Riverwalk locale without the bad Riverwalk price
I stayed at the La Quinta Convention Center simply because it was the location of a conference at which I was an attendee. Overall the experience was good. The rooms were fairly standard, maybe a little out dated in some decor, but overall nice. The beds were comfortable, shower was good... the things you really need in a conference hotel. The Riverwalk is just across the street and through another hotel. While it might have been nicer to be right on the water, the La Quinta was plenty close and minus the noise and extra expense. Because it was a conference, we spent a decent amount of time at the 501 Lounge/Bar and I have to say it was one of the better hotel bar experiences I have had. It didn't seem like the place that non-hotel patrons were going, but the girls behind the bar were really friendly, and worked hard to make sure we were taken care of. They got to know our names, seemed interested to know why we were in town and even remembered what we were drinking from the night before - definitely made our stay more enjoyable.