Beautiful Property, Great Amenities, SPG Upgrades :-(, Pool Area Nasty
I think that sums it all up. The good in detail:
- Beautiful location atop a hill with some good views of the area, this is really the start of the Hill Country!
- Great amenities with a big play area for kids, a very cool pool system, marshamallow roasting at the fire pit with smores, guitar player in the welcoming lobby
- Staff is friendly
- Rooms are standard fare, so nice since it's a Westin
Now, the not so good:
- Free parking lot is a HIKE to the hotel. This is a premium property so valet is normal, but sometimes you just don't want to drop the $20+ on valet when on a getaway with the family;
- Pools were nasty with beer cans, drink cups everywhere and the adult pool with cloudy for God knows what reason, but with the activities going on you can only imagine. Kids pool was a bit better.
- Bar service spotty poolside.
- SPG Plat upgrade was nothing to write home about, I'm sure they get plenty on the weekends, but still, seemed like there was confusion at the desk on how to handle it. The SPG Floor is okay, access to a lounge that was large so staff was spending more time trying to keep up (they barely could) than really engaging guests. It also seemed like some folks were sneaking up to the level despite the keycard access on the elevator.
- The property is not easy to navigate as it has many wings and areas, though less interesting, it would have been better to do an older simpler design that centrally located the main amenities like the pool and consolidated guests into one taller tower. Walking is good for you, but I hate that I was put on highest floor at the end of the hallway. Very hard with a 20 month old.
In summary, this is a very nice property - I hear people talk about how nice the JW Marriott is, and it does sound nicer, so unles you are SPG and the rate difference is not significant, try that out. Otherwise, I would highly recommend staying here, a few drawbacks but a wonderful place that we would certainly return to!