Queer travel expert Jack Kenworthy turns 250+ city adventures into your guide for safe, vibrant, and inclusively fabulous global journeys.
Known as the world’s live music capital, Austin is nothing if not loud, colorful, cultured, and tourist-friendly. The city may have a position of pride as the capital city of Texas, but that isn’t the only thing that this wonderful queer travel location takes pride in. Austin also has one of the most active and prominent gay populations in the entire span of the US, and this fact is represented amazingly by its overwhelming amount of queer events and support systems.
Austin has been a strong hub for the LGBTQ+ community since even earlier than the 20th century, and it continues to house an amazingly lively queer scene that is just as open and welcoming to residents as it is to holidayers and even international travelers looking to sample the city’s unique culture. Gay people can live without shame or having to hide their identities in Austin for the most part, and this open way of life is more than available and open for visitors.
Aside from the quality of the city has hospitality, it would be a waste to come to Austin without checking out its famous tourist spots in the form of the Texas Capitol building, the Zilker Metropolitan Park, and its amazing Mexican fusion food environment.
Regarding queer-frequented districts of the city and Austin’s gay hotspots, East Austin is undoubtedly its LGBTQ+ heart, and this influence spreads over well into the downtown area and its wide selection of eateries, galleries, and other important modern cultural sites.
There’s even a clothing-optional park called Hippie Hollow, which is well-known for having a strong connection to the city’s queer scene, so don’t be frightened to cool off and dive right in! No matter what is important to you when you think of immersing yourself in a city’s queer culture, there are enough bars, clubs, and parks to find the scene that fits you and your specific needs!
Although there are some truly wonderful places in the world for queer people to explore, with Austin being one of them, things that appeal to gay travelers aren’t always necessarily marketed toward them. We know that, and therefore we’d like to note that the hotels on this list follow the same logic. Most of these wonderful hotels have been listed as accommodating, friendly, and unjudgmental to and by queer people in general, as well as highly rated by previous guests and critics.
With all that said, it’s about time we get down to business and start uncovering the best of what Austin has to offer. Accommodation is one of the most important parts of a holiday, so it is our absolute pleasure to present the top eight gay hotels in Austin! A gloriously queer travel experience awaits, and it will never get better than this!
In this article we will cover...
The Stephen F Austin Royal Sonesta Hotel
Royal Sonesta hotels are one of the most reputable chains in the southern US states, and this top-shelf notoriety is just as well placed with the franchise’s Austin location as it is with every other. Holding four strong stars, an excellent review and customer service history, and a powerful site in the middle of the city’s downtown district, the Stephen F Royal Sonesta is classily designed, comfortable, and well-equipped.
This hotel is an excellent start to this list in many ways, but it especially shines when it comes to its official LGBTQ+-friendly status. The South isn’t exactly known for its openness to queer issues and communities, but – as we said earlier – Austin is somewhat of an anomaly in this respect, and the Royal Sonesta is a perfect example of that.
Even if you aren’t looking to branch out into the exotic, varied, and extremely engaging expanse of the city’s downtown, there are plenty of culinary and cultural options under the Royal Sonesta Austin’s very roof.
Some examples include the Roaring Fork American restaurant, the Stephen F’s Bar and Terrace for amazing views over the city and an excellent, chill atmosphere, and nothing less than a ballroom available for hire if you’re looking to host an event, wedding, or get-together in Austin.
Some other benefits of staying at the Royal Sonesta Austin include the hotel’s large pool room, its in-house gym and fitness center, the fact that some rooms have hot tubs, and – perhaps most importantly of all – its close ties to both publicly available transport methods and its very own airport shuttle service.
No matter what you’re up to in Austin, what your specific preferences in accommodation are, or where you’re set to go afterward, the Royal Sonesta Austin has your back with comfortable, stylish ease.
Hotel San José
Although its outside may give one more of an impression of the motor lodge that the Hotel San José was built up within, once guests venture inside, they are greeted with an experience unlike any other and a themed location that truly blows away all expectations.
The Hotel San José is a true beacon of interesting, unique retro glamor, luxury, and design – branching out over a large span of Austin’s Bouldin Creek district and strong in its stance as one of the most centrally located and convenient places of accommodation in the entire city. Suites have gardens and decks and plenty of open sitting areas for relaxing.
The Hotel San José is one of the most trendy and interesting locations to stay at in the entire city, and – of course – this lends very well to welcoming in queer crowds and all kinds of characters.
A large range of the city’s most important touristic and government buildings are within a stone’s throw of the Hotel San José, and if that wasn’t enough reason to commend its location, there’s also an amazing array of nearby eateries to choose from when you’re feeling peckish or just looking to try out what Austin has to offer when it comes to food and drink.
If you’re not feeling like going out on a food search, however, or if you’re looking for something quick to get your day started and your energy flowing, then you’ll be happy to know that the Hotel San José is home to its very own offerings in the way of its daily breakfast, and its café by the name of Jo’s Shack. There’s nothing like a convenient, stylish start to your day, and that is precisely what the Hotel San José provides every step of the way.
The Driskill
The Driskill is one of the oldest and best-known hotels in the entire city, having served customers well and to absolute satisfaction since as long ago as 1886, and is still going strong today. Although the fact may seem to conflict with the hotel’s long history and old roots, the Driskill is also one of the most famous LGBTQ+-friendly locations in the city and has served as a safe space for generations.
It’s not just one thing that makes this particular hotel special, however, but rather a combination of everything good about it. Much like the Royal Sonesta before it, the Driskill has its fair share of cozy, well-tended culinary locations, including the 1886 Café and Bakery.
Suppose you’re looking for a baked snack, the Here Nor There cocktail bar for unique drinks and concoctions and the Driskill Grill for unique grilled delights and a rustic, calm atmosphere. There’s also a bar for casually hanging out with a glass and potentially making new friends among the hotel’s other guests.
If you’re looking for something a little more hands-on and practical, however, the Driskill still has you covered with a wide range of seating areas, event rooms open for hire, and an on-site conference center. Who said that work travel couldn’t be stylish and gay-friendly?
Even the individual rooms of the Driskill are top-tier thanks to their considerable size, excellent design, soundproofing, and day-round room service. There are very few other places in the city of Austin where you can get the benefit of the quality offered by the Driskilll, and the hotel’s history is certainly an enticing factor that makes everything it offers seem just that little bit more impressive and satisfying if a normal franchise hotel provided it.
W Austin Hotel
W Hotels are spread across the entire world, and wherever they land, one can be sure to find an amazing establishment that takes an already stunning gay travel destination and makes it into a comfortable accommodation dream.
The W franchise also has a very strong reputation regarding its treatment of queer guests, and its Austin location follows up on this well with its own queer-friendly marketing and mission statements. Things will never be perfectly welcoming and safe for gay people traveling abroad, but staying at an acclaimed W Hotel is just about as close as one is likely to get to it as far as franchise hotels are concerned.
Aside from its golf course and expansive common areas, the W Austin is also home to a vast variety of other businesses and locations, including a tour booth that can help plan the particularities of your time in Austin and abroad.
The AWAY Spa is if you’re looking to kick up your feet and enjoy your time in the city without any worries, and – perhaps most importantly – an excellent dining experience thanks to the hotel’s in-house restaurant and bar ensemble. Breakfast is served every morning for that perfect pick-up to start your day.
However, things only get better when it comes to the individual rooms of the W Austin Hotel, thanks to their included hot tubs, spacey living areas, and comfortable bedrooms with soundproofing and excellent views. There’s also a pool available on the first floor if you’re looking to cool off with a swim after a long day out on the streets of sunny Austin, and a business center and event hall available for rent if you’re looking to host a get-together or any other kind of event.
Sentral East Austin
Now this is a true luxury hotel – angled for those looking for a very top-shelf accommodation experience – so long as you’re not afraid of paying a bit more for the pleasure. The Sentral East Austin is – as its name may imply – located in the East Austin neighborhood, which puts it incredibly close to the center of the city’s gay community, its bars, clubs, and – of course – its nightlife.
That’s just the start of its benefits, however. The Sentral East Austin is also home to its very own outdoor pool with an extensive seating area for relaxation and just hanging out in the sun, a gym for those interested in maintaining their exercise regimes and keeping fit, and wheelchair-accessible rooms for those with special requirements.
Every single one of Sentral’s private and public spaces is immaculately designed and snappily modern, and you can be sure that this attention to detail blends to comfort and convenience when it comes to individual rooms.
Speaking of separate rooms, most of the Sentral East’s suites have kitchenettes so that you can serve yourself if you need or want to save a little cash, but there’s no need to do so, thanks to the wide range of nearby eateries and culinary locations.
Although – as we said earlier – the Sentral East is one of the most expensive accommodation locations on this list of gay hotels in Austin, it certainly delivers for its elevated price tag, and the saving that one earns by staying here justify just a little bit more pressure on the wallet by far. Having an amazing gay travel experience isn’t always going to be cheap, but at least here, you can know that your money is going toward something truly unique.
Element Austin Downtown
This gay hotel is the true businessman’s or practical option, so if you’re looking to save as much time and money as possible without sacrificing your comfort, then the Element Austin is certainly for you.
Although it may not be as outwardly polished and stunning as some of the other hotels on this list, the Element Austin Downtown is one of the soundest, most reliable middle-point locations in the entire city – balancing just about every aspect that is important when it comes to both gay travel and accommodation in one well-measured site.
The Element Downtown joins most of the other hotels on this list by being marked as officially LGBTQ+-friendly, so guests can feel safe knowing that they are welcome and to be treated with the same respect as every other visitor to the city.
Speaking of the city and of the highlights that Austin has on offer in general, it deserves to be said that the Element is within a few minutes walk of the Texas State Capitol and the aristocratic quarter that surrounds it, so if you’re interested in taking a look at the most upscale and historic parts of Austin and the places that make it special, then this is the place to stay at while doing so. The East Austin neighborhood is also not far away – just across the I35.
Enough about the surrounding region, however, and a bit more about what makes this hotel special. The Element Austin Downtown is home to its range of exciting locations, including an open American restaurant and a TexMex bar and eatery combo that are sure to blow your socks off with the sheer strength of their service and culinary offerings.
Wyndham Garden Austin
Although this hotel only has three stars to its name, the affordable prices and amazing quality of the Wyndham Garden Austin still manage to blast just about every member of its competition straight out of the water, and the benefits don’t stop there. The Wyndham Garden is modern, striking, and on top of current fashion and design trends while remaining comfortable, humble and easy to deal with.
The flat, homely feel of this hotel makes it one of the best choices for those who would like to remain in safety and luxury without the city feeling and the stress of having to book in and out of a more commercial-feeling hotel, so if that sounds like something you’d like, then you have to give the Wyndham Garden a try.
Another step that the Wyndham Garden takes in pulling itself above its competition is upping the bar set by the Royal Sonesta before it on this list by making its airport shuttle completely free. This may be much of a muchness thanks to the fact that the hotel is located just across from the airport in question in San Jose, but not having to hire a car or pay to navigate the un-walkable mass of highways between the two is nonetheless a benefit and an easier path to take.
There’s a lovely eatery available on site here in the form of the ReVive! American-style restaurant and relaxation area, so if you’re looking for something to eat without stretching the budget or going too far, you needn’t worry about wandering through the city or ordering something online.
If your plans do involve moving wide distances to truly explore the best corners of the city, however, then you’ll be glad to know that the Wyndham Garden has free parking!
East Austin Hotel
Another hotel that finds itself right in the middle of the East Austin gay neighborhood and the potential for queer socialization that it represents, the East Austin makes a grand point of setting itself as yet another explicitly LGBTQ+-friendly hotel on this list, and this fact, alongside the hotel’s strong staff reputation sets it as an incredibly strong contender for the position of the most queer-welcoming hotel here.
Not only is it welcoming, however, but the East Austin Hotel is also very modern and well-designed – capturing a cool, casual vibe as part of its polished service and presentation mentality.
You needn’t worry about everything about this hotel just looking either, as its catalog of amenities is quite extensive as well – spanning from a sizable outdoor pool, air conditioning in all rooms, wheelchair-accessible rooms for those with special mobility requirements, and – perhaps most exciting and important of all – complimentary parking and morning breakfast for all guests.
The East Austin hotel’s very own restaurant and bar ensemble may be a bit overshadowed by the massive range of trendy eateries and other culinary and hangout locations that it is surrounded by as part of its local queer neighborhood, but they are more than sufficient if you’re looking to hang out at the hotel for a while or to save a little bit of extra money for a bigger night out.
Individual rooms at this location also have many exciting factors, including bathroom rainfall showers, pool views from most suites, separate sitting areas, wet bars, and full-room service. The hotel has a unique air of charm and personality that queer guests are bound to love, and – as we said earlier – its location truly buys it access to just about everything a gay guest could need.
Gay Hotel Map Of Austin
Feeling a bit lost while planning your journey to Austin? No worries, darling! Our detailed LGBTQ+ tailored map is here to guide you. We’ve pinpointed all the vibrant gay-friendly bars, exhilarating clubs, extravagant parties, cozy hotels, relaxing saunas, and soothing massage parlors to ensure you find the perfect spot.
And these aren’t just any spots; we’re talking about the creme de la creme of locations in the heart of the city’s vibrant gay scene. Think panoramic views, easy access to nightlife, and all the amenities to make your stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.
But hold on to your feather boas! These hot spots are fabulous; they vanish quicker than a drag queen’s five o’clock shadow. Don’t delay; book now to secure the best deals and locations. Remember, the early bird catches the best deals in Austin! So, pack your rainbow flag, and get ready to experience the ultimate gay-friendly holiday in Austin.
