San Antonio averages $114 a night across 8.3 million public rate observations Engine recorded from May 2024 to April 2026. The city ranks 49th of 50 major U.S. markets, 23 percent below the $148 median. Engine calls these par rates: the cheapest public price at a search.
A cheap market still rewards a direct booking. Two signals point that way: a 20 percent swing between the cheapest and priciest month, and a downtown submarket running below 2019 volumes.
The market has split in two
Texas Comptroller filings through May 2026 put trailing room revenue at $1.3 billion, down 2.0 percent after excluding $22.4 million in flagged single-month filing anomalies at nine properties. The market carries 450 hotels filing room tax, 44,420 registry rooms and $79 of RevPAR across the trailing year.
The Hill Country corridor is growing. La Cantera Resort & Spa rose 23.7 percent to $39.6 million, the Hyatt Regency Hill Country 7.3 percent to $39.3 million and Hotel Emma at the Pearl 9.3 percent to $23.4 million. The JW Marriott Hill Country is the biggest earner at $85.3 million, down 4.2 percent.
Downtown is softer. Seven Riverwalk flagships reported lower revenue: the Hyatt Regency down 7.1 percent, The Westin Riverwalk 6.4 percent, Hotel Contessa 6.0 percent, Omni La Mansion del Rio 5.7 percent, the Drury Plaza 4.9 percent, the Marriott Riverwalk 3.3 percent and The St. Anthony 7.1 percent. The Marriott Rivercenter grew 2.3 percent and the Grand Hyatt 2.2 percent. Source Strategies put downtown first-quarter 2026 occupancy at 63.5 percent, 15.3 percent below 2019.
The ten, ranked
Ordered by trailing twelve-month room revenue reported to the Texas Comptroller through May 2026, the published proxy for how much a direct request can move. Room counts come from the same filings, and addresses and star ratings come from the hotelhuddle directory. Names link to their pages there. Figures are unaudited state tax data, restated when an operator amends.
1. JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa — 1,002 rooms, $85.3 million, down 4.2 percent, 23808 Resort Parkway, 78261. A direct request reaches the market's largest rate pool.
2. Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk — 1,003 rooms, $54.1 million, up 2.2 percent, four stars, 600 E Market St, 78205. Direct reaches the convention center's largest hotel.
3. Marriott Rivercenter — 350 rooms, $53.2 million, up 2.3 percent, four stars, 101 Bowie Street, 78205. At $152,000 of revenue per room, the highest among the downtown properties here, a small rate move moves the bill.
4. Signia by Hilton La Cantera Resort & Spa — 496 rooms, $39.6 million, up 23.7 percent, four stars, 16641 La Cantera Parkway, 78256. The Comptroller lists the property as La Cantera Resort & Spa. The fastest growth in the market makes the direct rate the one worth asking.
5. Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa — 500 rooms, $39.3 million, up 7.3 percent, 9800 Hyatt Resort Drive, 78251. A resort booked direct keeps the whole stay in one request.
6. Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk — 630 rooms, $31.1 million, down 7.1 percent, 123 Losoya Street, 78205. The largest decline among the Riverwalk flagships.
7. San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk — 502 rooms, $24.9 million, down 3.3 percent, four stars, 889 East Market Street, 78205. A published rate with slack behind it.
8. The Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio — 474 rooms, $24.2 million, down 6.4 percent, four stars, 420 West Market Street, 78205. A 6.4 percent decline on a Riverwalk address is the clearest case for asking the hotel first.
9. Hilton Palacio del Rio — 485 rooms, $23.9 million, up 2.9 percent, four stars, 200 South Alamo Street, 78205. One of three downtown properties in this list to grow, and direct reaches the hotel.
10. Hotel Emma — 146 rooms, $23.4 million, up 9.3 percent, five stars, 136 East Grayson, 78215. Revenue per room of $161,000, the highest in the ten, and 146 rooms fill early.
Where the mid-week and shoulder-season inventory sits
Timing carries weight. Engine observed each rate 10 to 180 days before check-in and reported a 20 percent swing across the year: $99 in January and $107 in August and September, against $124 in March and July.
Visit San Antonio reported the fourth quarter of 2025 at 56.4 percent occupancy, down 5.5 percent, on a RevPAR of $73, down 6.9 percent. October ran 59.8 percent at $137.79, November 54.3 percent at $123.37 and December 54.9 percent at $125.55. Group business at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center averaged 58 percent pick-up.
Supply keeps arriving. The market added 410 rooms in the trailing year, on the 44,420 rooms already filing.
That maps to addresses. Ask the two convention-center hotels, the Grand Hyatt and the Marriott Rivercenter, for Monday to Thursday dates. The seven Riverwalk flagships that reported declines hold the open weeknights.
What the tax stack adds
The quoted rate and the amount paid differ. The City of San Antonio charges 9 percent hotel occupancy tax, made of 7 percent general and 2 percent for the Convention Center expansion. The City also collects 1.75 percent for Bexar County. The State adds 6 percent. The combined rate is 16.75 percent on the room rate. Bexar County voters approved a venue tax increase in November 2025 that lifts the county share to 2 percent, for a combined rate of 17 percent.
How to compare the booking view for each property
One request reaches 50 or more hotels in the destination, free to submit. Hotels reply with group rates, terms and perks side by side in one dashboard, within 24 to 72 hours. Group rates apply from 10 rooms a night, and some hotels apply them from 5.
You pay the hotel directly. hotelhuddle adds no markup to your rate, and the hotels pay a separate commission when you book.