Let Me Get Your Bags!

There is more to downtown Austin than just the food. Beautiful hotels and local shops make up the streets on both sides of the river. South Congress Avenue is home to many of these iconic Austin venues, one being “Hotel San Jose.”

       The hotel has been a local landmark for a while now in Austin. Hotel San Jose was founded in 1936, to be used as a motor inn. However, as the years went by, the place became rundown and was a hot spot for drug trading and other sorts of crime. In 1994, Liz Lambert bought the property and began the revitalization of the hotel.

       Nowadays, Hotel San Jose is one of the most recognizable places in downtown Austin. The hotel is located on South Congress Avenue next door to Jo’s Coffee and across the street from the historic music venue the Continental Club. The base of the hotel is built around its beautiful nature-filled courtyard, where the hotel rooms are evenly placed next door to each other. The room rates range from $90.00 for a shared bathroom to over $500.00. Some of these rooms are also placed on top of one another with a balcony that offers a view of the courtyard. as well as parts of South Congress. Inside, the rooms are unique. One former guest explains that the rooms had a very “Los Angeles feel to it.” She shares that it has a very “modern look, as well as a very boutique, feel to it.”

       Inside the courtyard, there is an indoor/outdoor lounge. From Noon to Midnight, the lounge is accessible to all, as the hotel provides weekly performances by mellow DJ’s for the hotel guests, as well as visitors entertainment. While enjoying the show, guests can order food, such as a cheese plate, along with their favorite wine or beer. Hotel San Jose also hosts special events. Some of these events include the yearly 4-day music show South by San Jose that takes place annually around the same time as the widely known SXSW music festival. There is also the monthly Honky Tonk Amnesia and annual Pet Parade, to name a few. 

       Hotel San Jose is one of a kind. If you’re ok with spending a little money and want to stay somewhere with a modern feel, San Jose may be just perfect for you.