We had an intimate, 17-person micro-wedding wedding in November. My Grandma (the guest of honor and my favorite human being) had just turned 96 and told us to “get the show on the road” because she was determined to be there! The wedding was held at the magnificent Hotel Saint Cecilia and our rehearsal dinner at the groovy Hotel Magdalena. The whole weekend was a fairytale. Saint Cecilia is like a secret garden, undiscovered and nestled right at the heart of the most amazing and vibrant city in the world. Words can’t describe the atmosphere – it’s so uniquely romantic, modern, elegant, hip, luxurious, artful, magical, enchanting… Before I go into details it’s important that I recognize Nancy Gottschling, the events coordinator. Nancy is an absolute all-star and all-around amazing human being. I cannot thank her enough for making my wedding the fairytale of my dreams. Saint Cecilia is known for hosting celebrities, the rich & famous. Even though our wedding was small, and neither of us a “big deal”, Nancy made us feel like we were her number 1 priority every step of the way. She was incredibly sensitive to my Grandma’s needs and made sure everything was PERFECT for her. Nancy and her team (including Sarah VanHoose - who's brilliance I could write an entire additional paragraph about) went above and beyond to make sure everyone was taken care of and had a wonderful time. The ceremony was held at sunset under the breathtaking Live Oak – two trees over the years entangled and fused into one, a beautiful metaphor – and the reception was held in the private courtyard of Suite Four. The food was incredible (both Saint Cecilia and Magdalena). Almost every one of our guests independently told us it was the best wedding food they ever had. On top of the quality, the customer service was above and beyond. The chef at Magdalena prepared an AMAZING vegetable soup at the drop of a hat when Grandma wasn’t feeling the salad (that said, I DEFINITELY felt the salad!!!). The flowers, by Gypsy Floral, were perfection. I almost cried when I saw them. The beautiful lush green foliage, the fall shades of burgundy garden roses, peonies, and ranunculus… If I knew more about horticulture, I’d go on – but I am in finance, and I’ll just say they were just as enchanting as Saint Cecilia itself. As a “mini-moon”, my husband and I stayed in Suite 4 for several nights after the wedding. A continuation of the fairytale story. When I called, I was greeted by the front desk with “good morning, Princess!” The mini-bar is the most luxurious I’ve ever seen – the best combination of global and local – the best food and drink from around the world and staples of Austin culture. The decanter of water awaiting us in the morning was like holy mana. I have literally never tasted water so delicious (I am not sure if this was due to the hangover, but I’ve heard there is something special about this water). Of course, nothing gold can stay. We finally had to leave this enchanted space and return to reality. On the way out, I was surprised to see one of my heroes, Liz Lambert herself. I approached her with hesitancy, not wanting to bother, to let her know the impression she’d made on me and the inspiration she’d been in my commercial real estate career. She was so kind, warm, and appreciative – something I will always remember. I will forever be loyal to the Bunkhouse group, and we can’t wait for the next excuse to return.…
my wife and i had a great few days here, they really looked after us. the staff are so friendly and the rooms homely. breakfast brought on a tray to the room, we had a nice balcony to sit and enjoy the garden. bar was very cozy and barstaff helpful.
This venue and hotel are beautiful and the service staff were all very nice and it is was a bummer that the event staff really made for a sub-par experience. If you do not value customer service, clear communication, privacy at a private or love to have endless arguments, then this event space is for you! If you value any of the above I would strongly suggest looking elsewhere. Unless Nancy no longer works here. Then just proceed with caution. I am not 100% sure if Nancy's actions were forced by company policies or not. If her actions were forced I do apologize to Nancy for this review. This being said, the actions as a whole are still inexcusable for a high-end establishment. The space, food, and day of service staff are all great. Especially the bartender. She is extra awesome. I got married last week and had our celebratory dinner in the courtyard. Did I mention it was beautiful? When you first meet Nancy, she is nice and easy to work with but as soon as the deposit is down, the contract is signed and if your event needs any changes to your event throughout the ordeal she is brash and seemingly, purposefully deceitful. The amount of stress and tears she personally made my bride feel throughout this ordeal is, unfortunately, a huge blemish on our otherwise beautiful day. As mentioned in a lot of other reviews -- "make sure that you have a written record of all communication with the event’s staff, especially Nancy. It will be essential to reference when there is an inevitable issue." From the beginning, we were promised the entire courtyard with specific mentions of our guests being able to use the amenities and even paid a ~$1,500 event fee for the rights to it. Upon arrival, our tables had been pushed to the far side of the patio where there were no lights. The other side had been set up for the public to use and had a large party gathering. We immediately asked why and Sarah --the assistant-- explained that they never "explicitly said" it would be a private event and she seemed not to care about our concerns. We are very covid conscious and this made for an uncomfortable night. There were hours of phone calls and conversations that were had prior to the day of to make sure everything went flawlessly. A couple of positive notes - the bartender is an awesome person and the service staff are very friendly. The food was also pretty decent. This being said, we were forced into having a $3,000 food budget for only 11 people.…
I have previously stayed at the Hotel Saint Cecilia and had a lovely time. The space is unique and the front desk staff is wonderful, especially Cameron and Evan. When clients of mine were looking to elope in Austin, I suggested HSC which I very much regret. From the very beginning, there was confusion and miscommunications from the staff which we thought had been resolved until we showed up for their wedding weekend only to learn that HSC had scheduled another wedding ceremony to start at the exact time. Rather than taking responsibility and apologizing for the error, the event’s manager, Nancy, was hostile and combative. When both weddings needed her as the on site event coordinator to be be both decisive and transparent, she lied to both parties and spent more time trying to hide the fact that there was another wedding ceremony happening from the bride of the larger wedding than actually trying to find solutions. I I would never define a successful event as one in which the couple’s representative is asked to vacate the property and the hotel’s event manager then abandons them to focus on the wedding that she made clear was her actual priority, but that is exactly what happened under Nancy’s leadership. If you really love the space and want to hold an event there, make sure that you confirm with the staff that there will not be another competing event scheduled for the same date and time. Furthermore, make sure that you have a written record of all communication with the event’s staff, especially Nancy. It will be essential to reference when there is an inevitable issue. In addition to the two weddings, the staff failed to notify guests staying at the hotel not associated with either wedding, of the larger event which featured a 35 person seated dinner in the communal space with an additional team of 15+ vendors. This meant approximately 50 people were gathered in a small space, many were not wearing masks or adhering to appropriate social distancing, so if you happen to be a guest not related to that wedding you were forced to interact with the gathering taking place in the property’s main communal space when going to and from the property. All around, a truly horrific experience where the hotel blatantly placed their need to makeup for lost revenue over health and safety precautions as well as overall guest experience. On that, as a result of the pandemic, the hotel has cut back on several of the amenities offered for the safety of their staff which is perfectly understandable. It should be noted, that as the hotel is now permitted to open to a larger capacity, their occupancy is increasing, but the extra amenities and client experience that are incorporated into the price of the room have not returned. Turn down service is no longer available and fresh towels are only available on request. I am not sure how clean the rooms actually are because when I went to use the complimentary lotion (the miniature size which comes with most hotel rooms) which should have been a fresh bottle , I found that it had already been used and was half empty. Incredibly disappointing.…
This is the place to stay if you want to ensue a great experience in Austin! The front desk staff, particularly Jill and Sonny, go above and beyond to make every detail of the stay is perfect. If corona has made you hesitant about traveling, call St.C and they will not only explain the deep measures the hotel has taken to ensure safety, but then also suggest onsite activities for you to enjoy!
Lovely trees and outdoor grounds. Friendly staff. Ugly room decor, especially for the price of their rooms.. Second hand furniture including torn sofa and uncomfortable chairs. Bad use of room size. The worst is bathroom lighting. Impossible to do your make up or hair.
Employees were great. They were friendly, professional and accommodating. The room was clean with many opportunities to add to an already over priced accommodation. The lighting was challenging and access to electric for phone and tablet charging and laptop use was almost non existent. The courtyard was very relaxing.
We have never experienced such arrogant, negative & patronizing staff in all of our traveling days. We live local and have wanted to stay at this beauty of a place for years! I have dear friends that booked this staycation for my birthday with a small intimate group of gals. From booking to check in and management... they need a serious overhaul of staff. All customer service, attitude and energy come directly from the manager of the property which would explain the check in staff etc. I wish she (The Manager) would please take a course on customer service and how to say hello and spread joy. The wait staff, chefs and precious hard working cleaning people we’re a breathe of fresh air to this hotel.
First off I’d like to say that the property was lovely. It felt very private for being so close to the busy-ness of South Congress St. However, I was not at all impressed with the service of this hotel. It’s quite pricey, and with that I expect the service to match. I’m not high maintenance, but when I pull into the parking area and I’m not directed to the lobby, or asked if someone can help me with my bags up a flight of stairs I wasn’t expecting, I’m going to have an issue. As soon I entered the courtyard from the parking area I had to ask an employee where the lobby was. He directed me, and then watched me struggle with my luggage up the stairs to check in. It’s not something I’ve ever experienced from a hotel at this price point. The pool area would have been fantastic, only it was dirty. From the dingy chair cushions (suppose to be white), to the tables that were never wiped down, it was a bit of a mess. The room was fairly clean and neat. My main issues were the shower drained slowly, which is kind of gross, and the dining chairs in the room were so wobbly I thought they’d break sitting on them. The WiFi signal was a joke, and a problem considering I had work to do. Also, my request for pet dishes weren’t in the room when checking in, which really isn’t a big deal, but it’s all about detail when paying this much for a hotel. The little things matter. Being a business owner myself, small details are the most important. There is also a lot of construction going on around the hotel, which I didn’t receive an email notification about until after my non refundable booking. They should have a notice up prior to booking. Icing on the cake to a not great experience so far is that I ended up with a nail in a tire that I ended up having to completely replace. The nail isn’t the hotels fault, of course, but it would have been nice to have been warned about the construction surrounding the hotel before booking. I would have most definitely chosen another place to stay. Lastly, for the cost of this hotel there are no amenities like gym or spa services. Honestly for the price, I would much rather stay a bit further away from things at a hotel that offers more amenities, and has much better service. While the hotel as a whole was eclectic and cool, I wouldn’t stay here again. …
Stayed here over Easter and they were quite welcoming to our dog, grounds are lovely, and hotel is well located to DT Austin and easily walkable/bikeable around Travis Heights neighborhood for shopping and dining. Easy small park directly across from the hotel for walking your dog. Other "pros" are the comfy, cool decor and gorgeous aqua bath tiles set in generous bathrooms. The less-than-fantastic is that our poolside bungalow (#9) had some fencing, but also plenty of 3'+ wide gaps so that we couldn't let our dog out unattended, even briefly. Dogs and small children were off leash at the pool area while parents were indulging in cocktails and we were left to fend off both while trying to get in and out of self closing, heavy gates with our luggage. The gates are required for pool safety but geeze they need a notice for parents to please mind their toddlers and pets so as not to have anyone slammed in the gates. Maybe a quick mention at check-in? Not our job to keep everyone in and safe, and not the hotel's job either, but it was pretty annoying. And the bungalow next door to us played late night music through open doors while people milled about, dogs barked, and kids played & cried- when I called the front desk at 1 AM to ask for help with noise control the hotel was on it right away and we were then able to sleep. A+ for the help, but wish it had been reigned in by a more on top of it staff. Not sure that hotel should "police" their guests. However, the circumstances made it so that I won't return and I can't recommend this hotel to others. Finally, a negative for us, but maybe not for the 30-early 40 crowd (we are late 40's) was the super soft, squishy bed and the lack of sufficient lighting in the room and bathroom. I wanted to love this hotel, instead we left early.…
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