O'Brien Historic Riverwalk, An Ascend Hotel Collec

United States , San Antonio - TX
SAN ANTONIO, 116 Navarro St
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100 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

27 Apr 2026

Kimberly

Very nice historic hotel. The beds were very comfortable and i really liked that they had a liquid soap dispensers instead of bar soap. The only issue I had was with the parking lot next door. I am not tech savvy and payment was confusing.

10/10

Exceptional

26 Apr 2026

Leslie

Parking was right next door could see from our patio. Nice and quite with a great view. Good walking distance to everything and we would definitely come and stay again.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

25 Apr 2026

Nahum

Everything was good but very noisy.. we could hear neighbors and lots of street noise

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Apr 2026

Bill

Great location, clean, wonderful service friendly and helpful staff.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

25 Apr 2026

Kathy

The room was clean and the AC worked great. This is an older establishment but very comforting. The staff are very nice and helpful. This was our 2nd stay. Plan to reserve for next year.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Apr 2026

Julia

Parking is in a parking garage but it’s next to the property.. it’s very surprising when you come in, great balcony and quiet but close enough to walk to the busy parts of the Riverwalk..

Family

6/10

Pleasant

22 Apr 2026

Edgar

Run down, creaky awful beds, muggy stale rooms, was worried to sleep as the door locks did not seem secure.

Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

21 Apr 2026

Nick

It’s seen better days

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

21 Apr 2026

Erika

paid parking was in the garage next door, but the cheapest in the riverwalk area of San Antonio. This is an older historic building (well maintained), so slight gaps in the balcony door is to be expected (but such a nice balcony with a view to take in a snack or just gaze at the view!) Wonderful staff and the coffee was great! You do get a microwave and fridge if you are trying to be thrifty with the wonderful San Antonio food, especially the Thai place next door.

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

16 Apr 2026

Rogelio

Very clean and comfortable bed. A/c worked amazing. Not too mention the lady at the front desk was amazing and very helpful! 5 stars from us! Thank you for everything!

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

15 Apr 2026

kim

Hotel was clean and appeared somewhat updated. The WiFi was out of service our entire stay so had to use my phone hotspot to watch tv. Good location. Just outdated for our taste.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

12 Apr 2026

Kevin

It had a little more street noise than expected. Truely not the fault of the establishment. Air conditioning worked great! Clean room and bathroom.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Apr 2026

Eric

Purchase your room in advance for quicker check-in.
Before arriving, call and they will register your vehicle for the parking Navarro Street garage. Approx. $27 for parking. Park in garage adjacent to the hotel. You can pay through the QR code in the garage they posted on the walls, you'll see it or at the hotel.
Paid a $50 refundable deposit for incidentals. Smalls snacks and drinks available for purchase at the front.
Room was nice an cool. We had a fan and AC. Hotel has that old historic charm♡
The rest room had a jetted tub. It worked but didn't use it. Shampoo, conditioner and body wash were provided in refillable bottles attached to the shower wall and fairly nice fluffy towels.
Room was nice, cool and comfy and had a microwave, mini fridge, ironing board and blow dryer. Beds were fine, not pillow top or anything.
We loved that the room was right off the Riverwalk!
We went walked the riverwalk to get to Legoland Discovery and it was about a 12 min walk and about the same walking to the Rainforest Café.

Staff was great. We had a great stay and will be back♡

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

12 Apr 2026

Deborah

Parking was overpriced with nearby parking cheaper. In general the hotel is well-located but worn down. It has potential but needs updating

10/10

Exceptional

11 Apr 2026

david

parking is off site then a 15 minute walk to hotel. Parking isn’t free. Room was clean. Staff was extremely helpful.

8/10

Excellent

11 Apr 2026

Jennifer

Parking wasn't avaliable due to internet outage bc they use parking garage next door. There were parking spots in rear of hotel that we were not offered and we had to pay extra for a space access the street. AC was great, balcony was cool. Staff was friendly and hotel was def eclectic!

Business

2/10

Poor

11 Apr 2026

NATHAN

Room key malfunctioned 3x and they didn’t let the parking garage know I payed

2/10

Poor

11 Apr 2026

Hector

We stayed at this hotel and unfortunately had a very disappointing experience. The cleanliness was far below expectations—the room felt dirty, with visible dust and unclean surfaces. On top of that, there was a strong, unpleasant odor coming from the air conditioning, which made it very uncomfortable to stay in the room for any length of time.

To make matters worse, there was no iron available in the room, which is a basic amenity I expect when traveling. When I reached out to the staff for assistance, they were not attentive at all. Their attitude came across as dismissive and unhelpful, which only added to the frustration.

As a point of comparison, I’ve stayed at Motel 6 locations that I would gladly rate 5 stars, which really highlights how poor this experience was.

Overall, between the poor cleanliness, bad smell from the AC, lack of basic amenities, and unprofessional staff, I would not recommend staying here.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

11 Apr 2026

Diana

It was good.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

11 Apr 2026

Sandra

I liked staying there and the communal areas are lovely. The hospitality extended by the staff was inconsistent—the woman who helped me the first night was especially kind who brought me an extension cord for my CPAP machine and helped me manage the ROKU remote device.

However, when I called from the train to notify the hotel staff that my train might be delayed, the person answering
was confusing and said if I came in after 1 am my reservation might be canceled. Since I had prepaid, I was not pleased, plus I was talking about a delay that might get me in close to midnight not after 1 am.

I walked into a freezing room, which I could manage, but there was not an extra blanket in the room. There is a lengthy list of potential charges for missing or damaged items that ran a full page which I have never seen before in decades of travel. At the same time there was not information on amenities, TV channels, etc. plus there was no tissue box in the room. To use the Netflix, a person had to use their personal account. Only free accounts were available to guests. I don’t travel with my passwords so this also was inconvenient.
Although I liked the property, the location and some of the staff, I had a mixed reaction to my stay.

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

10 Apr 2026

Maria R

Yes

Self

6/10

Pleasant

09 Apr 2026

Alexander

Parking was in a unsecured parking garage next to the property. AC did work in the room though. Please read the fine print there's a $50 security fee that wasn't on the main page when booking the room. Parking was $25/day which i was ok with.

Business

6/10

Pleasant

08 Apr 2026

Emma

Very basic, no breakfast, no place to fill up water bottles. Staff were ok but not very friendly. Rooms were very old and smelled musty. AC was old and incredibly noisy. Positive- is that it was very close to Riverwalk. Don't think I would stay here again.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

06 Apr 2026

Liza

There just for the weekend. Perfect location, close to restaurants and night life.

Friends

8/10

Excellent

05 Apr 2026

andrew

Stayed for 2 nights.A very old fashioned hotel and building which was nice and lots of personality .Parking right next door in the multi story was really convenient and cheaper if you pay at reception in your hotel
Of the 2 nights bed covers were changed once.Free coffee by reception

Partner

2/10

Poor

03 Apr 2026

Joe

None

10/10

Exceptional

03 Apr 2026

Daniel

Clean room great staff

10/10

Exceptional

02 Apr 2026

Ahmed

Nice hotel in a great location.

10/10

Exceptional

02 Apr 2026

Brent

The room was nice and clean.

10/10

Exceptional

01 Apr 2026

Stephanie

I will start by saying this is not our first stay here. If you like older charming decor, this is the place for you! It is an older building with older decor, but clean. The staff is friendly, room clean and nicely cooled. The bed so comfy, best sleep! Parking garage right next to the building and the riverwalk is walking distance, which is convenient.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Apr 2026

William

Very quaint hotel... 100 years old. Pretty good condition, could use a few fix-ups... in the details. We enjoyed our stay.

Family

8/10

Excellent

01 Apr 2026

William

Very quaint hotel... 100 years old. Pretty good condition, could use a few fix-ups... in the details. We enjoyed our stay.

Family

2/10

Poor

31 Mar 2026

Carrie Lynn

Sorry building. Very outdated

Family

4/10

Poor

31 Mar 2026

Vicki

"Historic" in this case does not mean "charming." If only the room was as cute as the main floor. It's falling apart old, and the patched 'repairs' are done with an apparent lack of pride. It's sad. Where to park while you check in? I guess park across the street while you pay for your parking garage pass, then move your car before you have to pay at the lot. The room was shabby. One info card had outdated instructions, others were waterlogged and dusty. I've never seen a list of costs for getting something dirty! No make up remover provided, but if you get makeup on a washcloth it will cost you 5 bucks, so be warned. (Cost rises from there!) Lots of street noise (Friday night?) It was cheaper than nice hotels, but it wasn't cheap enough to make me feel like I got a bargain. If possible, save up for a nice hotel on the River Walk. If not, then at least you are forewarned.

Business Partner

8/10

Excellent

29 Mar 2026

Natasha

Cute boutique hotel. Great location.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Mar 2026

Farrah

Staff were friendly. Room was immaculate. It was great relaxing on the balcony. The AC definitely worked!

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

29 Mar 2026

Patricia

Parking was good. We thought we had a view of the river but did not. So when it says river view it is not the river view.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Mar 2026

Kelly

Parking was great. Location is within walking distance of everything we needed.

Friends_and_family Friends

4/10

Poor

26 Mar 2026

Laurie

Parking was very convenient. Room was dirty. I actually went out and bought Lysol spray and wipes and cleaned the whole room with wipes and spray. Curtains were in disarray. Way too dark in the room. Couldn't turn off floor lamp because the knob was broken, had to unplug it.Air con blows right on you from above bed, temperature control was way off. I slept with my head under the covers all night.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Mar 2026

Raymond

I used this place to lay my head and take a shower. I didn’t stay in the room long. It was great for what I needed it for and would stay here again.

10/10

Exceptional

25 Mar 2026

Maria Carmen

Close to everything!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Mar 2026

Maria Carmen

Staff was accommodating and the area was a perfect location.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Mar 2026

Samuel

Very cool old Hotel would stay there again.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

23 Mar 2026

Susana

The room was clean but several stains on the rug, smelled like urine. Hotel is pet friendly so I'm assuming that was the smell. Rugs should be cleaned. Noted that its historic but is outdated. Pictures posted are false advertisement. At least the one I stayed in was not like advertised. Unfortunately, will not be staying here again.

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

23 Mar 2026

Samantha

Love how everything was within walking distance. However parking was a little bit of issue for our big van

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

22 Mar 2026

Ashlea

We had a wonderful stay. Perfect location, clean and staff was great! I would definitely recommend to family and friends. Room was great size, bathroom was too!

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

21 Mar 2026

Arnold Gregory

Great location and price. Good air conditioning (a must in San Antonio). Rough around the edges. Noisy at night in my room (109): strange banging sounds in the middle of the night, irregular, went on for hours, both nights of my stay.

10/10

Exceptional

19 Mar 2026

Sally

Clean room

Partner

2/10

Poor

17 Mar 2026

Marcella

We picked this place for the location, so even though the place was shabbier than I would normally be comfortable with, I would never

4/10

Poor

16 Mar 2026

Catherine

Poor communication and lack of follow through. Door

6/10

Pleasant

15 Mar 2026

Jana

It's an old hotel, but our room was VERY musty smelling. It was pretty rough and took some getting used to. And we needed our refrigerator to store food, but it had a leak making it unusable. The manager couldn't do anything so that issue was not resolved. The only positive was the riverwalk was very close by. That was our main reason for staying at this hotel. However we would probably stay somewhere else next time. The lady at the front desk was kind and tried to help with our fridge, but she couldn't fix it herself. Parking was very convenient.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

14 Mar 2026

Roy

Trash can wasn't clean sheets had hair on them .

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

13 Mar 2026

Emma

The room was pretty clean, though there were many towel, carpet, and furniture stains. It’s great for its location downtown, but my friend stayed at the Menger for the same exact price and got many more amenities and it was an excellent hotel in comparison to this one. The staff here were friendly. It was a fine hotel, though I’d probably look for something nicer next time. The soaps, shampoo, and conditioner were all watered down and everything else was obviously very cheap. This hotel ran out of hot water one morning, and the water shut off entirely one evening. I would have felt better about my experience here if this hotel spent more money on itself for their guests’ comfort.

Partner

4/10

Poor

13 Mar 2026

Jason

10PM Wednesday - waited near 10 mins for staff to arrive as we waited to check in. Water was shutoff through most of the night. Water was back on, but no hot water for showers Thursday. Toilet seat falling off, needed to "shoulder" bathroom door to open/close. Carpet was sticky. Cars passing outside were quite loud.
Positive: A/C worked well and less expensive that other nearby hotels.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

12 Mar 2026

Delanie

Clean, good staff

10/10

Exceptional

12 Mar 2026

Crystal

I th

6/10

Pleasant

11 Mar 2026

Donell

Area is close to Riverwalk however immediate area under construction for renovations

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

09 Mar 2026

Gieselle

The balcony is not a private balcony - it is separated by chains and you are sharing the balcony with the guests in the rooms to either side of you. Beds are loud/creaky and the walls are thin which meant neighbours noise interrupted our sleep. It is certainly historic in that aspect.

The best part about this hotel is the location conveniently by the Riverwalk. Parking is $25 per day but the garage seems secure and there is an attendant. I really appreciated the TV had a Roku to sign into your personal apps and enjoy. The room was clean and has a noisy, but competent AC unit. Overall pretty fair for the price. Staff was competent.

10/10

Exceptional

08 Mar 2026

KAREN

Great staff and great location. It’s within walking distance of everything.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

08 Mar 2026

Sheryl

It is historic but needs updating. Outside of the building is very run down. Rooms are nice and clean. Doors do not shut well! Door to patio shows day light through the cracks.
Shower barely ran at all, wouldn’t transfer from the tub. It was average for the price. Great location and parking garage next door for $25 a night.

10/10

Exceptional

04 Mar 2026

denise

Excellent proximity to River Walk - and thus convention centre. Great location.

10/10

Exceptional

03 Mar 2026

Saleem

Bathroom needs maintenance. Sink was filling up with water. Parking became an issue. It was double charged. I had to call the manager and get the changes taken off.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

03 Mar 2026

Navya

Nice stay overall. The hotel staff were very friendly and helpful, and the location next to the riverwalk was a big plus. There are also plenty of restaurants within walking distance.

However, the room lighting wasn’t great, and I did find bugs inside the room, which was disappointing.

8/10

Excellent

01 Mar 2026

Marylynn

Very nice very old, but very strict what you can and cannot do even if there is an accident that is done

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

01 Mar 2026

Cynthia

Very clean. Especially enjoyed the balcony. Near the Hard Rock Cafe.

8/10

Excellent

01 Mar 2026

John

The staff was very helpful. The building is very unique. Our balcony view was very nice.

10/10

Exceptional

28 Feb 2026

Scarlett

A very unique place! Enjoyed the look and feel of the space, checkin staff was amazing. my truck was too tall for parking garage, i was allowed to park in employee lot in the back, disappointed that was still charged full rate for parking but was better than better than street parking

Self

10/10

Exceptional

27 Feb 2026

NICOLE

Relaxed

10/10

Exceptional

25 Feb 2026

Doug

Staff was great. I really enjoyed Tee and Robert. Both were friendly and helpful.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

24 Feb 2026

Travis

Staff was fine, responsive to any needs. Facility seemed dark, musty (moldy) upon first entering room.
Was given ground floor room which windowed to the street and was noisy at night. Door key needed replaced routinely as wouldn’t work, no live tv service was not appreciated (and never encountered before), coffee pot wouldn’t shut off x 2 and flowed into floor. Location was good for sight seeing. Parking convenient. While atmosphere was neat like an escape room, due to pricing and these noted items, not sure I would stay there again.

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

24 Feb 2026

MARY

Staff was not friendly
The hotel was so tired looking. Dead plants everywhere. Dirty feeling. The hotel needs a general overhaul. Water never got hot. The shower was not accessible for a wheelchair. Dark hallways dark rooms.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

22 Feb 2026

Mary Virginia

Clean rooms and friendly staff!

Partner

2/10

Poor

21 Feb 2026

Marina

The building is super old and smelly. It is very conveniently located and the staff is so nice but the building is run down outdated and not worth the money we spent!!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Feb 2026

mary

Staff were great. The location to the riverwalk could not have been closer. A very boutique hotel. Not all the amenities of a chain which we love. Super quiet. Beds were great. Very clean.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

19 Feb 2026

laura

The room was very comfortable,my only complaint was that the hot water took so darn long to get heated REAL long

Family

10/10

Exceptional

16 Feb 2026

Mario

Very clean room very friendly staff the classic felt was amazing if you’re looking for a great easy place to stay I would recommend this 10 out of 10 times very close to stay

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

16 Feb 2026

Gary

The room was just ok. I knew that it would be small and cramped, because it's an historic hotel, so that part was fine. Unfortunately, it wasn't very clean. I had to clean surfaces myself just to be able to stay there. There was food smeared all over the desk chair, the night stand had wet drink rings on it, and there was a tomato slice laying on the ground under the tv stand that was still there when I left because I didn't want to touch it. I'll be it'll be there for months. I paid with a state credit card which means they needed to remove the state taxes from the bill, but they either can't or won't. Trying to get that situation rectified through the Hotels.com customer service chat took almost an hour, and in the end they could not do what I needed them to do. The lesson I learned is that it's better to book the stay directly with the hotel I'm staying at, because at least I can call them and deal with any problems directly, instead of dealing with a call center overseas. I also learned that I paid $50 per night more by using this service than if I had just called the hotel and booked directly, and Hotels.com cannot provide an itemized bill. Pretty dissatisfying experience.

2/10

Poor

16 Feb 2026

Agnes

We called in advance, regarding the parking lot. And also asked to make sure we can get our room in time or a little earlier. They said on the phone only at 3 pm as the reservation says. We went there, and the room was not ready. It was 3:03 pm, and the lady was rude, she said with an attitude it is 3:03 when we told her the check in is at 3pm. She said we have to wait. We had to wait another 30 minutes. The room was not even clean, it had a bad smell, and we got allergic spots by next morning sleeping in the bed, itching it was horrible. I will never choose this hotel ever again.

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

14 Feb 2026

Danette

Love this little boutique hotel. It is in a great location. Stayed 3 nights. Enjoyed the balcony space and the lounge/sitting area. Room is fully equipped with TV, fridge, microwave, coffee maker, hairdryer, etc. Staff was very courteous. My only complaint is that the bed is not plush, and there is only a blanket and no bedspread or comforter. I still had a good night’s sleep regardless.

Business

2/10

Poor

14 Feb 2026

Julee

This is the worse hotel, not only old but dated, not taken care of. No breakfast offered but you can walk 4=5 blocks to ihop! The bathroom tub faucets were rusted out unable to use the claw foot tub! But they didn’t have any hot water for the 2 days we stayed, we advised the staff but just got the run around and lies. They did not offer to discount or comp any of the days, We paid for parking in the back, handicap, and the staff parked in it ! I bet she did not pay for parking.
As far as the balcony there is not any way you can see the river walk, but you have a good view of the trashy neighborhood, parking lot!!! Don’t waste your money
We made reservations through Expedia they also got an ear full too!!

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

12 Feb 2026

Primo

Very old place little bitty TV you have to pay for your parking

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Feb 2026

Ashley

Staff was wonderful, room was cozy and warm (it was super cold out while we were there), overall great stay!

Partner

8/10

Excellent

31 Jan 2026

Ben

Room was ok...staff polite n helpful..only thing was used to having toileteries in a room but had none in bathroom. Great location though.ez excess to all attractions

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jan 2026

Rebecca

Front desk staff was a very lovely lady who was super friendly & helpful. She made the check-in so easy.

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jan 2026

Ashleigh

Always enjoy my stays here!

Leisure Friends

4/10

Poor

24 Jan 2026

Angela

Bed not comfortable. Pillows awful. Our room was right next to the lobby, talking, vacuuming, loud staff all night. Parking cost unreasonable. I thought it would be a cute, historic hotel, instead it was run down, noisy, and uncomfortable.

Business_and_leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

24 Jan 2026

Carlos

Location

Partner

8/10

Excellent

24 Jan 2026

Nell

Location, location, location. The hotel is showing its age with plumbing and electrical all in need of major renovations. The staff are very pleasant, the beds comfortable. I like the proximity to La Villita shops and the River Walk. Cheapest and best parking in downtown hotels.

Leisure Self

2/10

Poor

19 Jan 2026

John

I walked in the door and was immediately smacked with a chemical odor that was worse in my room.
We had to leave immediately.
Maybe it was a one off for the O'Brien, but i wont be back.
The woman at the desk was nice and sympathetic.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jan 2026

Deborah

Great service and clean room

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

15 Jan 2026

naresh

The facilities are dated! The staff is polite but there are better hotels for the same price!

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

12 Jan 2026

Rogelio

Room was spotless and some of the staff is helpful

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jan 2026

Rhonda

Great location for Hemisphere, Riverwalk. Quiet

Friends_and_family Family

2/10

Poor

09 Jan 2026

Hai

Terrible

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jan 2026

Jennifer

Great location

2/10

Poor

07 Jan 2026

CHERRY

As soon as you walked in the room it smelled of urine, there were white stains on the atoman, black stains on the sheets, night stand had smudges and fingerprints all over it and there was soda cups full of soda left in the common area for a full day. This place looked nothing like the pictures advertised. It looked extremely run down with several real bad patch attempts on the walls. I'm very disappointed and will most definitely never be returning. The only good things about this place were its location to the river walk and the young lady at the counter who has barely started working there a few days ago but is doing a great job!

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

07 Jan 2026

John

Room was clean but did not have hand soap in despisers only had decaf coffee. Coffee down stairs looked like black syrup and asked for creamer but was told they had none been there before and had the same issue

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

06 Jan 2026

jack

The bed was very hard and it is not on the river walk as advertise would not stay there again

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

05 Jan 2026

Michael

Burn holes in the room carpet and mattress was average at best.