I was in town for a convention, but my budget didn't allow for the pricier hotels in its immediate proximity. Homestead Suites was right across the river, and I booked it on Hotwire for the bargain price of $49/night. Is it perfect? No. Obviously I would have liked to have been closer to nicer joints other than Hooters and Bennigan's as well as other nightlife options. Amenities-wise, it's your standard motel but with a kitchenette for those who prefer to stay in rather than dine out. But it's close to the river, running paths and a 10-minute walk away from those aforementioned nicer joints. Worked out great for me.

My husband and I travel to Austin at least twice a year, and have been doing so for over five years. Up until our last visit we have stayed at the Homstead Suites Townlake and have always found it to be an excellent hotel. As an all suite hotel for extended stay guests it is perfect. The rooms are well appointed, clean and comfortable. The bedding was always in great condition, and the kitchenette well stocked with plates, cups, pots, etc. If you're in Austin for entertainment, as we always are, it's the perfect home base, as you can keep your Lonestar beer cold in the fridge while you're driving around South Lamar or checking out the shops on South Congress, and it's walking distance to some of our favourite clubs and restaurants (Gueros, Continental Club, Threadgills - which is right around the corner and has the best chicken fried steak in the city!). We've always booked on a weekly basis, so the rooms are only cleaned twice, but that's always been fine with us. It is not a five star hotel, it's a very comfortable middle of the road place, and I'd recommend it to anyone as a great place to stay.

Oh my gosh...where do I start.... We arrived early ... no room available. They said to retun in an hour. We returned every hour on the hour...no room. This started at 10:00 am only at 9:00 pm did we get a room. The lobby smelled of sewer gas or mold or something terrible. We got to our room and it was disgusting. There was food debris on the countertops and kitchen floor. The bathroom had hair on the floor and in the tub. There were dead crickets in the hallways... and roaches in the room. The first day it was warm, but the AC did not work. We tried to get another room and were told there was nothing else available. Next morning we went down for breakfast only to be told that they had stopped doing breakfast because they had a new manager. We tried again to get a new room for the second night and we were told that the hotel was sold out and there were no rooms available. The person at the desk was very unfriendly. Later in the afternoon, we came back to try again, and we were moved with no problem. When we told the desk clerk what we were told in the morning, he laughed and said they had plenty of rooms. When we told them what had happened, we were told that the morning person just didn't want to bother with us. The second room was just as filthy as the first. This used to be a great hotel. It has really gone downhill. The company must be in financial trouble or something. The hallway carpets were filthy. The furniture was beat up. The desk was leaning against the wall because one of the legs had come off - I reattached it, but was affraid it would fall on my daughter and wouldn't let her play near it.. It's a nice location, but spend the extra 30 bucks and stay at a better hotel!!!!!!!!!!

I stayed at this hotel because I was taking the bar exam at the Palmer Event Center across the street, thinking that having a hotel within quick walking distance would be advantageous for me! HOWEVER, this place is just terrible. The entire hotel smelled like a mix of stinky feet and an open garbage can on a hot Texas day. The stench of that place remained in my suitcase until I doused it with febreeze! The wireless internet was INCREDIBLY slow on the one day (out of three total) that I was able to get a connection. My friends and I had to walk across the street with our laptops to upload our exams in a restaurant. There was various species of insects infested in my room on the THIRD FLOOR, as well as my friends’ rooms. As much fun as sleeping with cockroaches and crickets is for me and my gang, we weren’t really up for it for those particular three days. The kitchen was inadequately staffed and completely disgusting. I was preparing my coffee the night before (i.e. adding the water in the back and getting the filter ready for the next morning) when I noticed a solid layer of MOLD inside the water tank of the coffee pot. The walls are paper thin and the swamp cooler (aka: air conditioner) inside the room was VERY loud. Additionally, when anyone close to my room was taking a hotel shower, a loud ringing came through the pipes of my room. (Make sure you take ear plugs should you decide to brave this one). Further (and finally for you brave souls and avid readers out there), the staff was completely unconcerned with anyone thing we had to say. They wouldn’t give me a different coffee pot, they were immune to the “smell” and told us that they weren’t concerned with repeat business. (hopefully, I passed the bar on the first try so my repeating is a moot point there). All in all, they breached their contract of a habitable room/condition and I probably have standing for a suit!

The hotel description on expedia said this place had a pool. No such luck. "Closest pool is Barton Springs about a mile down the road", said the young lady at the desk. The place reeked of some kind of desinfenctant when we walked in. Our room smelled stale and mildewy. The furniture was old and worn out. Not worth the price of $153 a night. Should have stayed at the Embassy 1/2 block down the street. Stay away from this hotel!