South Congress Hotel

My daughter was married at the South Congress Hotel earlier this year. We looked at several venues in the area but this was her favorite, so although we knew its size would limit the guest count, after careful consideration we decided on South Congress. The thing that stands out most after all was said and done is simply the vibe of this hotel. It’s chic, with a great location and carefully curated interiors that give it that cool, moody Austin aesthetic she wanted. Aside from that, my highest praise goes to the chef and waitstaff. The food did not disappoint and the servers were very attentive and polite. That said, some of the experience did not live up to my expectations for a hotel of this caliber (and cost) that is marketed as a wedding venue. Immediately upon notifying the hotel that we had decided to proceed with the date and F&B proposal they provided, we were met with updated pricing almost 25% higher than quoted. When we questioned this, we were simply told that this was 2023 pricing. The pricing was provided to us just a few weeks prior, well into January of 2023. I tried to speak with management and appeal to them to honor their quote to no avail. The staff seemed trained to prevent communication with management and almost every call or email to the Social Sales Manager that had provided the proposal was met with an out of office message. (I live 300 miles from Austin.) This was extremely frustrating and when I pressed, the best I could get was an agreement that we would not be subjected to any further increase that might take place prior to the wedding date. This resulted in thousands more for food and alcohol than the original quote we had been presented with and made it necessary to adjust our budget in other areas. Throughout the planning process, it seemed like everything we asked about we were told no to, or that the request would result in extra charges. Welcome bags for our guests? That’s a charge of $3.50 each at check in or $7 each placed in room. Do you have heaters for the courtyard if it’s cold? Yes, but they will be $150/each if you want to use them. A space for the wedding party to get ready the day of? No, you’ll have to rent a suite for that. A Manhattan for a signature drink? Bitters isn’t included in the bar package so $17 extra per drink, and on and on. (An entire bottle of bitters is only $7 and I would’ve happily provided it.) It felt like we were being nickeled and dimed compared to our experience when our son married at a different venue. The room block rates were actually higher per night than what could be booked using another website. Then the hotel had a promotion and temporarily offered lower rates after several guests had already booked. We notified those guests so they could cancel and rebook at the lower rate. The contract included the Milton Suite for the couple on the wedding night, but after signing we were told it wasn’t available, and a smaller suite was offered instead. (Prior to the wedding the Milton somehow again became available.) Did our daughter have her dream wedding? Yes. But it had much more to do with her vision, and a wonderful wedding planner and florist than it did with this hotel. I have worked in the hospitality industry and I can tell you that the customer experience provided us was seriously lacking. It was as if once we made the first deposit/payment, they didn’t want to see or hear from us (except to receive payments.) There was little to no effort to be accommodating or flexible. The attitude was as if they were doing us a favor, rather than that they valued our business. It never felt like the hotel staff attempted to make our experience a positive, smooth and pleasant one or even acknowledged the significance of the event. If you choose this venue, make sure you hire a planner that has done weddings there in the past. Also be aware that the agreement is a “live document” that can continue to be edited on their end. Unless you have printed it or saved it in some way, each time you access it, changes may have been made that you are unaware of.

Love the decor and experience of this hotel it is beautiful. The room did look like the flooring needed to be replaced and was not in the best condition. Staff was attentive and there is so many places to shop and eat nearby. No coffee in room but they will deliver it to the room for a fee and it is in the lobby.

Beautiful and hip lobby with chic decor that extends throughout the property. Kind staff.