"My wife and I didn’t mind the smaller room overall, it only got cramped when packing. The lobby bathrooms were actually great: clean, private, and clearly designed to offset the tiny in‑room setup.
Where the stay really fell apart was the tech. The TV settings are completely locked down. Motion smoothing is permanently on, so anything filmed at 24fps looks like a soap opera. In a city that hosts SXSW, that’s a wild choice. You also can’t adjust brightness, sound EQ, or even turn on closed captions. That’s a serious accessibility issue. I ended up standing on the bed trying to reach the physical buttons because the iPad controller doesn’t allow basic functions.
Speaking of the iPad: it controls everything, but doesn’t improve anything. The thermostat is just a vague color slider instead of numbers. The single RGB shower light feels like the only reason the iPad exists. And with no window to crack open, one warm shower turns the whole (small) room into a sauna.
Breakfast was also overpriced for what it was. It was cheaper (and better) to eat across the street.
citizenM has a cool vibe and great lobby spaces, but the room tech gets in the way of comfort. Give guests normal controls and this place would be a much easier recommendation."
Change your mindBook hotels with free cancellation
Be pickySearch almost a million properties worldwide
