Hotel Life

We have always had romantic notions of hotel living--like Royal of the Royal Tennenbaums, or Karen on Will & Grace making it with the the maintanance man at the Plaza Hotel during her divorce. Our fantasy includes terry cloth robes and slippers, daily maid service, champagne at our door, and lots of movies on demand. We fantasize about striking it rich just so we can make a habit of room service. We love hotels so much that we spend more time figuring out where we are going to stay in a city than we figuring out what we want to do there--even if it's one night in Bucks County, PA.

In daydreams we think about someday owning our own inn. We plan our menu, our muffin varieties, what type of bedding we will use, what type of soap will be available, and even the font on our letterhead. It's no wonder what we most love about hotels is the details.

So when it was necessary to treat ourselves to a vacation, but we didn't have the means to actually go anywhere, we decided to book a night in a hotel in town and pretend we didn't actually live here. We considered the Hotel San Jose, the Driskill, and a number of B&B's, but we ultimately decided on The Stephen F. Austin Hotel because it was right downtown, reasonably priced, and still in the boutique vein. We could have some semblance of luxury without breaking the bank.

The InterContinental Stephen F. Austin is right on Congress and 7th Street. If we desired, we could have had our choice of a night on 6th or Red River, movies at the Paramount or downtown Alamo Drafthouse, bar hopping in the Warehouse district. We had a host of dining options to consider as well--Japanese, Irish Pub Food, tapas, even a whole wharehouse of spaghetti. Our S.O. and I circled downtown in the beating sun only to end up back at the hotel for fancy drinks and then an Italian dinner just down the street. It was all excellent. Our drink was a blue martini, his was a scotch on the rocks. We sat back, comfortable, in cozy chairs, a view of the city from the balcony just outside the doors. We could see each other, hear each other, we could relax and enjoy the buzz. Nice.

The hotel itself is sort of on the grander side of the fence, with a large staircase in the lobby, a concierge at a concierge desk, and an expensive restaurant attached. In the rooms you'll find your toilet paper and kleenex fanned, a bevy of toiletry supplies including a "vanity kit" and shaving kit, and the requisite terry cloth robe hanging from the bathroom door. They do turn-down service at night with mints on each pillow. Our bed is huge and comfy with a spattering of uneccessary but sure enough cozy pillows.

From our room we look out onto Congress and onto downtown and beyond. It's a nice place to spend the night. But what we really wanna do is hole up there and churn out the great American novel, or at least the great American young adult novel.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@austinist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Alison Coffey in Other on September 1, 2005 10:42 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

Jane

I started this debate and I'd like to clarify. I'm all for living your life and enjoying it. and I think the local hotel as vacation spot is a great idea. I just thought it would've been a little more respectful to wait a few weeks before posting it. That's all.

CJ

I agree, we all need to chill, for if not, then the hurricane will have won. (uh, sorry, too soon?)

Thanks for that post Alison, now I have a place I can recommend for family and friends to stay when they visit Austin.

Alison

Believe me, I debated posting this. I had this mini-vacation two weeks ago. I thought about the possible flack I might get for this piece, but then I thought, what is okay? I'm certainly not urging people to go spend hundreds of bucks at a hotel when you could be giving it to those in need--but maybe sometime in the future you can take a little break and travel on downtown. I just wanted to recount a sweet little diversion from my ordinary everyday in a rented tiny house in North Central Austin featuring way too many meals of Thundercloud subs. I want to write about restaurants, and movies, and visiting local shops. I am not certain by what standards I measure when it is okay to do that under these circumstances. So I just went ahead and took the plunge, keeping in mind that we are a blog about Austin, not a news channel. I'm sorry for offending anyone.

If you can, give to the Red Cross (www.centex.redcross.org). If you can't give, volunteer. Our local chapter is in need of people who can handle the high volume of phone calls. Volunteer for some 4 hour shifts by calling

512-929-1275.

edward

Alison's article isn't in bad taste. These are in bad taste:
any cute new orleans hipster girls displaced by katrina?
No pic, no response

A

I don't have any problem with the story other than your choosing Stephen F. over Hotel San Jose, which is a local business, not to mention incredibly hip and cool. But I understand the access issue. But still. : )

Jen

Alison, you're so heartless, you should change your name to Katrina. (sarcasm)

This is kind of like Sept. 11. (People, don't start w/ the terrorist vs. mother nature thing, ok? I know it is different, I said it is KIND OF LIKE Sept 11) I mean it's hard return to "normal," to not feel guilty for watching say The World's Strongest Boy, instead of the news. It's hard to write about eating at Maudie's or creating a mini-vacation without thinking about people dying from starvation on the streets where people used to flash their boobs for plastic beads. Anyway, it's going to be different for everyone.

Jooley_Ann

Are we supposed to stop having vacations because of Hurricane Katrina? Perhaps Alison should be commended for suggesting a modest, fun getaway that involves very little waste and no consumption of gas whatsoever.

I've often thought of taking a weekend to check out my very own city from a perspective like this. I appreciate the review.

sean

I was kind of hoping somebody around here would say something that didn't make me sad, like every other goddamn thing I've read this week.

get a grip

i agree ben (and mamalara, trish, and reginald). i was being sarcastic. doesn't translate well over the internerd.

Ben

Dude people its time to chill...its a fantasy, its cute...beaches and hotels are still nice pre and post storms.

mamalara

Isn't this a story about a vacation? Not what I'd call extravagant, one day in a hotel in the city where you dwell daily. Are we not allowed to speak of enjoying being alive?

get a grip

after the devastating tsunami tragedy in asia last december, i never spoke of my fantasy of lying on the beach every day again.

chadwick

living in hotels? please. how about living on the streets, or stadiums, or shelters.

Reginald

Have to agree with trish.

trish

Oh please.

EdieOrange

Have to agree w/Jane. Very insensitive timing on this one. Aack.

Jane

This seems kind of in bad taste considering there are hurricane refugees who have been living in hotels because there's no where else to go. C'mon Austinist.