River Walk / Convention Center

Hotel Contessa

★★★★★

Hotel Contessa is the best choice on the River Walk for travelers who want space. It is an all-suite hotel — 265 suites, recently refreshed — on Market Street directly on the River Walk, and it describes itself as the only all-suite AAA Four-Diamond hotel in the area. Every suite has a separate living area with a sofa bed, so families and friends traveling together can spread out without booking two rooms, and couples get a proper sitting room for lazy mornings. The design is warm and contemporary with Spanish and Texan touches, and many suites have views of the river or the downtown skyline. The hotel has a spa, a fitness center, a pool and a lively restaurant and bar with river-level seating, where you can watch the barges float by over breakfast or a margarita. The location is central and practical: the convention center and La Villita are a short walk, the Arneson River Theatre and the busiest restaurant stretch of the River Walk are around the corner, and the Alamo is roughly ten minutes away on foot. Main Plaza and the Saga are close in the other direction. Parking is valet and charged daily, as at all River Walk hotels. Some suites face the street rather than the river, so request a river view if it matters, and note that the busiest part of the River Walk can be loud on weekend evenings. Families, convention-goers and longer stays get the most value, since the extra space comes at a price not much above a standard room elsewhere on the river.

The suite format is the key. A separate living area means children can sleep on the sofa bed while parents have the bedroom, or a business traveler can work in the living room and sleep undisturbed. Suites have good bathrooms, comfortable beds and enough storage for a longer stay. The pool is a welcome retreat on hot afternoons, and the spa offers massages and treatments after a day on your feet.

Staying here: request a river-view suite on a higher floor for views and quiet. The restaurant and bar are convenient for breakfast and an evening drink without leaving the hotel, and the River Walk patio is particularly pleasant during the holiday-lights season. Book early for Fiesta, conventions and the holiday period, when rates climb.

As a base, Hotel Contessa suits families, groups of friends and travelers attending events at the convention center. Everything downtown is within walking distance, and the GO RIO barges stop nearby. If you plan day trips to SeaWorld, Six Flags or Natural Bridge Caverns, consider renting a car only for those days to avoid nightly parking charges. For conventions, the short walk to the convention center is the main advantage, letting you return to a suite between sessions rather than spending the day in the hall.