Hyatt House Austin/Arboretum Review

Booking & Stay Details

Just another booking for my work travel. I booked it a few days before arrival through the app. I decided to book the Hyatt House Austin/Arboretum as it had lower prices than other hotels in the area. I also preferred the Hyatt House over the nearby Hyatt Place. Additionally, complimentary parking was another “selling” point.

Location

The Hyatt House Austin/Arboretum is located north of Austin in the upscale Arboretum area of Austin, Texas. Nearby are many shopping centers like The Arboretum, The Domain, The Gateway Mall, Lakeline Mall, and Highland and Barton Creek Square Mall. There are also a bunch of other hotels in the area. The Hyatt House is located close to Highway 1. Driving to the Capitol in downtown Austin takes about 10 minutes and the drive to the airport takes about 15 minutes. 

Parking

The hotel offers plenty of free parking around the buildings. There are two driveways to get into the parking lots from the main street, but they can be easily overlooked as they are small. The main entrance, where you also get to the lobby, is just past the Hyatt sign.

Shuttle Service

There was a hotel shuttle parked in the parking lot, but no shuttle service is offered anymore.

Check-In

It wasn’t easy to find the entrance to the property at night but as there was not much traffic anymore on the road, I just drove down slowly until I saw the entrance and parked in an open spot to walk inside to check in.

The front desk agent was very quick with checking me in. He gave me a map with an overview of the property and where my room would be, as well as the best parking spots and entrance to get there. 

Check In: 3 p.m.
Check Out: 12 p.m.

Double/Double Executive Suite (Room 316)

The room comes with two double beds which share a single nightstand in the center between the two. Unfortunately, the only power outlets near the bed are the outlets at the base of the lamp sitting on top of the nightstand. These are also the type of receptacles which don’t hold the plugged-in device and it tends to fall out. The beds are near the windows which offer a few outside back to the parking lot and building B of the property. 

To the other side of the bed is a sofa sleeper followed by a dining/worktable. On the one side the table has highchairs, and on the other side you find a nice office chair. This side also features a few power outlets built into the desk. 

Opposite the desk is the kitchen area. You get a full-sized refrigerator, dish washer, microwave, toaster, coffee maker and stove top. The kitchen is fully stocked.

Across from the sofa is the TV which comes with Hyatt’s Chromecast feature. The Tv can be turned so you can view it either from the sofa, desk, or bed. 

Next to the TV is the entrance to the bathroom. Its size is perfect, not too big, not too small. Inside is a vanity with a single sink and a wall mounted mirror as well as a shower-bathtub combination unit. The room has a small den which features an additional vanity with a single sink and wall mounted mirror. At the very end of the room, on the right side, is a small wall closet. Inside there is more space for your belongings as well as an iron and ironing board.

Public Areas & Amenities

Lobby

The lobby is a rather small place in the main hotel building. There are some seating possibilities in the lobby and at the very back is the business center.

Business Center

The business center is in the very back of the lobby of the main hotel building. There are two workstations and a printer available for guests to use.

Swimming Pool

The swimming pool is located outside, behind the main building and next to the parking lot. You need your room key to open the doors to the heated outdoor swimming pool. In the pool area there are a few seating possibilities and even two BBQ grills.

Fitness Center

You can find the Fitness center on the ground floor of building B. When you enter from the parking lot, the fitness center will be on your left as you walk along the hallway. It’s a small fitness center but comes with a broad choice of workout equipment.

Laundry Facility

The laundry room is also found in building B. There are a few washer and dryer units in the laundry room. Unfortunately, these are old-school coin-operated machines. If you need change, you can get some at the front desk. It costs $2 each for a washer or dryer.

Unfortunately, the Hyatt House Austin/Arboretum no longer offers dry cleaning service. According to an agent, they stopped offering this service about a year ago. I don’t know why you can’t offer both.

Dog Park

The Hyatt House Austin/Arboretum has a small fenced-in dog park where they can roam around freely. It’s a fenced area in front of Building A. The area also comes with a lot of trees which provides lots of shade in the summer.

Dining

Breakfast

Breakfast was supposed to start at 6:30 a.m. during the week but that’s when they barely started putting stuff out. The only things usually ready were juices and coffee. Sometimes they started a little bit earlier and already put some toast and fruits out which I could grab before leaving for work. During the week, I mostly missed breakfast. 

Besides that, you have an ok choice of food here for breakfast. You get eggs, bacon, breakfast potatoes, yoghurt, fruits, and cereals. Of course, there is also coffee and a variety of juices. For some reason, the breakfast team never turns on the toaster in the morning, which has a conveyor system to guide your toast through and toast it. There is quite a bit of seating in the breakfast area, but not enough for the whole hotel. Sometimes people also use this area for dinner to meet up with the rest of the group staying here.

Coffee is served 24 hours a day and is set up in the area which used to be a bar. Most of the time the coffee is cold, but you can ask at the front desk to brew fresh coffee, which only takes a few minutes. It’s sad that nobody takes care of that. I have never seen this at any other hotel. You always get hot or at least warm coffee. When I get back to the hotel in the evening, it’s always cold. They just let it sit there after breakfast ends and never check it again or brew a fresh pot.

Breakfast Hours:
Monday – Friday: 6:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Market

There is a market next to the front desk where you can buy snacks and beverages.

Conclusion

Overall, a great stay as normal. Every now and then there were some WiFi issues and even Chromecast started to reboot itself after using it for about 45 minutes. The Chromecast issue might be just an issue with the device I had in my room. There is a security guard on duty during nights at this hotel which makes me feel a bit safer about my car and belongings. It was a great place, and the staff were always helpful and friendly.