Earlier this month, Alma and I stayed at the Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk. As far as we recall, we have never stayed at a Wyndham property. This is our first, as far as we know. This is surprising given how many brands Wyndham covers and how generous their rewards system is. Although to be fair, they don't advertise, as far as we know. I'll tell you more about that.
My first impression of the Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk is that there are sharp lines everywhere. It has a very clean look throughout the property. The decor does not look outdated, at least to my untrained eyes. You can see that the management pays a lot of attention to detail. Surfaces are all clean and shiny. Alma and I would get a chuckle with the elevator announcing the lobby in a sexy voice.
Upon arrival, the valet parking was very quick to respond, rapidly getting other guests taken care of to make room for incoming guests. Alma and I were able to grab our luggage and quickly proceed to check-in. We opted for valet parking rather than self-parking. Leaving the property was also fast and efficient when it came time for us to leave.
Check in was smooth and friendly. They offered a choice of third or seventh floor. With all the tall buildings around, it made sense to go with the higher floor. Although, I would have picked the higher floor regardless. We almost had a view of the swimming pool down on the 3rd floor. From our bed, we had a perfectly framed building with a huge Texas flag proudly waving.
We had mixed feelings about our room. On the one hand, it was nice, clean, and with the characteristic straight edges that the hotel has everywhere. Upon entering, the first thing that greeted us was a musty smell. This should not detract from the property. Other hotels, especially older ones, suffer from the same problem in humid climates. It just is very pronounced every time one enters the room. While there, you grow accustomed to it and don't notice.
Our room was a bit small compared to the grandness of the lobby. Then again, we got two nights for $99. Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth. Again, this is nothing unique to the property. All chains have rooms of different sizes.
If there is one complaint, only one, it is that there are no USB ports anywhere to charge our devices. The lamps all have sockets to plug in chargers. I think I have grown accustomed to hotels having USB ports scattered about the room.
There are some other peculiarities, but these have more to do with San Antonio than the hotel. For example, the hotel is located on the Riverwalk and is technically downtown; but, it is a ways off from all the dining. You're going to have to walk a bit, take an Uber, or eat at the hotel restaurant, the One-Eleven Bar and Grill. The other peculiarity is the crazy taxes San Antonio charges. Our parking was about $60 for the two nights, with almost $50 in taxes, which likely included the discounted cost of the room. Still.
Going back to the restaurant, the One-Eleven had some great dishes. They really do play up the Tex-Mex cuisine, which I never grow tired of eating. Even the simple fare is not so simple. You can expect to pay higher prices like you would at any other hotel restaurant. And if you don't feel like walking or venturing too far, you gladly pay it.
The featured property was Wyndham, La Cascada, which is a relatively new property along the Riverwalk as well. At La Cascada we saw rounded wall corners and overall good selection of the furniture and fixtures. They showed us a two bedroom condo and a four bedroom condo. The property is very much to our taste. Although, the same lack of nearby dining stood out for us. To be fair, at timeshare condos, you have a full kitchen at which you would presumably cook for yourself.
It is so difficult to turn down a timeshare pitch. I almost went for it. However, sense took hold of me and we walked out of there without signing anything binding. But, they did have us fill out a credit form before dropping the price on us. That will cost a couple of credit points. Despite that, given the opportunity to stay at La Cascada, I think that we would. It really is a nice property. I could see us staying there using Wyndham points or paying full fare.
Despite the whole experience being a setup for a timeshare pitch, we have an overall good impression about Wyndham properties. It is understandable that they have to make a buck somehow. They did it without being overly pushy or desperate to make the sale. We would not hesitate to do business with the company again.
Upon arrival, the valet parking was very quick to respond, rapidly getting other guests taken care of to make room for incoming guests. Alma and I were able to grab our luggage and quickly proceed to check-in. We opted for valet parking rather than self-parking. Leaving the property was also fast and efficient when it came time for us to leave.
We had mixed feelings about our room. On the one hand, it was nice, clean, and with the characteristic straight edges that the hotel has everywhere. Upon entering, the first thing that greeted us was a musty smell. This should not detract from the property. Other hotels, especially older ones, suffer from the same problem in humid climates. It just is very pronounced every time one enters the room. While there, you grow accustomed to it and don't notice.
Our room was a bit small compared to the grandness of the lobby. Then again, we got two nights for $99. Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth. Again, this is nothing unique to the property. All chains have rooms of different sizes.
If there is one complaint, only one, it is that there are no USB ports anywhere to charge our devices. The lamps all have sockets to plug in chargers. I think I have grown accustomed to hotels having USB ports scattered about the room.
There are some other peculiarities, but these have more to do with San Antonio than the hotel. For example, the hotel is located on the Riverwalk and is technically downtown; but, it is a ways off from all the dining. You're going to have to walk a bit, take an Uber, or eat at the hotel restaurant, the One-Eleven Bar and Grill. The other peculiarity is the crazy taxes San Antonio charges. Our parking was about $60 for the two nights, with almost $50 in taxes, which likely included the discounted cost of the room. Still.
Going back to the restaurant, the One-Eleven had some great dishes. They really do play up the Tex-Mex cuisine, which I never grow tired of eating. Even the simple fare is not so simple. You can expect to pay higher prices like you would at any other hotel restaurant. And if you don't feel like walking or venturing too far, you gladly pay it.
How We Got The Deal
Over a year ago, we got the deal to spend a couple nights at the Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk for $99. At the time, we didn't know about timeshare pitches. Once we realized what it was, I delayed it as much as possible. Finally, it seemed time to get something back in exchange for my money, so we scheduled the stay.The featured property was Wyndham, La Cascada, which is a relatively new property along the Riverwalk as well. At La Cascada we saw rounded wall corners and overall good selection of the furniture and fixtures. They showed us a two bedroom condo and a four bedroom condo. The property is very much to our taste. Although, the same lack of nearby dining stood out for us. To be fair, at timeshare condos, you have a full kitchen at which you would presumably cook for yourself.
It is so difficult to turn down a timeshare pitch. I almost went for it. However, sense took hold of me and we walked out of there without signing anything binding. But, they did have us fill out a credit form before dropping the price on us. That will cost a couple of credit points. Despite that, given the opportunity to stay at La Cascada, I think that we would. It really is a nice property. I could see us staying there using Wyndham points or paying full fare.
Despite the whole experience being a setup for a timeshare pitch, we have an overall good impression about Wyndham properties. It is understandable that they have to make a buck somehow. They did it without being overly pushy or desperate to make the sale. We would not hesitate to do business with the company again.