Review: Four Seasons
We stayed at the Four Seasons Austin, and I was under impressed.
First, let me say that I, in Zagat, pulled up Four Seasons Austin and Hotel Adolphus in Dallas, which I meant to compare it too, to make sure it was considered a fair comparison. Zagat does not rank either hotel, so what the fuck is zagat worth. Nothing I guess, and I will figure out how to cancel my subscription as soon as I am done with this post.
Ok, back to the Four Seasons Austin. I have not stayed in any other Four Seasons hotel, and I have no other experience in any other hotel that I would consider in the same class as the Four Seasons as a guest. I have had dinner at the Adolphus Hotel, and I have stayed at The Inn at Union Square, a small boutique hotel in San Francisco 10 years ago, under different management than it is currently under.
The Four Seasons Austin pales in comparison.
I am in Austin, and while they like to pretend to be green and walk/bike friendly, everyone drives. There is no self park at the Four Seasons as you might imagine, so the valet service is the most used “amenity”. The Four Seasons is the ONLY fancy hotel in Austin, and thus, the place for business dinners and drinks. This kills the valet service.
My number one complaint about the Four Seasons is with the valet, so I will go into some detail.
When arriving at the Four Seasons, in most instances, we had to wait for valet. This was true every time we pulled into the valet except at 4pm the day we checked in, and that time they were just so busy that there were no free bell hops, so I elected to carry my own luggage. My preference would be to carry my own luggage actually, since I am not an old decrepit man, but never did I see that there were not bellhops already occupied. In summary, we usually spent 3 to 5 minutes to HAND OUR KEYS to someone. As a guest of a premiere hotel, this seems a little ridiculous. Also, let me point out, EVERY time we pulled up, “oh, will you be having breakfast/drinks with us today?”. My, very terse response, “The valet ticket is in the car”, and I had to repeat it twice EVERY time, quickly followed by “Oh… welcome back.”.
Thanks dickheads. There is a purpose to dividing the people who will be here for 2 hours from the people who will be over night. That division has to do with where to best put them in the parking garage for easy retrieval, it is not a shock and awe campaign having to do with your utter surprise that some who drove up in a Hyundai can afford your overpriced rooms.
I wrote the beginning of this post and then got called away from it and did not return to it until the next day. Since I started this post, I have learned something about the Four Seasons Austin.
I was under the assumption that the Four Seasons Austin was a five star hotel. What I have since learned is that most Four Seasons are five star hotels, but Four Seasons Austin is only a four star hotel. This would explain why I had a typical hotel experience. It does not explain why Four Seasons charges five star prices, and provides four star service.
With their proper classification in mind, I feel that the valet was fine. They gave me the same level of service that I have experienced with every other valet I have ever used. The typical Four Seasons level of service just doesn’t exist in Austin and I made a mistake expecting it.
To keep things short, I found most of the service at the hotel typical. I found a doorman and a waiter that exemplified what I would expect at a Four Seasons, but I also found one of each that I would classify as rude.
Did the Four Seasons completely suck? No. Most reviews of the Four Seasons Austin complain about the rooms being small and poorly equipped. I found the furnishings and decor to be quite nice, with the bed being in the top two hotel beds I have slept in. Of course, most reviews found the service to be outstanding, so I have to wonder if we were at the same hotel.
What was outstanding was the view from our room. We had a balcony room, and the view from the balcony was spectacular. The Four Seaons grounds are well kept, but beyond the grounds is Lady Bird Lake Park (previously Towne Lake Park). I have several photos that I took from the balcony of our room that I will post at some point. The Park is really why you would want to stay at the Four Seasons, since the position of the Four Seasons provides the best view of the park and lake, while minimizing the view of the surrounding buildings. Very scenic.
I will post more about our trip later.