The Stephen F Austin Royal Sonesta Hotel

ique feel in the middle of downtown, the location off of Congress with view of the capital, and the staff- especially Ghina - made this the best wedding venue for our cocktail hour and reception. We used this venue for our cocktail hour and reception. Our cocktail hour was in the upstairs foyer. This is a space with access to an outdoor terrace. The venue provided cocktail tables, linens, bars, and Access to a piano to provide elegant cocktail hour music. Our reception was held in the one ballroom on the second floor. It was nice having only one ballroom because we felt like we had the entire hotel for our event. There is a grand stairwell leading to the upstairs level, which provides a beautiful space for pictures. There’s also a terrace located off the ballroom that overlooks the Paramount theater and the capital which is a great place for guests to go outside and take pictures. The venue provided tables, linens, bars, cake stand, stage, and dance floor, which was rare compared to many other venues where you needed to rent these items. They also have chairs available, although we brought in our own Chiavari chairs. They have plated or buffet option available. We chose plated for the number of guests that we had and received many compliments on our food options. I think mass production of food at a hotel is tough, and while it wasn’t as good as the food we had at our tasting, it wasnt far from it. There is also a well known bar upstairs that did not interfere with our wedding, but provided a great place for an after party following our wedding and a fun place for our guests staying at the hotel to meet and mingle days before the wedding. This was a huge selling point for us! There is no self parking, but this is typical of downtown. Garages are close, but valet available. The best part about this venue was the staff- particularly Ghina. She is the wedding/event coordinator at the hotel. She was incredible and so great to work with. She is kind, hospitable, calm, detail oriented, attentive, accommodating, and should be a wedding planner on the side. I wish I could work with her even after the wedding. She would respond to our questions in minutes, always had an answer, and created a seamless event for us. She helped me with vendors, decisions, and any problem solving- although I can’t think of any. She knew every detail about our wedding and kept us on schedule during the planning process. She provided us great advice and knew what worked well at this venue based on previous weddings. The rest of the staff was 10/10. Bridgette was very accommodating for our guests and room block, and valet and hotel staff were all very kind and welcoming. The day of staff were great. They were always willing to help and serve. There is a beautiful bridal suite that I toured but it was already booked. Ghina was extremely accommodating and booked the governors suite for my bridal party to get ready. I was VERY happy with this suite and it worked perfectly for having 10-15 guests in my room at a time. Ghina and Bridgette made sure we had enough glassware, steamers, and staff available for our needs. We were very happy with our choice, and loved this unique historic Austin venue! Thank you again to Ghina and the hotel staff for creating such a wonderful event.

2019. These events and the entire staff of the Intercontinental far exceeded our expectations. We'd like to especially thank Julie Stanfield whose listening skills, attention to detail, and creative ideas were the perfect combination for our personalities. Julie was the event coordinator for both events and took on the role that a wedding planner normally would (no need for an additional one). She really knows the venue and provides honest, good feedback on what will work and what will not. She is fun to work with but very professional. She takes the time to get to know her clients' preferences and adapts the events to their desires. This was not a cookie-cutter wedding. It was highly personalized which made it even more special. Julie also coordinates with all of the vendors the day of the wedding to make sure that everything is in order and delivered. Our guests were unanimous that this was the "wedding to beat" and one of the best weddings they’ve been to. The hotel staff were as close to flawless as we've experienced, and the team went way beyond the normal to ensure the bride, groom, and parents were treated like special guests. From the concierge on arrival to the wait staff on Saturday night and our departure Sunday, it was simply wonderful. The Capital Ballroom itself is a fantastic venue for the wedding ceremony and reception. It offered old-world class with modern lighting and style. The ballroom itself opens onto a private balcony that looks over Congress Avenue, giving you a view of the Paramount theater, the Capitol, and Congress Ave itself. The smaller ballrooms (that could also be used for receptions or rehearsal dinners as we had) also have access to balconies and are cozier. We hosted a night before event in the two smaller ballrooms/boardrooms and were blown away with the ability of Julie and the staff to bring our vision of a "tacos & tequila" party to life. We had access to the balcony on 7th street that night. This was super unique to have this much access to a balcony with ample seating and a fun atmosphere. (No tents necessary! Heaters on most of the balcony). People loved getting to go outside and then meander back into the various ballrooms. Food and drink was top-notch for both nights. We chose to have a taco station the night before and a Central Texas themed buffet with brisket, quail, and other Austin specialties for the wedding reception. We provided open bars and the service was excellent. We chose mostly local spirits, craft beer, and specialized wines (including a rosé cuvée for the toast) with Julie and the catering staff sourcing these for us. The signature cocktails, passed appetizers, and cheese display were a hit at the cocktail reception! Our desserts (churros and tres leches cake) were delicious the night before, as well. A small detail, but the way that they displayed food - whether at the cocktail reception, in a buffet, or even the plated salads - was beautiful. All in all, it was a fabulous weekend as close to perfect as possible. If you're looking for a historic downtown hotel that is smaller, more intimate, and more refined than some other historic hotels, the Stephen F Austin Intercontinental cannot be beat.

ht of. Their staff is great and really follows through. For the wedding, I asked for water with lime and a straw (I wanted to stay hydrated!) and I had extra straws at my place setting and also when I got to my room at the end of the night, I had water, straws and limes!