Updated October 2026: Hotel Emma remains San Antonio’s only two-Michelin-Key hotel, retaining the designation in 2025 and in the 2026 Michelin Guide. It earned the AAA Five Diamond award again for 2025 and was ranked #1 in San Antonio in the U.S. News 2026 Best Hotels rankings.
Hotel Emma at a glance
Location: Pearl district, San Antonio, Texas | Price: $$$$ | Best for: Food lovers, couples and book lovers
Rooms: 146 rooms, including seven top-floor suites | Best time to go: March to May and October to November for milder weather
Why we love it: A converted 1890s brewhouse with industrial-Texan interiors, and San Antonio’s only two-Michelin-Key hotel. It sits in the Pearl, the city’s liveliest neighbourhood, with Supper and the Sternewirth bar in the old brewhouse.
Good to know: It’s on the San Antonio River just north of downtown. There’s an outdoor pool and gym, and the Pearl hosts a farmers’ market on weekend mornings.
Insider detail: Take the complimentary arrival margarita in the two-storey library, and expect macarons at turn-down.
My stay at Hotel Emma
Checking in to Hotel Emma San Antonio is a once-in-a-lifetime kinda deal. A few weeks prior to my trip to Texas I had learned about the hotel from a friend who grabbed my arm and said sternly “if you go, you gotta stay here”. Prior to that I hadn’t heard about the hotel but I soon learned that this place has an incredible history + story and is considered somewhat legendary in the city. Here’s more about my stay (with oodles of snaps to showcase this incredible hotel!)
Hotel Emma San Antonio
I had just two nights at Hotel Emma, leaving me with 2.5 days to explore San Antonio. As this was my first visit to Texas I wanted to tick off some of the hot spots, whilst also seeking to find some hidden gems around town. As it turns out the hotel is ideally located in the most happening neighbourhood in town: The Pearl. The hotel is situated inside an old brewery and believe me when I say it has been transformed with even the finest details in mind. The lobby and public areas are distinctly industrial to maintain the hotel’s long history, whilst featuring luxurious furnishings to turn things up a notch (after all, this is by far considered to be the best hotel in town). Around the hotel you will find all the usual amenities: an outdoor pool, gym, a number of restaurants and in-room dining. But it is the not so usual touches that really caught my eye: macarons at turn-down service, quirky in-room dining menus and a complimentary margarita upon arrival in the hotel’s gorgeous library.
The Rooms
The delicate details are all on show when you step inside your hotel room or suite. For my stay I checked in to a king size room on the 5th floor, with a view of the hotel pool and San Antonio’s downtown in the distance. The room itself was spacious but so well designed that every space had a purpose and was furnished to feel warm & homely. Hands down my favourite element of the room was the crystal white bathroom with gold finishes, complete with a clawed bath tub. Someone pinch me now! Everything in the room was available for purchase (but sadly out of my budget both financially and in terms of suitcase space!!!)
Around the Hotel
With so many great public spaces to explore both throughout the hotel and surrounding area at The Pearl, it was difficult to know where to begin! For sure my favourite room was the library, a two-storey industrial space filled with books from years if not decades ago. Elsewhere the pool was always popular in the afternoons, but it was The Pearl that drew hotel guests away throughout the day. On the weekends there was a farmer’s market through the mornings and plenty of shops and eateries to enjoy well into the evening.
World of Wanderlust was welcomed to Hotel Emma as a guest however all opinions and oodles of photos are my own!
Hotel Emma: frequently asked questions
Where is Hotel Emma?
It is at Pearl, a former brewery complex on the San Antonio River just north of downtown, at 136 E. Grayson Street.
What restaurants are at Hotel Emma?
Supper is the restaurant and Sternewirth is the bar, set in the old brewhouse.
How many Michelin Keys does Hotel Emma have?
Two, and it is the only two-Key hotel in San Antonio.
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Brooke is a Tasmanian-born writer and professional baker who started World of Wanderlust in 2013 and has since travelled to 86 countries. These days her guides focus on what she knows best: the bakeries, hotels and places worth crossing the world for.
