South Congress Hotel Reviews

South Congress Hotel was the perfect place for our wedding. The location, setting, food, and service are unmatched. Our guests raved about the venue's service along with its delicious appetizers, entrees, and cake. The venue makes it extremely easy to hire quality vendors, and I felt well taken care of throughout the entire planning process. I highly recommend South Congress Hotel!!

We had our wedding at South Congress in September '22 for just under 100 guests and it was absolutely perfect. The SCH team was so helpful; we postponed twice due to the pandemic and SCH was understanding and flexible. The location is fun & so easy for out-of-town guests. Food and drinks were delicious. The courtyard is beautiful for ceremony & cocktail hour.

When our daughter had to postpone her big wedding up in the Dallas area due to COVID, they still wanted to get married. Except if they were going to get hitched quick w/ just parents and siblings, they wanted to come back to their hometown of Austin. After looking around at some other venues, we walked into the South Congress Hotel and met Sara. It is hard not to be taken by the aesthetics of the hotel itself but when you meet this event team, we were sold. From start to finish and every question, comment, or request in-between, this is exactly who you need to help you plan a special event. We were short on time to plan and after just fully funding a large wedding, trying to keep the costs down. They did everything they could to work with us, to make the event an incredibly special one. Not just for the bride and groom either but for our families as well, we are still on cloud nine. To say they succeeded would be an understatement. The staff of this hotel was the friendliest and happiest I have ever come across. These are people who love what they do and where they're working. The food, the rooms, every single part of this experience was first-class. So thank you SoCo Hotel for a night we will never forget. A very special thanks to Sara and Candace b/c we literally could not have done this without you. You were a blast to work with and our calm through the storm. We could not be happier.

Our wedding at South Congress Hotel was a dream come true and none of it would have been possible without the one and only, Sara Ruddle. Sara is an excellent communicator and event planner. Without her help, our wedding would not have been the same. She answered my millions of questions in a timely manner, which led to less stress on my end. Guests raved about the venue and food from Cafe No Sé (the Hotel’s restaurant.) The food was incredible and worth the price. Our stay at the hotel afterwards was equally incredible. We look forward to returning for anniversaries.

We had an intimate wedding at the South Congress Hotel and it was more than perfect. The coordinator, Sara, took care of everything and made sure I was a stress free bride. 10/10 highly recommend!

From start to finish working with Sara and SCH was a great experience. We kicked off planning our October wedding with SCH in January of 2020. Unfortunately, things changed thanks to the pandemic, but Sara and the team worked with us every step of the way. Even with guest count restrictions and other necessary precautions, everything was perfect from the food and beverage to the hotel suite. Would highly recommend this venue for both rehearsal dinner and wedding.

We had our wedding at South Congress Hotel and could not have been more impressed. We had to cancel our destination wedding last minute and only had two months to plan a whole new wedding. Sara was amazing to work with and exceeded every expectation we had. Our wedding day was completely stress free because she was so on top of everything. I would highly recommend the venue and working with Sara. All of our guests were so impressed and all the food was AMAZING!

Sara Ruddle (SoCo Hotel’s Social Events Manager) came to our rescue big time. Due to Covid, our daughter’s wedding plans downsized less than a month before her wedding from a big reception for 125+ to a smaller cocktail hour and dinner for 30 people. I called more than 30 restaurants/small venues to find one who would “say yes” to our group. Of our options, I knew our daughter and fiance would love the SoCo Hotel, but I assumed it would be way out of budget (have you seen the weddings photographed here? Amazing). Sara was great in coordinating with my daughter and wedding planner to put together the whole event in just a few weeks' time, including working out a menu (served buffet of street tacos and sides) that was not only delicious but in our budget. EVERYONE raved about the food. Cocktail hour with a guacamole/salsa bar was in the pre and main event space and a lovely dinner was in the outdoor courtyard (already outfitted with string lighting), with toasts, cake cutting, ending with a sparkler send off. Food, service, rooms (we had a room block)-- everything was outstanding. As a plus, it was so convenient having nice tables, chairs, linens, glassware, silverware be automatically included. The location of the hotel is perfect - right in the middle of the South Congress shopping/dining district and parking is right on site in the hotel’s garage (anyone familiar with Austin knows that on site parking is a FAB amenity!) We were looking for something easy and elegant - I highly recommend this hotel and will forever be loyal.

South Congress Hotel is an amazing venue I'm so glad I chose it. We worked with Victoria, Sara and Paula who were all great. We had to postpone a year due to covid and they were completely flexible about it which we were grateful for. We had a mixup on our room for Friday night so they let us book the studio space for getting ready at a deep discount which I'm so glad we did, it was a perfect amount of space for us all to get ready. There was also a last minute cancelation on the suite for Friday so they gave it to us at our block rate, we really appreciated all the accomodations. Our guests complimented us multiple times on how nice the hotel is and they loved the surrounding walkable south congress area. My groom and his friends had fun watching the Texas game at Central Standard the morning of the wedding and I was happy he and his groomsmen were within eyesight while we were getting ready to make sure nobody was getting too rowdy. The food at the wedding was wonderful, tasty and creative - way better than your average wedding food. SCH also provided a stage for the band which was way better and less complicated than having to get an outside vendor. It was also really great that they provide the wedding cake, they incorporated our cake topper and did a custom design for us. During the wedding the staff was really wonderful and jumped right on any request we had. Lastly, this venue is a really great value for the money, it's chic, fun, modern and won't make you blow your budget out of the water. My grooms dad said he wants us to have another wedding there. You won't be dissapointed with this venue.

South Congress Hotel was exceptionally easy to work with. They have an attentive staff, and whatever request we had they would try to make it work. If it didn't work, then they would offer suggestions to achieve a similar style within their restrictions.
Their pricing structure is fairly upfront, and it was nice not having to worry about catering, bartenders, and staff during the event.
They're transparent, too. The venue's floors were damaged and redone since we had done our walkthrough. Yet the moment it happened, Victoria was emailing us and sending photos to assure us things would be finished and it was still beautiful.
If you want a space that offers a fair bit of freedom for design, South Congress Hotel is a good option. The only downside is that you have to use Cafe No Se for catering, but we received compliments on the food being wonderful.
Additionally, I got ready at the Hotel and every person was exceptionally kind when my husband and I would walk through the hotel space. I have to give a shoutout to Erin who worked there. She worked our wedding, but went above and beyond in her hospitality and kindness. Thank you so much!

I am a local wedding planner and I absolutely love working with South Congress Hotel. Of course, their in-house amenities and the space itself is wonderful, and a tour of the property would easily show this off. I wanted to take a moment to really recognize their staff. Sara is who you'd be working with if you book an event at SCH. She is fabulous! Very quick to respond, professional, and is an excellent problem solver. I absolutely love collaborating with her, as she is very detail oriented and truly cares about each and every client/event. She really goes above and beyond every single time. The banquet staff is also top notch - I've been working here for years and see many familiar faces. They just have things down to a science and are incredibly accommodating and helpful. SCH Hotel is hip and not a traditional hotel ballroom - no carpet in sight here! With the addition of the courtyard and pre-function space, there is a lot of flexibility here. Also, the food is delicious! Highly recommend SCH as a venue, and the staff is there to help you every step of the way - they will make you feel confident about your investment.

South Congress was an amazing wedding venue. We loved the indoor/outdoor option. We had our ceremony in the courtyard and the cocktail hour in the awesome lobby bar. The staff flipped the courtyard to a bar and lounge area, while the main event space hosted dinner and the band. The perfunction space also held a bar and photo booth. The layout was perfect. The staff was amazing, Victoria was awesome from when we first inquired all the way through our wedding day in November 2019.

The food was a wedding highlight. The beef short rib and salmon were delicious and got many compliments from guests. The food tasting was so fun, and made it tough to decide which to get for the wedding. The signature cocktails were refreshing and high quality, and the bartenders were attentive, quick and made great drinks.

We love the space and location of the venue. It photographs amazingly well, and I personally love the style and decor. South Congress is such a vibrant area to get married in, and the urban location allowed us to have some afterparty drinks on 6th street. Which was great because the wedding flew by so fast.

We stayed in the premiere suites and they were such great rooms for the large wedding parties to get ready in. We had huge balconies and beautiful weather to enjoy them. I felt bad one of the rooms was left pretty messy, but the staff was very kind and accommodating about it.

I highly recommend South Congress Hotel for a wedding, or a hotel stay.

A month before our son’s wedding we were told our hotel would not be reopening in time for the wedding date because of the COVID 19 pandemic. We needed to scramble to find space for our out of town guests in Austin, but we didn’t just want a space, we wanted them to have a true Texas experience. The South Congress Hotel was fantastic from start to finish! The staff is genuine, pleasant and exceedingly helpful. This boutique hotel is fun and chic – stunning Mid-century Modern style with industrial and rustic touches. The Bride and Groom stayed in the Milton Suite which is GORGEOUS – beautifully appointed with a huge balcony overlooking the pool – which became a regular hang out area. Café No Sé was a frequent meeting spot to grab a creative and delicious meal. The access to shops and restaurants on South Congress Avenue was fabulous. Many guests used electric scooters and bikes to explore the area between wedding festivities. One evening we even got a chance to see the dynamic bat flights from the South Congress Bridge.
In Austin – South Congress Avenue is the hip place to be and staying at the South Congress Hotel allowed our guests to be right in the middle everything! Loved it!

I have planned meeting and events around the world. I found South Congress Hotel to be outstanding. We had an exceptional event planner at the hotel, Jen Smith, who is no longer there. She is one of the top event managers I have worked with. She is a problem solver and worked hard to deliver the couple (2 artists) vision of art, flowers, bistro lights, spectacular food, not to mention figuring out how we could expand the space with a clear tent that made the space look spectacular. The wedding turned out better than I dreamed and I have very high (some would say nearly impossible standards to meet). I worked hard with Jen Smith for many months and she was exceptional in every way. Great attention to detail and attentive to a client's needs. She was calm, a keen listener, and a positive can do attitude.
Food in hotels is often disappointing because they find it difficult to deliver restaurant quality food to 150 people. The chef and his team delivered the highest quality food and most beautiful presentation. The taste testing was exceptional but what was more surprising is that the food was exceptional to a group of East and West Coast food snobs. The canapes were exceptional. My favorite were the raw oysters. The dinner was a unique charred carrot salad, a handmade raviolo, hangar steak, and a mocha banana crunch dessert, this couple did not want a cake, plus late night freshly made donuts! The food was exceptional top restaurant quality. Food quality was critical to this couple and they were thrilled.
The front desk staff treated everyone like they knew them for a long time. The housekeeping staff was outstanding. They provided all the towels you needed, replenished items in your room more than once a day, their beds are deliciously comfortable, and the service outstanding, and the bell staff was so responsive.
I am in a bit of shock that all worked out spectacularly. I prepare for the worst and was pleased with the most beautiful wedding ever.

Over all, it was wonderful. There were a few hiccups (wedding cake delivered to room and not the reception ?) Miscommunication on the rehearsal. the staff was friendly, the food was very good. Everyone had a great time.