The Westin Austin at the Domain very nice hotel in an emerging area on the north side of Austin.

This is a relatively new, well kept, very well managed hotel. Almost too well - the registration clerk is trained to walk guests the four steps from registration to the elevator after checking in. I'd be happy with "the elevators are to the right". In the evening, at the registration rush hour, I think they even have greeters waiting for new guests, which may be overkill. I saw a morning standup meeting taking place while I was on the way to breakfast one morning.

The hotel is located in the middle of something I can't describe - its like a shopping town - a very decentralized shopping mall, with a Fiat car dealership as one of the stores - residential apartments and town homes being built, some office spaces, etc. In fact, the view from my room window was of concrete and construction of new residential spaces behind the hotel. It was not beautiful and scenic.

The hotel, however, was first class. The room was clean, comfortable, and functional. The bed was good, mattress firm, pillows soft and plentiful. I slept well.

Service everywhere was great. Checkin was easy.

I enjoyed breakfasts - with the buffet being very good and the offer of a custom made omelette, pancakes, or waffle - delivered by the waitress, enhancing the value. A nice selection of fresh fruits, oatmeal, granola, yogurts, and breads is enhanced by hot offerings including eggs, meats, and potatoes.

The lobby space was comfortable and relaxing. Parking was easy and near the entrance.

As I was at the Westin for meetings there, I chose it for the location. But otherwise, its probably not the place to be if you're a tourist in Austin, unless the shopping mall is your destination or your friends and family are nearby.

The hotel is in an area with great shopping - there's a Macy's, a Dillards, a Dick's and a movie theater in the Domain center (among other stores), and nearby I found other malls and shopping and lots of restaurants - almost all national chains.

Traffic in the area isn't good - so give yourself time. Its a short drive from downtown Austin, mostly on highways, but congestion during business hours seems to be the rule. We went into Austin for dinner one night and leaving around 7:30pm, had a short simple drive. But if we left earlier, it might have been much longer.

The drive to the airport mid-afternoon was also relatively short - about 20 minutes with minimal traffic, but I am told that during rush hours, it can get much worse.

So, if you're going to be near North Austin, this is a quality choice - not cheap, but good quality...a standard Westin that you can trust.