If you’ve been following me on Instagram you know I am fresh off of an epic culinary adventure at the Austin Food and Wine Festival in April {recap coming soon!}. Having attended the event last year, we knew the ropes a bit more which enabled us to do better with planning our trip.
That said, last year we stayed at the luxe and gorgeous Hotel Granduca which was about a 15-20 minute drive from the event. While that doesn’t sound far in theory, this time we knew we wanted to up the convenience factor and stay closer-in near the fest location. After all, a 5-minute Uber ride is a whole lot more desirable than a 20-minute one after you’ve nearly sipped your weight in cocktails over the course of an entire day.
The conundrum with finding a new spot to stay in however, was that we had already been spoiled with Granduca-level luxury and didn’t necessarily want to give that up. So that meant I needed to put my fab travel research skills to work to find a great option based on (1) location; (2) luxury amenities; and (3) reasonable pricing.
And that’s exactly how I ended up stumbling across a cool new concept called “The Guild.” At first glance The Guild put me in the mindset of a kind of Home Away or Air B n B situation, but upon deeper digging I discovered that it is so much more.
The Guild bills itself as “a collection of boutique hotel properties located in upscale residential buildings” so you get the comforts of “home” with the amenities of a hotel rolled into one. The properties aren’t homes that belong to someone else who temporarily rents them out–all the properties belong to The Guild and they function solely as hotel rooms. I began looking at photos of the spaces and was sufficiently intrigued enough that I threw caution to the wind and immediately booked a room.
HOW IT WORKS
You go to The Guild’s website and peruse the different properties (they have building all over the city) and locations and select the one best suits your fancy. Once you make your reservations, a Guild concierge will contact you via email and also begin to communicate with you over text message. Now I’ll admit that I was a little thrown off by parts of the follow up process but soon realized that it was mostly because I was so unfamiliar with the unique way of booking.
First you’re sent a link to a Google doc to finalize your virtual booking. You’re also asked to confirm some information as well as send a copy of your drivers license for identification purposes. Then, a day or so before you arrive, you’re sent one more form that requests additional info, such as the make, model, and license plate number of the car you will be parking at the facility (if you’re going to have one). Once that information is submitted you are texted with detailed arrival instructions that include the “room” number (apartment or condo number); directions on how to gain access into the parking garage and the building; access codes; instructions on where to park; WIFI password; and other pertinent information to make your stay as effortless as possible.
THE STAY
Finding the property was easy breezy and it was easy to see right away that location is everything to The Guild: the property was located on sixth street and was in walking distance of several neighborhood bars, restaurants; food trucks; and shops. There was even a small gourmet grocery store called Royal Blue Grocery right next door which just so happens to have a location in Dallas that’s one of my favorite haunts for wine and specialty foods.
We had just a tiny bit of confusion identifying the the right building elevator to use in this particular property but we quickly resolved the issue. Once we figured out the layout of the building it made navigating where to park for the quickest access easy. Immediately upon entering the “room” I could tell that they space was light-filled and airy. In this particular room the layout included the bedroom and bathroom to my immediate right; straight ahead was a hallway that led past the stackable washer and dryer and right into the living space and full kitchen. There was a smallish, but cute balcony that overlooked the street and neighborhood.
One thing that hit me right away was that The Guild is clearly huge on attending to the small details. There was cute decorative poser that had Austin points of interest; another decorative chart that had important details for the stay; wine glasses in the cabinets; and, my favorite details, a set of branded ear plugs. Though the building itself wasn’t noisy at all, the ear plugs may come in handy if you have travel companions who snore or who like to stay up later at night when you want to go to bed.
The decor in the space was clean and modern and with playful touches that added personality (like an “You Had Me at Tacos” throw pillow). There was a rustic wooden computer desk with a bright red chair; a record player with records for you to play; and a fun, colorful feature wall in the bedroom.
I should also mention that included were key fobs to get into the building and the parking garage which was a nice added level of security. But make sure you keep up with the fobs because if you lose them you’ll have to pay handsomely to replace them!
The sizable bathroom had a spacious garden tub, dual vanity sinks, and a tone of freshly washed towels.
But this is where The Guild stole my heart: silky, comfy, cozy, soft sheets adorning one of the most comfortable mattresses I’ve ever slept on–it was heaven! Nothing can ruin a hotel stay like an uncomfortable bed, but I’m happy to report that the The Guild absolutely does not have that problem. In fact, it was hard for me to want to get out of the bed at all.
The chic living room couch had a pull out sofa bed (which we didn’t try to use) which is a nice touch and all of the televisions were smart tvs so you truly could Netflix and chill whenever you wanted.
PROS AND CONS
Here’s a quick synopsis of the pros and cons of staying at The Guild versus a typical hotel:
Pros
- Since it’s a full-sized apartment or condo there is plenty of space to spread out and relax
- There’s a different level of privacy: no hotel lobby or other public spaces for non-guests to hang out
- Thoughtful amenities: beyond the typical soap, shampoo, and conditioner, The Guild totally impressed a foodie like me by providing a tray of condiments including salt & pepper; Cholula hot sauce; garlic seasoning packet for pizza; and soy sauces. Makes ordering out for pizza and Chinese food an extra attractive option
- Full sized washer & dryer, and a full kitchen (I love the fact that I can bring home leftovers from a night out and have a place to store and reheat them!)
- Covered, discounted self parking
- There were plenty of linens for showers and extra pillows and blankets for getting super comfy
- Grocery service: want a stocked fridge when you arrive? The Guild can do that for you
- You have access to the building amenities such as the pool, spa, and entertaining spaces
Cons
- No room service: late night hankerings for food after a night of carousing will have to be handled either before you get back to your room or by Uber eats
- No daily maid service: if you’re the kind that likes your bed freshly made up by someone else you’re out of luck
- No onsite personnel to handle any issues: if there is some issue there isn’t staff located on property that can attend to it immediately. You can however, text or call your concierge and you will get a prompt response.
- Leave Mr. Happy Pants and the Marlboro Man at home: properties are pet and smoke free zones (this was not problematic for me personally but may be for some)
FINAL ANALYSIS
For me, The Guild is an absolute “go” and I will definitely be booking with them again. I really enjoyed the flexibility and freedom a stay at The Guild provided and I loved being able to fully take advantage of all of the creature comforts that made for a super relaxing stay. Plus, how is THIS for a loyalty rewards program: sign up for the The Guild’s “Guild Royalty” program and you can collect points that you can redeem for free nights at The Guild, orrrrrrrrrr…wait for it….gift cards towards stays at other hotels such as the St Regis, Kimpton, Ritz Carlton, Hyatt, and Four Seasons hotels, just to name a few! How cool is that?
In addition to rooms in Austin, they also have properties in Dallas, with additional properties opening up soon in Nashville, Boston, and Miami, too so be on the look out in those cities so that you can stay Guild style too!