Hotel Contessa

My husband and I could not have asked for a better hotel than this. It is right on the river walk and made our stay so memorable. The rooms was well above and beyond what we expected (even with the city view). The staff was very helpful and accommodating. Overall this is the best hotel we’ve ever stayed at.

Our first time at the Hotel Contessa. Awesome stay. The rooms are super clean. Very unique and roomy. We love how modern and eclectic it is. For us it was a perfect location on the riverwalk. You’re a short walk to the daytime entertainment and nightlife but far enough away that the noise is not a nuisance. We would 100% stay here again!

We loves it here! Large, clean rooms and a very nice and attentive staff. Perfect location to every restaurant and shop on the Riverwalk!

A very average hotel for a very high price. We had higher hopes for this hotel based on the Unilocal reviews. Yes, the room was very nicely furnished and a decent size. Yes, the location on the Riverwalk, but in a quieter area, was perfect for us. But that’s about it.
The service was pretty average at best. It seemed a step down from many of the hotels we have stayed at with similar price tags. No one seemed to be there to offer help when you needed it. The pool was overrun by a few families with screaming (not just normal having fun noise) children and the moms yelling back at them suggesting them to be even louder. «PLAY MARCO POLO!!! PLAY MARCO POLO!!» yelled one of the most likely inebriated moms every 5 mins, while watching her lovely children. I realize this isn’t the hotel’s fault, but if there was a presence at the pool (there was none), it may have helped. And to top it off, one of the moms put shirts on each of the lounge chairs in the sun while her lovely screaming children played in the pool and would not let anyone use them. They left the pool and never sat on the chairs for a few hours, but she saved them anyway– forcing us into the shade for the afternoon. We have 4 children ourselves, and I have never let them behave like that at a pool let alone take up all of the chairs. Look up Greg Warren on YouTube describing 1 star hotel guests visiting a 4 star hotel pool and you pretty much have our nice, relaxing pool experience! (not). Again, not the hotel’s fault per se– but I am sure if there was a pool attendant there, they would have controlled that whole situation better and made it more enjoyable for the rest of the guests, who were all noticeably bothered.
Breakfast buffet– inedible. Literally just had a muffin for $ 16 as everything was terrible with a poor selection of choices.
Whereas nothing was overtly wrong with this hotel, nothing was done to make our stay so special that we would plan to return– it was similar to staying at a Holiday Inn Express — you get your room and it’s fine– but no concern for your stay at all.
The Mokara Hotel (we had a delicious breakfast there on our last day) looked beautiful and I would look into that one instead. There is also a newer Westin next door that we had lunch at that looked very nice.

We chose Hotel Contessa based on the location. It is still in the riverwalk but its not centrally located where all the crowd gathers and it isnt unpleasant at night where it can get pretty loud.
The suites are spacious and you get alot for your money. Service was passable although we had a run-​in with a less than enthusiastic receptionist, I cant really complain much since we really only interacted with her during check-​in. Plus the gentleman who took over the role totally turned our day around.
We will definitely return!

My wife and I recently visited your hotel over the weekend, with the intent of enjoying the long holiday and celebrating Valentine’s Day on the Riverwalk in your gorgeous hotel. Our plans were immediately ruined when arrived in the valet parking area.
Immediately after arriving, I provided my keys to my 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray to your employee for valet parking. The employee was very courteous and provided all the pertinent information.
Less than twenty minutes passed when I received an alarming call from the front desk. The caller informed me that the valet noticed a loss of power when parking my vehicle and stated the vehicle was leaking coolant. I immediately became upset and concerned because I had driven from Austin to San Antonio and had not experienced any problems with my vehicle. My immediate conclusion was that the employee had damaged my vehicle. I rushed down stairs to speak with the parking manager. He exacerbated the experience by providing THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE I HAVE EVER HAD! When I asked for details regarding the problems with my vehicle, he was unresponsive. The only information he was able to provide was the location of my vehicle. I asked that they take me to the vehicle so that I could assess the damage. When we arrived there was a puddle of fluid under my car. I asked if they were certain this was from my vehicle and the both confirmed the fluid was from my Corvette. I started the car and noticed a notification on the dash that indicated I needed to change my oil soon. No other notices were present. The younger employee provided as much detail as he could. I was very direct but made certain they were both aware, I was not accusing either of them of damaging the car but I would have the vehicle serviced and asked the dealership to confirm the leak wasn’t a result of recent damage caused to the underbody. Instead of alleviating my concerns by offering to contact a dealership or a towing company… the manager literally did nothing to assist me. I was appalled to believe that someone could be placed in management position but have no apparent problem solving abilities or even basic level of understanding regarding how an employee should respond to appease a customer.
After assessing the damage, I located a dealership that would be able to service the vehicle and a towing company. We spent the better part of the day trying to find out how to have our vehicle serviced. Keep in mind, we are from Austin, we are not familiar with San Antonio. The vehicle was towed the following day. My wife and I took a taxi to thedealership where we waited for nearly 4 hours for the car to be serviced. The vehicle was serviced and there was no indication of a leak. The valets had made an error and caused unnecessary hardships for my wife and me. The fluid under the car was probably from another vehicle parked in the same vicinity, the car was not losing power. The only thing required was the routine maintenance of changing my oil. Instead of relaxing weekend, I was in a constant state of unrest. I needlessly paid for a towing service and taxi service. My wife and I had to coordinate each of these services during Valentine’s Day. Needless to say our entire experience was ruined. I know that I am unable to get the time back, but I honestly believe the valet staff could do a much better job taking care of its visitors. The only employee that seemed to genuinely care about our concerns was the front desk manager (he indicated he worked the later shift). I failed to keep his card but he took notes, asked that we follow up with the Hotel once everything was resolved. I applaud his efforts and appreciate him trying to intervene once it was brought to his attention. Hotel Contessa should focus on retaining employees like the front desk manager that tried to assist us and terminate the employment of employees like the valet manager that I was forced to endure.
I look forward to any response from Hotel Contessa regarding this matter. The Hotel is amazing and aside from the bad parking experience, I would love to stay there again. I am very reasonable and understand that inconveniences occur, but I do not feel as if enough was done on the parking staff’s behalf to ensure there truly was a problem or to mitigate my concerns once the problem (albeit invalid) was brought to my attention.

I stayed here for Valentine’s Weekend 2016. When I arrived at the hotel entrance, there was a line of cars waiting to get valet parked. Since it was Valentine’s weekend, it was very busy. However, they got my car taken care of within 5 minutes. So I was pleased about that. I found the staff to be friendly and respectful.
The Hotel is beautiful and very well kept. It has an elegant Spanish theme and is architecturally appealing. The lobby area and bar is beautifully decorated. We sat at the bar for a while just to soak it all in. The hotel sits on a quiet part of the River Walk, but not far from the popular area of the River Walk. It’s very close to the outdoor theatre on the River Walk and the La Villita Historic Arts area. The area is beautiful.
Our suite was very clean. It felt like brand new construction. It was very spacious as well. We didn’t have a river view, but the view from the 6^th floor was still nice. Some of the nice things:
— The suite had two flat screen TV’s.
— The beds were nice and soft.
— Spacious bathroom.
— Lots of dresser drawers for storage.
— A big storage area under the bar counter.
— Big L-​shaped couch.
— Clean carpets
— Nice artwork in the room.
The valet didn’t take but 5 – 10 minutes to get my car. The staff was very friendly. The bell hops were outstanding, so I tipped both of them.
Other reviews mentioned issues that I didn’t experience. I had no problems with the elevator, and it was not slow. There was plenty of hot water in the bathroom. I didn’t hear a lot noise from other rooms. You can hear, what appears to be, hot water pipe knocking from time to time. But really, it wasn’t bad at all. The A/​C worked like charm. Zero complaints.
Note: We left behind a DVD player. A couple of hours later, we realized we left it. We called the hotel and they had it waiting for us at the front desk. Thanks guys!

Stayed here for a large convention and this place has been great! Arrived late at night after my wife arrived and they got me in quickly. The rooms are very nice with a small living room in addition to the bedroom and bathroom. This IS downtown San Antonio and everything is expensive and parking ain’t cheap down here, but staying here made it easier. Maid service was great and the room was very comfortable (the bedding was very nice). The people have been lovely and so nice. There is a bar area and restaurant on the river level of the hotel. If you don’t want to valet park your car, there are 2 parking garages across the street and several toward the convention center. Have stayed here twice and loved it both times.

My wife and her best friend went to the Woodhouse Day Spa at THC for a birthday treat: the reservation was made over a week in advance.
While the actual massage was wonderful the service upon arrival was sub par and disappointing. The spa readily admitted to being overbooked and it was very chaotic. A changing room was not available, so they had to use bathrooms which were not normally for spa use. The massage (80 min) they had booked was not available so they had to settle for less. When they approached management afterwards to discuss what happened, they were brushed off «so sad too bad». This is not what they had signed up for or expected. As San Antonio residents who live downtown, we not be recommending this spa to anyone.

The best part about this hotel was the staff in the lobby. Everyone was helpful and courteous while checking in and out.
However, one major problem is that I encountered several live cockroaches during our stay. After I saw one attempting to flee out the sliding glass door, I slid the door open to discover a mass grave of cockroaches and stink bugs within the track of the door. It was pretty disgusting.
The other issue with this place is that it is very noisy. I don’t just mean that the other guests were noisy. The walls and door are just super thin. Even worse, the hotel is designed to be one large echo chamber for all the sounds coming from the lobby bar. Many of the rooms face out over the lobby bar that is in the open center of the building. We were on the eleventh floor, and it often sounded like a frat party was happening in the hallway.
We were also charged for a drink from the minibar that we didn’t take. After explaining over the phone that we didn’t even get a key to the fridge, they refunded this charge.

On December 26, 2015 i had reservations for the Hotel Contessa. This was gonna be a major day for me. I had been planning to ask my girlfriend to marry me… but had a major problem… i had no idea how, where, when i was gonna bend down on one knee and ask her. I called the hotel the day before (remind you this is christmas day) hoping somebody could give me some pointers. A lady at the front desk said i would get a call back in a few hrs from Micheal Morone the concier. Ive heard the call back thing from many hotels front desk before and nobody usally calls back. At 10pm at night i get a call from Michael (my lifesaver) and the confidence and energy in his voice had me hooked that i chose the best hotel in San Antonio. The next day (proposal day) we arrive with a early check in (12pm) and were treated like royalties. Bellman helping asap, check in a breeze then wow the room was perfect. To top if off i looked out my window and saw marriage island (google it) where the magic would soon happen at. I sent Angela off for the day to pamper herself while i stuck around to meet Micheal. I meet Micheal and from the get go 130% professional… he was good at his job… he took me outside the hotel and walked me out on marriage island and began telling me how this would all unfold. If you are in need of anything special this is the man to talk to. Hotel contessa is a nice hotel but the service (magic) Micheal can do for you is top of the line. Now trust me im was a nervous wreak but at 530 as plan we went out to the bar (beautiful bar with a awesome bartender). had a round of drinks and closed out the tab… showtime was set. walked out the back door (shacking) walked her out onto marriage island set her down on the bench where she could see the rose peddles that spelled i love u. Walked around the tree where Micheal had placed a long stem rose and the ring. Walked over to her got down on one knee and asked her to look over her left shoulder, where some of the bellman where holding a sign off the bridge saying will you marry me… perfect…and to top it off it was all videotape from professionals… we then had a small photo session. then off on a top notch carriage ride. Micheal then goes up to our room lays candles, rose peddels, chocolate covered strawberries, drawed a bath, …perfect…everthing was perfect… she had no clue… best experience ever… Next morning we went down and had a wonderful breakfast at the hotels restaurant and laid around all afternoon to enjoy our day. The hotel has a awesome 4pm late check out. So thats my story with hotel contessa and we will return soon… A big shout out to Micheal Morone. this would have not happen without him. Please watch this video and you will see how great Micheal and Hotel Contessa treated me on my stay.

The room was pretty ok. We got a king suite which was really nice and large, with the kids having a sofa bed and the Mrs and me in a private bedroom. The décor was nice and the bathroom and suite were pretty spacious. We got a river view and it was a great view but the windows suck. It was loud, and the hotel is on a quiet part of the river and we were on the 9^th floor! The main door to the suite was also poorly sealed, it was directly off of the central atrium and you could hear everything through that door and again we were on the 9^th floor! The floors were so thin and the carpet has some terrible plastic pad that the people upstairs sounded like rats moving around and chewing on things. Oh and the final straw, we called at 8pm for a dessert and were told it would be an hour and half to get just a dessert because «it was a busy holiday». Can’t recommend this place.

I would like to say that this hotel is the best of San Antonio. The staff and the amenities are far the best i have ever seen in a hotel. The highlight of the trip was the Concierge CTA Michael Morone. The four nights we were their he helped us find restaurants and things to do. The restaurants were top notch. He even went out of his way to make reservations with Free appetizers at the restaurant. He even let use know about a light show at the Cathedrel of San Fernando. This was so good we went two night in a row. Thanks to Michael we had a fantastic
time in San Antonio. We will definitely stay here every time we come to the city.

Fantastic Hotel Experience!
We were treated with kindness and respect. The staff was fantastic, quick to respond and professional.
The Fall price was amazing! We got a suite with a living area overlooking the river for $ 150/​night. Our room was gorgeous! Spacious, super clean with very comfortable beds!
The only critiques I would give would be the sheets. The fitted sheet wasn’t actually a fitted sheet, but a regular sheet. It would come out from under the mattress and bunch up when we were sleeping. Also, the wifi required a password. I couldn’t find it in our room even though the pop up page said it was located in our «welcome packet» the front desk should have given it to us upon check in. Everything else was perfection!
The rooftop pool was gorgeous! Lots of seating and great views of the city.
The spa was super helpful in purchasing a gift card for a massage. They wrapped it for us as well!
They provide free apples in the lobby, which is super nice!
The bar was pretty awesome as well! Quick service and great drinks! We got a crab cake as an appetizer. It was pretty fishy, but well prepared.
A woman at the front desk, Fatima, was super helpful! She gave us local food suggestions, answered any questions with a smile, and treated us like royalty!
We called and asked for one extra body soap and shampoo. (They smell/​are awesome!) and the housekeeping staff brought like 6!
Overall, I would give this hotel a 10 out of 10!
We will definitely come back to Hotel Contessa!

We absolutely loved this hotel! Not only was it beautiful, but it was very clean with friendly staff.
Parking: Valet only for $ 36 per night with in and out privileges. We opted for another garage across the street that was cheaper since we were staying a short time. It saved us 50%!
Front desk: Staff-​super nice and always smiling every time we were coming and going. They always spoke to us. When we checked in, we noticed we were booked for double beds and they upgraded us to the last king bed room available.
Room: The upgraded room was amazing. It was a handicapped room, but it was super spacious. The décor is very contemporary and super clean.
Beds: Soft. Beware if you have back problems, the beds are rather soft.
Maintenance: Our first night there, we had an issue with our A/​C. It wasn’t coming on at all. We contacted the front desk and they sent maintenance up right away. She was very polite and found the issue with a blown fuse. She fixed it promptly and was very friendly. FYI: super cold a/​c. Yay!
Rooftop Pool: AMAZING! Great view. Lovely atmosphere. The hot tub was perfect after a long day at Fiesta Texas!!! Also, loved the towels being available!
Gym: great selection of equipment
River walk: I loved that the there was direct access to the river walk. It made it so convenient.
5 star all the way around. We will definitely be back.

I’ll start by saying the location is wonderful, and the style of the hotel is beautiful.
However, I was the only person in my room for my stay, and a $ 90 waterproof case for my iPhone, that I had taken off to clean, and sat on the night stand, and had forgotten to put back on in an early morning rush, was missing when I returned. Now, I’m not saying the cleaning staff took it, but, I’m saying the cleaning staff took it. Then, when I argued with the front desk about it, they laughed it off.
Then, upon getting my car from valet, all my change and my phone charger mysteriously disappeared.
If you value your belongings, stay somewhere else.

This hotel rocked! The service from Cyn at the front desk was spot on. She directed us to local spots while giving us some suggestions. She was so engaging and willing to help us.
The hotel and its accommodations were beautiful and so easy to access off the river. It was easy to navigate our travels from here.
The pool and the wiFi were great! The AC was pumped up to keep us cool in the hot and humid weather.
There were complementary apples in the lobby and tons of friendly folks willing to help us tourists navigate!
I would return in a heartbeat!
Thanks!

First time stay for work and it was fabulous. We were able to leave our bags since room was not ready and took a stroll on riverwalk for late lunch. It was hot!
The city suite was spacious with big bathroom. Despite being next to the elevator, the room was quiet. The catered business breakfast was eggs, bacon, hot oatmeal and pastries. The pastries could have been more gourmet with uniquie flavors since it was not memorable. The lunch catered was build your own salad with chopped boiled eggs, bacon bits, sirloin, chicken and grilled shrimp and avocado. Also hot ham and panini. Delish! The waiter attendant was helpful and accomodating.
Some minor inprovements could be elevators can be busy during peak times and for hotel of this caliber, complimentary water should be standard. They had snacks that would be charged to your room right in front of you. That is not classy at all. So i put a towel over it so not to be tempted! But there is a cvs on the riverwalk and you can get a pack of water for $ 5.
The rooftop pool was nice but kinda small. The 24 h fitness room was convenient

Im from Houston. came down for my bday weekend. it was one of the best bdays I ever had. I was here for fiestas patrias 2015 in late April. Nice, clean hotel. Walking Distance to bars, restaurants, shopping.
The hotel. Its like a Embassy Suites but, more modern. The rooms had more character. The mini bar in the rooms are nice and came in handy for me. since I brought my liquor bottles but ran out of red bull (which the mini bar had) to make jagger bombs and star fucker shots to get our night started.
As for fiestas patrias. It was fun. We left the kids behind in houston this time. we think its more of a grown folks thing. and just too much alcohol roaming the streets.
AVOID DRIVING during fiestas weekend. Downtown gets too crowded ad you don’t want to be stuck in traffic.

The moment you arrive. Valet service — EXCELLENT!
Front Desk with Casie — EXCELLENT
Room — EXCELLENT
Everything is Clean and stocked. Not one detail was overlooked. Very Chic Boutique style and Cozy!
It’s worth Saving extra to Stay Here! We’re be Back!