happily stay there again. Read less