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Waco · Hotel shortlist

The best hotels in the historic centre, Waco

Mei-Lin Zhou

Mei-Lin Zhou Japan

Updated 1 September 2026 · 85 Waco hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Waco, out of the 85 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.9351482 down to 4.6.

The Cahill- Magnolia Brewery House c 1894 is the one I would book myself.

The Cahill- Magnolia Brewery House c 1894

Highest rated of the five

The Cahill- Magnolia Brewery House c 1894

★★★★★4.9351482 from 404 reviews

The Cahill- Magnolia Brewery House c 1894 comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.9351482 from 404 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is found under downtown and around $219 a night on the dates we checked.

85 hotels in Waco qualified for this list and five made it. Walk to the River or Downtown. One block from Cameron Park. 1 Mile to Silos! is the one I would book if the first is full.

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All five, ranked

  1. The Cahill- Magnolia Brewery House c 18941

    The Cahill- Magnolia Brewery House c 1894

    ★★★★★4.9351482 from 404 reviews

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    • Walk to the River or Downtown. One block from Cameron Park. 1 Mile to Silos!2

      Walk to the River or Downtown. One block from Cameron Park. 1 Mile to Silos!

      ★★★★★4.903226 from 496 reviews

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      • Restored 1930s Uptown Bungalow 2 min. to Magnolia3

        Restored 1930s Uptown Bungalow 2 min. to Magnolia

        ★★★★★4.866887 from 559 reviews

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        • Magnolia Market - 4 Miles away4

          Magnolia Market - 4 Miles away

          ★★★★★4.958042 from 286 reviews

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          • Cambria Hotel Waco University Riverfront5

            Cambria Hotel Waco University Riverfront

            ★★★★★4.6 from 328 reviews

            • Pool
            • Spa
            • Gym
            • Restaurant
            • Bar
            • Parking

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          How this list was put together

          85 Waco hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

          Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

          The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

          What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

          Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

          Mei-Lin Zhou

          Mei-Lin Zhou Japan

          Works agency hours in Vancouver and spends all 18 vacation days abroad. One new country and one repeat visit per year. Five trips to Japan and a running list of ramen shops.

          Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.