Hotel Contessa

Feb 04, 2025

3 Feb Update: Black Mold in bathtub also discovered during stay. Despite multiple attempts to contact management, the hotel has not responded. Additionally, staff falsely claimed they would inform management about this issue. Management doesn't care or they are content with the state of their rooms they expect guests to pay for. It’s a nice hotel but we got to our room after a long day of traveling, excited, and there’s two balled up tissues with who knows what in them stashed behind the lamp in the bedroom. In this age of communicable diseases and sickness weaponized across the world, it is despicable for a hotel that charges this much to expect its guests to be fine with staying in dirty rooms. Unacceptable anyway you cut it. Just go to the Marriot.

Jan 31, 2025

After browsing several hotels online I decided to book Hotel Contessa for a getaway for myself, my husband, and my son. We decided to book a King room online because the listing for the room says that it "Sleeps 3." The listing picture shows a king bed and a couch in the room, and so I thought that the couch must be a pull-out sofa since the listing says the room sleeps 3. To confirm, I emailed the hotel after booking and asked where the sleeping accommodation would be for the third person- did the couch pull out or did they provide a rollaway bed? The hotel wrote me back a few hours later to say that no, the couch did not pull out and that no, they do not provide rollaway beds. They told me, "some guests say that they don't mind sleeping on top of the couch for shorter stays." I was shocked that they would even be allowed to advertise the room as "sleeps 3" when in reality there is not an actual bed provided for a 3rd person and it truly only sleeps 2. There is no way in the world I would have booked this hotel if I knew one of us would be sleeping on the couch. We aren't couch sleepers- we sleep on beds and expect a good night sleep when paying a lot of money to stay at a hotel. We are expecting to get what is advertised when booking a hotel that says it sleeps 3. At this point, why not say that your rooms "Sleep 12" and then we can all just sleep on the floor? That's basically what this hotel is saying. After multiple back and forth attempts by us to cancel this non-refundable room (based on their misleading advertising) the management of the hotel would not back down. We ended up taking this all the way up the chain- through the hotel booking website and then all the way to our credit card company.... contesting this hotel as fraudulent/false advertising. We will now be staying somewhere different that actually has beds for 3 people to sleep in and I will plan to let anyone who plans to stay here what an absolute scam it is.

Jan 31, 2025

What a great hotel in downtown San Antonio. Upscale, good location and wonderful service. It's worth checking out.

Jan 30, 2025

Thank you ABBAS Check in was great- the hotel decor and rooftop was a vibe. Also food at the hotel restaurant was delicious. Recommend updating bathroom tub it was peeling- but otherwise I would recommend this hotel.

Jan 23, 2025

I booked a room well over a month in advance. I canceled within 24 hours, as I was allowed per my understanding of the booking. I was refunded my airfare but Hotel Contessa has decided to take the $730 I paid them and refuses to refund it. I booked online, I used zero of their labor or customer service costs. I booked well in advance and canceled well in advance so they cannot say that I blocked someone else from booking the room. They surely still booked the run and got paid twice for it. Just a disgusting display of greed and terrible customer service. Beware.

Jan 23, 2025

I had an excellent stay at Hotel Contessa, located right on the River Walk in San Antonio. The location is ideal, with great restaurants and attractions within walking distance, and it’s just a short 15-minute drive from the airport. The rooms are immaculate, spacious, and comfortable, providing a great retreat after a day of activities. Every staff member I encountered was friendly and went above and beyond to ensure a pleasant stay. I was there for a conference, and the service was outstanding. The staff kept the conference rooms well-stocked with refreshments like sodas, coffee, and other beverages, which added a thoughtful touch. Breakfast at the hotel restaurant was a highlight — gourmet and absolutely delicious, making for a perfect start to the day. Overall, the combination of excellent location, comfortable accommodations, and top-notch service makes Hotel Contessa a fantastic choice for both business and leisure travelers. Highly recommend!

Jan 23, 2025

Unethical, rude, greedy, misogynistic and unprofessional management and staff. We booked a room online. We checked in less than 2 hours later. Somehow there were 2 rooms booked. I asked for the other room to be canceled. The front desk said to call airbnb and they WOULD do it from their end. When I called airbnb they said the Hotel had to agree to cancel it and that they had contacted their management and management denied the request. The next morning I went to speak with the manager who said he was the one who denied it and there was nothing he could do. He did not make eye contact, was dismissive and grinning when I walked away. A few employees overheard this exchange and apologized to me and said "management doesn't care ". They were wonderful. I left several messages so I could speak to the general manager who never responded. So we paid for 2 rooms for 2 nights . When I got home I found they had charged my credit card for $358 dollars. I called to ask why and the call was not returned. I called my bank to deny the charge. I never write poor reviews which is why I wanted to talk with the general manager before posting this because I am aware of how important reviews are. We were planning on staying a few more days but checked out to go to another hotel. OUTRAGEOUS!!!

Jan 16, 2025

Had the unfortunate luck of me and my wife both coming down with the flu the day of the reservation along with having to put my dog to sleep the previous day. Accidently cancelled the reservation but was still charged for one night which i understand to some point. So I called the hotel and explain the situation and since i paid for one night i would go for the one night... Wrong... the reservation was cancelled but they still chargé one night by policy. So I send tben an email and 4 days later.still qwaiting a responsd

Jan 16, 2025

The staff with the hotel is so superb! So friendly and attentive they made our stay that much better. The room was so well appointed that even though we were here for a personal trip we were able to attend to a little remote business.

Jan 16, 2025

UPDATE…although it wasn’t as easy as it should’ve been to get resolved…the director of guest relations did get back to me and we were able to satisfactorily resolve the issue. This hotel is a great place to stay, fun location, newly renovated, nice on-site restaurant. Id be happy to recommend them again. As a previous recommender of Hotel Contessa, it makes me sad to have to write this review. We had a less than ideal experience the last time we stayed (beginning of Nov ‘24). It was a very quick trip for us, we got in late Friday night and checked out early Saturday morning. Check in was great, room was fine…wake up Saturday morning to no hot water for a shower. While we were assured (in a subsequent phone call) that this issue only persisted until shortly after we checked out, we weren’t able to shower before we had to go. All in all, not a huge deal…but when you’re paying top $ for a room, it is expected that you’d be able to shower in the AM before you leave. They credited our valet charge (the only remedy the manager on duty was authorized to give). I was told to call in and I could talk to someone about a further refund. I called in and was told by another person they’d done everything they were authorized to do. After another phone call was told I needed to talk to the director, and they’d pass on my phone number…he’d call me back. I know you’ll be shocked to learn that he did NOT in fact, call me back. I called again one morning, was given his scheduled time in…and finally was able to call in and get him on the phone that day. After a brief discussion, he asked me what it would take to make me happy, I told him I thought a refund of $100 was fair based on what we paid for the room. This conversation took place about 2 weeks after the night we stayed…2 weeks to talk to someone in a position to be able to resolve the issue. It’s all a little excessive…but wait there’s MORE. The credit never showed up on my card (and still hasn’t). I’ve called in a number of additional times, I’ve left messages, I’ve recently sent email. None of them have been returned yet. What should’ve been an easy issue to address has been more difficult than it should’ve ever been…and the issue still isn’t resolved. It’s largely unacceptable. It’s one thing to care for guests when everything is good and everyone is happy. Hotel contessa has been good about that for years (we aren’t first time guests). But this experience has me questioning ever staying there or recommending them to anyone else. It was an easy issue to solve. Like I said at the start…this wasn’t a review that I wanted to write, and I’ve given them every chance to make it right…but apparently they aren’t interested in that. So before you book you should know…Hotel Contessa is a beautiful place to stay…their location is prime…their rooms are great. But if you have any issue during your stay they aren’t interested in making it right…they’re only interested in collecting your money, with no accountability for providing the promised level of service that is expected when paying to stay in a nice hotel. We just wanted a place to sleep and shower…we got half of it…and apparently that was good enough for them.

Jan 09, 2025

Arrived and was greeted by a very nice go above and beyond Natalia at the front desk was amazing. After checking into our room, the room was in great condition. I am 6 feet tall and the room I was in had a shower head that was 5 1/2 feet tall. Called the front office. Natalia was there to assist springing into action within an hour. I was in a different room with a showerhead that was nearly at the ceiling level. I can enjoy my vacation And take showers in peace. Natalia was very courteous and was willing to help in anyway possible. Nice to know that hotel Contessa is hiring people that actually care about people’s vacations and sightseeing. Texas. Thanks Hotel Contessa and Natalia for our great experience. Highly recommend hotel, Contessa, beautiful hotel, great employees! Adding to this great post,. I forgot my Movato watch in the room after checking out and getting home to realize that I didn’t have my watch, I called front desk manager Natalia and she found it FedEx it to my address and within a week and a half I had my prized watch back in my possession. Love how honest your employees are and this is a great place with genuine people and great experience!

Jan 09, 2025

Positive: The suites are nicely decorated and spacious. Loved the many seating options on the lower level. Negative: We had a bad experience at the Ambler restaurant which caused us alot of stress but after my husband talked to the hotel desk clerk we were very satisfied with the outcome.

Jan 06, 2025

Después de pasarme quince minutos esperando para hacer el check in me dicen que en lugar de la habitación doble que yo he reservado y pagado hace un mes, lo único tienen disponible es una habitación con una sola cama y somos 4 personas.|Les digo que no podemos dormir 4 adultos en una cama, que me den al menos dos habitaciones y entonces me dicen que están completos y que eso es lo único que hay.|Son las ocho de la noche y lo que me ofrecen es devolverme el dinero que yo he pagado por la habitación.

Jan 06, 2025

Extremely loud. The noise from the street or lobby is deafening. Made it difficult to go to sleep. I wished I had heeded the noise level warnings in other reviews. Smelly. Suffocated from the heavy perfume smell everywhere.

Jan 06, 2025

Great as always. The rooms were spacious, clean,and the beds comfortable. The added feature is that you can't access the elevator unless you have a key card made us feel safe.

Jan 06, 2025

Great location, the best part about staying at this hotel was “Fast Eddie”, the Bellman, concierge, elevator operator, helper, soothsayer, and all-around great guy. I didn’t love my stay - I had asked for a room with the best possible Riverview because I was going to be working in my room and my room view was the worst available. Pro tip - do not stay in any rooms that end in a 27. They should not be up charged as river view rooms, as there was no view of the river from those rooms. There was no hot water in my room one day, the service in the restaurant while friendly and professional was extremely slow, and the bartenders are good, not great. I would come back here, I just know to expect an average stay - it is certainly not bad, it is certainly not above average. What definitely would make me come back is knowing that Fast Eddie will be here to grab my bags, sing karaoke with me in the elevator, and make me smile whenever he sees me in the halls!

Jan 06, 2025

Had a beautiful room on 5th floor overlooking the Riverwalk. Very well kept Hotel with nice decor to feel like you are in the heart of San Antonio.

Jan 06, 2025

I will start off by saying I got the luxury suite at $1500 for 3 nights . If you have the choice to get anything else please do . You’re not missing out . The pros : it’s by the Alamo The cons : everything No waters even for the value No late checkouts Small suites so I’m worried how the cheaper ones look Just roughly looking rooms Very noisy

Jan 06, 2025

Our favorite hotel downtown!

Jan 06, 2025

Positive: Location Negative: Room smelled like mildew/ No microwave in the room. Bathroom needed additional cleaning and better shower curtain.

Jan 06, 2025

Positive: Location on the river walk Negative: ""

Jan 06, 2025

So elegant very nice service can't wait to go back

Jan 06, 2025

The bed is super comfortable with the fluffiest pillows. The restaurant has the BEST breakfast -- try the brulee oatmeal -- OMG, and you cannot beat the views from the bedroom. It's very convenient to walk to everything from this hotel. I love it!

Jan 06, 2025

The hotel is close to the river walk and other attractions of the river walk. Room doesn’t come with any complimentary water bottles and also microwave which was concerning for a 4 star restaurant. The lift sound operated inside hotel can be heard from almost all the rooms so people who have low tolerance for noise should avoid. Other than the ones mentioned above, it’s a convenient stay next to riverwalk.

Jan 06, 2025

This is a nice place to stay if you want to be around the Riverwalk area. It is located walking distance to the Alamo, the shops, plenty of dining around and you can visit also La Villita. The view from our room was stunning!

Jan 06, 2025

This was our worst stay. We had a gift certificate for free valet and spa services. We were billed for it at check out. Was told it would be fixed and yet was still charged after the fact. It’s been two weeks and it still isn’t resolved. I had stayed there 4 time prior. Won’t return.

Jan 06, 2025

Trash hotel over $450 a night and no parking have to valet ($58 added daily)

Jan 06, 2025

Visited Hotel Contessa over the holidays with my family. We had planned this trip for over 4 years and we could not have found a better hotel to be out base. The rooms were comfortable and roomy and two was plenty for our party of 7. The bar/ lounge area next to the Riverwalk was a favorite gathering place for us to rest throughout the day. The location of the hotel was perfect- we loved walking right out the doors onto the Riverwalk but appreciated it being in a slightly less busy part of it. We walked the entire trip and found the hotel to be in a perfect location to access all the sights we wanted to see. While we were visiting, the hotel hosted an art showing/sale and our entire family enjoyed viewing the artwork/crafts and talking to the artists. ||One of our rooms had an issue with the air conditioner not working well and the staff immediately worked to get that fixed. ||Overall, we had an amazing trip and could not have been happier with Hotel Contessa. It's the only hotel we'll stay at in San Antonio.

Jan 06, 2025

We were pleased with our stay. The location, front desk staff, bar staff, restaurant staff, spa staff, facial, massage, food and drinks were amazing. I wanted to bring the hotel smell home with me so I was very excited to purchase room spray and a candle to enjoy. Hotel Contessa made our 1st trip to San Antonio better than we could expect.

Jan 06, 2025

Wonderful Hotel. We'll be visiting this again.

Jan 06, 2025

if you want to pay 500$ for a night and get nothing its a correct place to go||No breakfast included in the price, but if you need to have a breakfast you got to make a reservation to have a table ||no Sauna , but you have to pay a tax for it ||SPA is closed at 4pm , regardless that its written at 5pm.