Hotel Ella

Arrived at the Hotel Ella last Saturday afternoon as my friend and I were going to watch the Justin Timberlake concert at the Moody Center. It's a boutique hotel in a tree-lined area so I couldn't find it at first as my GPS was set for the Hotel Ella Garage which was on another street around the corner. I called my friend and she guided me & said to just park at the valet and have them drop off my bags in the room so I can meet her at the sitting room outside of the bar. Keith was at the valet area & was friendly & welcoming. I told him my plans & he gladly fetched another female assistant who took my bags as he parked my car. I felt genuinely welcomed and set the tone esp. after driving 1.5 hrs from SA. I walked in and past the front desk and was my friend had a Charcuterie Board she was munching on while seated at a sofa in the sitting room which is adjacent to the bar. I noticed the Victorian look of the place but with modern, updated touches yet with a comfy feel. My friend gave me a token for a complimentary drink. Daniel, the concierge/host introduced himself as he came around from the front desk area and greeted me. He knew we were headed to the concert as others were also staying in the hotel for the same reason. He was very personable, welcoming and asked if I knew about the hotel which I had only read briefly on the website. He handed my friend & I a printout of the history of the hotel and the owners, their vision and we read up on it while relaxing. He told us that if we needed anything to let him know. Daniel was wearing suspenders & a brim and looked perfectly throwback at this hotel! As I was perusing the menu, I wasn't sure what I could order with the drink token so I asked Daniel and he walked me up to the bar, introduced the bartender who explained what the complimentary cocktails were. I chose the Ella Martini which had Vodka, Chambord, Pineapple Juice & Foaming Bitters. It was very refreshing & light esp. with the foam. There were flies flying around our food and drinks & we were fanning them away so a waitress brought us a portable long-bladed plastic fan which warded off the flies. She apologized and said there are a lot of flies lately from the humidity. There was another lively & friendly employee with a white uniform(not sure if he worked in the kitchen?) would occasionally ask if we needed anything? My friend commented on his dark blue nails & we started talking about gel and dipped nails & how long they last, LOL! My friend asked another employee if there was a safe in our room which the employee thought but wasn't sure so he asked for permission to check our room and would get back to us. He came back & informed us that there wasn't a safe & none were available for us to use.When we got back to our room, 'lo and behold in front of the door was a Justin Timberlake headshot printed out! We started laughing and took photos. When we got in there were more JT photos scattered on the mirrors, walls, window, bathroom door and even a framed printout of JT next to the bed! LOL!!!! My friend and I were laughing our heads off and I said to her "OMG...Daniel went ABOVE and BEYOND our expectations!!!" She had just told me that he had the framed JT photo in his desk and she had asked for it but he said he couldn't give it away, LOL!! I thought that was such a nice and humorous gesture and totally set the tone for our concert night!! You just don't get spontaneous gestures like this at the big hotels.We took videos & photos, uploaded to Social Media and got ready for the concert. Besides that, the room had a nice sitting area, marble bathroom countertops, shower, complimentary large, liquid soap/shampoo/conditioner in the shower, bar soap & lotion & a small fridge. We had a nice juliette balcony view of the pool which was beautifully lit at night with the city as a backdrop. The rooms were quiet and the bed was a medium firmness with thick pillows and fluffy comforter. Robes were provided in the closet. For being an older hotel, I didn't smell any mustiness so kudos on their air-filtering system, esp. with this hot, humid summer weather.When we checked out, it was easy and we requested our cars which didn't take long. Keith, our valet car attendant was helpful & I mentioned to him that we couldn't have breakfast onsite as we had to attend church services within 15 minutes. Everyone on the staff was helpful, welcoming and attentive. I would come back again and highly recommend this small, boutique hotel where hospitality is surely focused!!

I would give it a five if it wasn't dated. The outstanding service made it up more than expected! From the valets Elli and Keith, they were very polite and professional nothing like the rude usual valets in so called better four star hotels! Then there's the easy check in! I was upgraded! And then the bartender Max was very personable! It's like they don't work in this hotel. Boutique hotels are like you being welcomed in their well loved home! But Daniel! The manager really stepped it up! We had a great time walking in our hotel room! The door had a picture of our reason why we were ATX downtown! Justin T pictures were all over the nice clean room! I mean pictures even a framed one by the bed! The poolside was a beautiful touch. It's a gem in this hub! "JT by my side"! Sweeet touch by Daniel our desk manager. I've traveled the world but I've never had this very personalized touch! My friend and I had the time of our lives before the concert checking in Hotel Ella!!!

I've stayed twice at this hotel. I thought it was OK the first time and was a decent value for the location. This time it didn't even rate OK. I will say, the staff are marvelous. Very nice and accommodating. However, the carpets are worn and dingy in the public areas and in our room. I like to unpack there was no dresser, just a broken down credenza under the TV which held a fridge that hardly worked. The showerhead was so bad that when I went back to San Antonio to pick up my daughter, I stopped by my house and took my own back to the room. Never had to do that before! $46 per night for valet parking seems a little steep, even for Austin.From a personal safety standpoint, I didn't like the fact that anyone could just walk in off the street to the hotel section. I would think you should have to use your room key at least.On the positive side, I will say that the linens were very nice (although my spoiled ass wife didn't think so..)In summary, I think if the tech-bro that owns this place would spend a couple of nights there, he would want to make some changes, pronto.

Our wonderful stay started off with the great help of Ellie, Michael and Micha. On time and super friendly with the valet process. Cici at the front desk was so nice even complimented my nails! They have so many refreshments to choose from grabbed a few Dr peppers. The dinning hall to the left is beautifully set with fresh flowers. To the right is a trendy spot to take photos on their moody couch. The halls are gorgeous and lined with black and white art work. The room is decorated with eccentric artwork paired with a lovely fluffy white bed with so soft sheets. Curtains are double lined for optimum comfort at night. They also have a dry cleaning that they will take care of for you. Definitely going to recommend this place to family and friends.

Amazing property and friendly, hospitable staff. Have stayed multiple times and will return.Only complaint is food quality in the restaurant. Would love some organic orange juice, better fruit, and other healthy morning items. The prices are premium but they're pouring bottom shelf Tropicana and fruit that is clearly discount. Splurge the extra $0.25 on organic oats, breads, eggs, etc. (The prices are premium already) And I'll spend a lot more time and money at Goodall when in town rather than looking down the street for a healthy morning juice.In the rooms, would be helpful to have some water or beverages. Not a fan of tap water as only option. Given the hotels premium feel, a little chocolate on the nightstand and little touches like a bottled sparkling water or other minor additions make a big difference in the stay.Will return; would love to see these touches.

I grappled with a rating for this hotel. I settled on four stars since it was more a situation of expectation versus reality. I had been here once before, to the Mansion on Judges Hill, when it was a restaurant. It was years ago and some of the nearby condos and apartments hadn't been built or it somehow seemed more removed from the chaos of campus. Now, it is surrounded on all sides by an ever expanding city and so it feels a little lost in the mix. Upon arrival, we had to call to the valet, who was busy on his mobile phone. To be fair, driving a hybrid means I can sneak up on almost anyone since my cat is nearly silent. He took our keys and was very welcoming and asked if we would need the car again this evening and helped get bags and escort us in. The desk staff was also very gracious and welcoming. Honestly, everyone was. Since our stay was in celebration of an anniversary, they offered to send a complimentary bottle of wine to our room. A nice touch. The room was small, but nice with somewhat dated furniture including a settee that looked like it was made for a child, a mirrored coffee table and some scratched night tables. It was clean and opened to a small patio overlooking the pool (a very small pool). For the price point, I'd have expected robes and slippers and at the very least, a coffee maker in the room. No such luck. The bathroom was small but had the necessities although, I was kind of grossed out by the larger bottles of shampoo and conditioner intended to remain in the room after our stay, but I brought my own, so whatever. Better for the environment, but it still kind of creeps me out. Again, pleasant stay overall, but for the price, and considering they charge a $25/night amenities fee, there were few amenities one would expect. No free coffee, robes, etc.

Adorable boutique hotel that will add charm to your vacation! My friend and I stayed here for a girls trip and it was the perfect spot for our weekend! Great location, friendly staff, clean rooms, and overall wonderful experience!

This review is for Goodall's inside the hotel. Charming place. I liked the mint lemonade though it was lighter than I thought it would be. Food took about 45 minutes which still feels excessive to me. Especially considering we were the only table. Fair portion considering the price. Good place to drop In If you need to kill some time. But definitely not the place for a quick lunch. Staff, while friendly, did not more fast.

I'm very ambivalent about our experience for a high tea service. Beautiful historic hotel. Valet parking only. But the valet that day was wonderful with our 95 yr old grandmother who uses a walker. Made reservations almost a month prior for daughter's 40th birthday. The food presentation was beautiful and plentiful. The problem is they miss the mark of an actual high tea in regard to the food. Although the sandwiches were delicious there were no cucumber, dill and cream cheese triangles. Their smoked salmon was delicious but should have been tiny and petite. Just like their macaroons. The chicken salad sandwich was open faced and delicious. But the problem was that we could have eaten just one because of the size and called it lunch. One of my daughters is a vegetarian and there was no option for her to enjoy. The waitstaff kindly made her the cucumber cream cheese. But again they miss the mark on a ladies High Tea. The sandwich served was only 2 triangles but a large sandwich of 2 triangles. There was so much food left due to portion size. If you expect clotted cream with your scones that was not to be found. The blueberry scones were the perfect size but under cooked and doughy inside. If they are to continue serving a High Tea then they need to actually understand the High Tea. Small 2 bite open faced sandwiches and not medium lunch size portions which made you full after eating. Food was excellent just not what you expected for a High Tea ladies day out. There were 6 of us of 3 generations. Nothing felt special. So if you are looking for the experience go elsewhere. If you would enjoy just a lunch out with family then go to Hotel Ella.

Poor value, some unhelpful and abusive desk staff in the morning although we were checked in by a very pleasant person. When we were there in April, they were understaffed at Goodalls and did not even have orange juice to offer us. When we asked for a table knife, they went upstairs to "borrow" one from the event staff and came back empty-handed.We did not expect that due to the event we were attending at lunchtime we would not be able to enjoy a pleasant breakfast.And at $800 (including a resort fee that was charged for a swimming pool we could not have used without interrupting someone's wedding) we felt RIPPED OFF. Oh, and I forgot to mention the $46 parking fee. The valets were pleasant but not that $46 worth of wonderful. I had made a reservation at the AT&T and decided this would be a better choice because we would be nearer the events for the celebration of life we were attending. Mon dieu, we were very mistaken. I had never left a hotel (other than a flea bag place in Jackson, MS one night in 1980) with more regrets about having booked a room than I did after one night in that mediocre room 108 overlooking an ugly parking area at the Hotel Ella. I want a refund!