10/10 Exceptional
I kept thinking there must be a catch: a two bedroom apartment in the middle of downtown Austin, Texas, for hundreds less than the hotels two blocks away. But it was great, and the rest of the people who flew in for the Austin wedding think I’m a genius for finding it. It’s like a professionally-managed AirBnB. Two king-sized bedrooms, each with a huge bathroom and walk-in closet, an equipped kitchen and washer and dryer, a fine living room with a private balcony. Two TVs with Roku, a rooftop spa area with swimming pool, weight room, and bbq grills. Towels, kitchen ware, everything but food for the big fridge. On the last day we discovered the lounge, business center, and ping pong table. All the perks!
There are lots of great restaurants within walking distance, though you are in the heart of hip, trendy Austin, so many of them are expensive. But you can find good places to eat that are affordable. Note that the so-called grocery stores nearby, the Royal Blue bodegas, are not real grocery stores (at least the one we visited). I knew it would be overpriced, but it had no milk or produce, no basics at all. Lots of drinks and chips and made to order sandwiches, but nothing to stock our fridge with.
Just a few caveats: when you get the instructions on how to check in, take them seriously. Read the detailed instructions thoroughly. Be sure you put the actual street address into your app to get you to the building, and then go step by step to access the building, elevator, etc. The “catch” is that there is no regular staff to check you in or out, do your laundry, deliver room service, etc. Fine by me. But to make it work securely takes locking doors and elevators, so be sure to keep your keycard (inside the unit) with you.
The online virtual front desk works great, and the chat brought a response within a few minutes. You can request a late check-out, but KASA can’t approve it until the evening before your checkout, and then you’ll discover that if it’s approved, it comes at a steep price: from $25 for noon checkout to $96.03 for 3PM in our case. The fact that there is no free late checkout should be made clear on the virtual front desk before you request it. That was the only rude shock we got.
Honestly, this place was transformative. Meaning, I’m looking at other KASA properties across the country and seeing where we might want to visit. Being able to afford such a place makes me more apt to travel, as my spouse can snore away behind her door and I can sleep peacefully behind mine. Real AirBnBs can do that too, but I like the idea of a professionally run and accountable company I can deal with. Everybody on chat or email was very friendly and helpful. It’s not that funky house full of character you can rent on AirBnB, but if you just want a comfortable, modern base of operations to come home to while you’re away, it’s awesome. It puts my own house to shame.