I keep reading on this forum that the Austin Motel is great. I love and collect vintage and '50s/'60s decor, but honestly, the photos on their site make it look like a really cheap (borderline skeevy?) place to stay and not even that well decorated. The price, however, hovers around $100 a night. Can someone tell me why the Austin Motel is such a great place to stay?

for me it was because of the Continental Club being over the road.

It is just one of those places that has been around a long time, and is in a great location - right on South Congress next to a popular coffee hangout, restaurants, clubs and shops. It's definitely old and not that attractive looking. I wouldn't say skeevy though - I've never heard that it's not clean or safe, or anything like that. It's probably expensive because of its location and popularity with the "hipsters." If you want to spend some more $$ and stay in the same area but somewhere really nice, check out the Hotel San Jose - on the same block as the Austin Motel.

Those are the two my Austin daughter recommends and she used to live around the corner on the first street to the left heading S over the bridge on S Congress.
Rest Vespaio a few blocks S is great.
M

The Austin Motel - and, I think, the San Jose, both used to be "rent by the hour" motels when South Congress was known mainly for hookers... SoCo underwent a transformation several years ago and many businesses were redone. THe Austin Motel was redone in retro style, the San Jose - more minimalist, for lack of a better word. Personally, I think they both are in the best possible location in Austin. If you want lots of amenities, try the Four Seasons, the Omni, or the Radisson. If you want character, a great location, the Austin Motel or the San Jose are IT.