On my very first trip to San Antonio, Texas this week I stayed at the Hotel Contessa and I was impressed with their suites.
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Location
The property is right on the River Walk, about a 5-10 minute walk to the restaurants and bars that made it famous. Parking was available across the street for $25/day, valet through the hotel was slightly higher.
Address: 306 W Market St, San Antonio, TX 78205
Phone: (210) 229-9222
Suite
The room I received faced the street as opposed to the River view. It was comprised of a spacious living room, bedroom and a renovated bathroom. My only complaint (aside from the view) was that the room was a little dark and a took a while to cool down.
Living Room
A couch, a small table and plenty of space with brick accents proved that Hotel Contessa wasn’t joking when they advertised their suites.
Bedroom
The biggest benefit of this room beside modern design was its abundance of power plugs, they were everywhere. I didn’t take a picture of them (because who needs half a dozen photos of wall outlets) but I counted more than a dozen, half of which was next to the bed on either side.
Bathroom
The bathroom featured a large shower with both a rain showerhead and a sprayer. It appeared to be recently renovated.
Property
Usually, I would have tried one of the brands for which I have loyalty and elite status. However, for this stay, our client had a meeting block in the hotel and we stayed there as a group. The property appeared to be all-suites and offered a compelling restaurant and bar option on the riverfront and in the basement lobby.
Value
The room block price was $199 before taxes ($35 approx.) and before valet ($32 approx.) which put the property higher than other chain competitors. That said, for those who do not hold status with other chains and would not otherwise be upgraded to a suite, their costs are in line with other suites in the city. Further, I found the suite to be charming and spacious, two details typically at odds in most properties.
What do you think? Do you have a preferred hotel in San Antonio? Have you stayed in the Hotel Contessa before? How was your experience?
I have stayed there for meetings in the past. I think it’s a nice hotel and located perfectly, away from some of the noise yet a close walk to all of it along the riverwalk. This hotel seems to market to meetings heavily and has good group rates.
Wow. Never would have thought it was so expensive in Texas. $250 for a hotel room. $25 for parking.
A [redacted by admin] state, surrounded by conservative idiots and expensive to boot. Lose, lose, lose.
I don’t think San Antonio is red. And Texas has a fair per Capita gdp. That said, city lots are $10 a day last I checked a week ago.
Did u know, tho, the average Texan lives 2.3 years less than the average Californian?
Correct. San Antonio is definitely not red. None of the major cities in Texas really are.
I travel to San Antonio, Texas, frequently for work. And this hotel is one of my two go-to hotels! (The other is the Hilton Palacio del Rio, which I stay in largely to pick up Hilton Honors points.) I’m excited that you reviewed the Contessa, Kyle!
There are, however, a couple of things about my Contessa experience that differ from what you wrote. The price that I have paid for valet parking is typically 25% higher than what you quote. (Perhaps y’all got a group rate deal?) And I haven’t yet stayed in a suite with a rain shower; the rooms in which I stay have a more typical tub/shower set-up. But pretty much everything else that you wrote is right in line with what I have seen of the Contessa.
I really, really enjoy this property when I’m in San Antonio! The restaurant is pretty good, although I don’t typically eat there when I’m in town. I really enjoyed their breakfast the last time I had it. The rooms feel very spacious. If I ever have the pleasure of taking my family to San Antonio, this is hands down the hotel I will choose.
Finally, they do have their own loyalty program, though I’m still unclear on some of the details and often have more difficulty than I would like in having my participation recognized (I usually confirm this at check-in or earlier). It’s also nice that it’s across the street from a wine bar I like, too! Since I stayed in the Palacio a couple of weeks ago, I’ll be staying in the Contessa on my next visit … provided their rates are competitive.
Count me shocked – SHOCKED – that you didn’t inconvenience yourself to stay at the Hyatt on the Riverwalk…
My wife and I stayed here years ago. Nice place with good service. It is a little pricey but the rooms are larger, which I think is a fair trade-off. Restaurant downstairs was OK but not particularly memorable. I think you may have gotten an accessible room of some kind, as most rooms had the standard shower/tub combo IIRC. Also, you likely received a discount on parking. It was like $40/day when we stayed back in 2012, WAY higher than the public garage across the street. My other faves on the Riverwalk are the Hilton Palacio del Rio and La Mansion del Rio (I think an Omni). Fortunately SA hasn’t been infected by those junk “destination fees” yet.
Valet parking was $38 per day plus taxes back in October (I thought it was slightly higher). Valet at the Palacio was $44 per day plus taxes two weeks ago.
@MeanMeosh, yeah, maybe I’m being more generous to their restaurant than I should be. 😉 But I have come across far less impressive hotel restaurants in the past.
I may have gotten a better valet rate due to the room block.
Emma hotel in San Antonio y by far, the best choice in my opinion, very nice property!
Ah, yes, the Hotel Emma, from what I have seen, is very nice. It is in a different part of town, being by the Pearl Brewery, not the Riverwalk. The whole Pearl Brewery complex is pretty special, with all kinds of great restaurants and open spaces to enjoy.
It wouldn’t work as well for me, though, as staying by the Riverwalk gives me a nice reverse commute to work when I’m there, which I’m not sure would be the case if I stayed at the Hotel Emma. Maybe I’ll try it out sometime however …