The 18 Best Luxury Hotels in Austin

In Austin, an afternoon at the pool is part of city life, and the Downtown hotels have mostly put their pools on the roof, with views of the Capitol and the skyline. If you choose your 5-star hotel in Austin by its pool, you are choosing between a rooftop deck, a heated pool for every season and an infinity pool above the Hill Country.Austin Proper Hotel · Seaholm DistrictAbove the rooftops of Downtown: the Fairmont Austin has its seasonally heated pool on the 7th-floor deck, with private cabanas and the rooftop bar Rules & Regs. At the Austin Proper Hotel, cabanas over five meters tall line the 5th-floor pool, and La Piscina serves ceviche right at the water. At the JW Marriott Austin, the pool belongs to Edge Rooftop + Bar with views of the Capitol and Lady Bird Lake, and at The Westin Austin Downtown you swim on the 20th floor with a 180-degree view over the city.

Heated, all year: at the Hotel Saint Cecilia Austin, the heated 15-meter pool is open to guests around the clock. The Hotel Van Zandt Austin heats its 4th-floor pool deck all year, with cabanas, fire features and views of the lake. In the Campus District, The Otis Hotel Austin has the Otopia rooftop pool with views of the skyline and the Hill Country.

In the Hill Country: the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa Austin has a multi-tiered poolscape whose infinity pool overlooks the 18th hole of the Fazio Foothills course; at Mokara Spa there is an adults-only rooftop pool. The Lake Austin Resort has the Lakeside Pool by the water, the Palm Pool at the spa and an indoor lap pool, and at Miraval Austin two infinity pools with no closing hours look out over Lake Travis.

The Downtown spas are made for a free afternoon. At the Fairmont Spa in the Fairmont Austin, each of the two solariums has a saline soaking pool, a eucalyptus steam grotto, a sauna and a cold plunge, all with skyline views; the spa is for guests 18 and over. Verbena Spa at the Austin Proper Hotel has a Recovery Room with cold plunge, dry sauna and red-light therapy, and at AWAY Spa in the W Austin, longer treatments include the pool on the WET Deck.W Austin · Warehouse DistrictWellness as the reason to travel: the Lake Austin Resort is a destination spa on Lake Austin with just 40 cottages and bungalows. LakeHouse Spa offers more than 100 treatments, some in garden tents, and overnight guests use it at no extra charge. At Miraval Austin, the designer Clodagh created the Life in Balance Spa with 30 treatment rooms; it is known for Vasudhara, a treatment with underwater vibrations. Miraval Austin welcomes guests 18 and over, the Lake Austin Resort guests 16 and over.

Spa with a Hill Country view: outside Downtown, too, luxury hotels in Austin have their own spas. Mokara Spa at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa Austin opens its rooftop pool and garden to adults only. On the south shore, Milk + Honey Spa at The Loren Austin works with natural and organic products, and hotel guests get 15 percent off all treatments.

Prices start at 173 € at the Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue Austin on Congress Avenue and go up to 1,160 € at the Lake Austin Resort, where meals, spa, activities and gratuities are already included; half of the hotels cost no more than 289 € a night. The table shows all 18 hotels, sorted by area. You can see the current rate for your travel dates for every luxury hotel in Austin in the hotel list below.

What is included almost everywhere: at 13 hotels, breakfast for two is included daily, for example at the JW Marriott Austin or at the Austin Proper Hotel, where you can have it at The Peacock or from room service. Five hotels give a daily breakfast credit of 25 to 42 US dollars instead; at the Fairmont Austin it is 42 US dollars.

Credit and upgrade: ten hotels add a 100-US-dollar hotel credit, at the W Austin for food and drink or AWAY Spa. At the Austin Proper Hotel it is 50 US dollars, 100 for suites, and at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa Austin 50 US dollars for the spa or golf. An upgrade is offered everywhere subject to availability; at the six World of Hyatt hotels it is confirmed at booking, though not from a room to a suite.Thompson Austin · DowntownAll-inclusive in the Hill Country: at the Lake Austin Resort, meals, wellness classes, lake equipment and gratuities are included in the rate, plus a 100-US-dollar spa credit. At Miraval Austin, all meals, snacks and non-alcoholic drinks are included, as well as a nightly resort credit.

When the benefits apply: at the Hotel Saint Cecilia Austin, the Hyatt Regency Austin and The Driskill, the suitespot benefits apply from two nights, at all other hotels from the first night.

Points and status: among the luxury hotels in Austin, Marriott Bonvoy has seven properties, from the JW Marriott Austin to the Austin Proper Hotel, and World of Hyatt six, including The Driskill; at the Fairmont Austin you earn points with ALL (Accor).

The best time to go: Austin is in season all year. In summer the rooftop pools are where the city meets, and in the cooler months you swim in heated pools such as those at the Hotel Van Zandt Austin or the Hotel Saint Cecilia Austin. For festivals such as SXSW and Austin City Limits and for the Formula 1 race at the Circuit of the Americas the city fills up, so it pays to book early.

How long to stay: for a 5-star hotel in Austin we recommend three to four nights – for Congress Avenue and the Capitol, an evening on Sixth Street and an afternoon on South Congress and Lady Bird Lake. If you want to see the Hill Country, add two nights at one of the resorts.