Heywood Hotel Reviews

The Heywood was truly my home-away-from home for 6 nights! I visited Austin by myself to complete 1 of 4 clinical residencies at a local university, and by the time I left, I was so attached to the property (and my Queen Balcony room specifically) that I became wistful at the idea of leaving! LOCATION: The Heywood is located in the hip, eclectic, lushly green neighborhood of East Cesar Chavez, which is wonderfully devoid of the high-rise buildings (and congestion) you'll find in the city center West of the freeway. East Cesar Chavez is packed with unique, delicious places to eat (La Barbecue, Canje, and Joe's Bakery, just to name a few), and the blocks surrounding the Heywood are suburban and residential, adding to the homey feeling you get while staying here. The Heywood is a 3-minute drive from Whole Foods on 5th street, so you can stock up on breakfast food and snacks for your stay. HOSPITALITY: Will and Erin hosted the property during my stay, and both of them were so welcoming, helpful, accommodating, and offered much-appreciated recommendations for local activities and under-the-radar food spots to check out. I feel that Will and Erin struck just the right balance of professionalism and helpfulness, while allowing me my privacy and solitude. While I didn't run into the housekeepers since I was gone from 8am-5pm, they were thorough and thoughtful. My room was spotlessly clean every day when I got home, down to the ridges of my coffee machine! The Heywood has a kitchenette-type area inside the main building (about 20 feet from my door), where there is filtered hot and cold water on tap, a microwave, and stacks of coffee cups, clean bowls, plates, cutlery, and napkins, among other things. On my first morning, I took a bowl to my room for my yogurt and fruit for breakfast. The housekeepers took notice, and from that point on, placed a new clean bowl and spoon above my mini fridge every day when they came into clean. It is small, thoughtful touches like this that make you feel at home, and I appreciated it so much. CREATURE COMFORTS: I entered my room to find an awesome welcome basket containing various snacks from local vendors, coupons for local businesses, organic energy drinks, chocolate bark, etc. plus a thoughtful handwritten note from the staff welcoming me to Austin. My room was outfitted with a coffee machine, fresh ground coffee and all accoutrements, mini fridge stocked with local beers, a high-end air purifier, and an EXCELLENT and versatile air conditioning unit, which is much appreciated with Austin's weather in June. One unexpected and neat discovery was the white noise machine that Heywood provided; I had never used one before, and it was a total gamechanger for falling asleep fast, and staying asleep! The Heywood also provides each guest their own designated parking spot, free of charge, which is so valuable in the age of giant corporate hotels that charge an arm and a leg for that convenience. The parking spots are just do