The beginning of our Magnolia experience looked like trouble. Our flight from Boston had been delayed by several hours, and so our expected 9PM arrival had morphed to about 1:30AM. We had called the hotel from the airport before departing to explain that we would be very late, so we thought we were covered--yet when we arrived, we found that our room was no longer available. We sat in the lobby fuming, wondering if we would have to stay up all night and look for some other place in the morning. After a while the concierge called us over and explained that the only room available was a two-room suite with a kitchen, which we were welcome to take for the same price as the standard double we had booked. Well...OK!

The suite was absolutely gorgeous, with beautiful furniture, high ceilings, and a wonderfully comfortable bed, as well as a very nice pullout for our son. The only trace of a flaw in the room was a wireless internet connection that worked intermittently at best. But we weren't there for business, so that was a minor issue. All in all, it was one of the nicest hotel rooms I've ever experienced. Also, the staff was extraordinarily polite and helpful throughout our short stay.

The reservation snafu keeps us from giving the Magnolia a 5, but our experience there was 5-star in every other respect.

I just got back from a conference at the convention center. Many of my cohorts stayed at the Hyatt across the street from the convention center. I decided to go with the Magnolia. I stayed for 6 nights. It was rated a little lower than the Hyatt, but it was cheaper.

My initial impression was it was old, but the front staff seemed friendly. I found out later it was originally built in the early 1900's as an office building and was converted to a hotel in the mid 1990's. The lobby is small, but nice. The bar (Harry's) has a modern, somewhat classy look. I ordered food two nights I was there and it was fine.

The room was fairly small (but the Monaco is smaller), and my view was pretty bad. I looked outside my window on the 9th floor and could see directly across an apartment building. I could see my neighbor's room and TV. This was a little offputting at first, but I knew I wasn't going to be in my room that often, so it was no biggie. But some people may not like this. I did think about calling the front desk to see if I could have been given another room (December is not peak season, so I don't think it would have been a problem), but I decided to go with the flow.....no biggie really, and it had no adverse affect on my stay.

The room was very clean, with a modern, ecletric appeal. The workout area on the first floor is clean and well maintained. It's small, but has all the essential equipment you would expect in a hotel "gym".

They were upgrading the hotel during my stay (again, December is not peak season so this is when upgrades are going to be done), so I could smell the fresh paint as I would come and go from my room. Again, no biggie.............I understand it is an old building and upgrades are a part of the business.

The elevator is small, and of course old. But there is a statement framed stating that it was the elevator was considered a luxury when first built to the patrons of that time. I think that was pretty cool way of putting it..........knowing that I was riding in this elevator with alot of history just added to it's uniqueness.

Continental Breakfast is served every morning downstairs below the lobby. It's a nice, clean, well decored area. The breakfast was well laid out. One small complaint. They had one, old, SLOW toaster....I had to wait in line just to warm up the bagels. They might need to think about adding another toaster. But still, overall it's a nicely laid out area. Also, every morning a newspaper (Denver Post) is delivered outside you room. This was nice.

The Magnolia is only a short walking distance (5-10 minutes) from the convention center. The 16th street shopping area (a very popular spot in Denver) is literally next door. So it's in a very good area. Being downtown of course means there will be some homeless type people around. This is expected in ALL large cities. But there are police patroling the area during the night. It had no affect on me at all.

So overall it was worth the price (around 150 a night). The Hyatt is definitely more modern and has more of a "wow" factor, but you will probably pay 50-100 bucks more a night. The Magnolia is in a good area. The staff were always friendly. I asked them for a good breakfast place and a sports bar.........they mapped both out for me. So they were very helpful. So overall it was a
good experience.

ONE MORE COMMENT: I did go to Denver alone. If my wife would have came, she probably would have been upset at the view..she can be particular about this......so just know the next to the Magnolia there is an apartment building. So certain rooms ( I did NOT stay in the suite) will get this view. If the view is a big deal to you it's something to think about, and maybe bring up to the front desk PRIOR to your stay.

So, this was my first time to Denver and I only had one night so my boyfriend and I wanted a place that was hip, affordable and close to the sites. Magnolia was perfect.
The staff was great, the hotel was really nice (we paid $99-great deal), and it was walking distance to 16th St. Mall, Coors Field, and lots of cool bars and eateries.The staff, including the bartender at Harry's (which is the onsite bar), was really helpful and friendly. The bartender at Harry's recommended restaurants and pubs for us that were perfect and exactly what we were looking for.
But here's the only gliche: we requested a room on a high floor so we could see views of the city. Well, we were given a room on the top floor which delighted us iniatially until we realized it was an inside room that's window faced a wall. What did they think we wanted the upper floor for? But, we didn't complain or ask for a change b/c we didn't want to waste time and our room was nice besides that. But I have yet to come up with a reason that someone would request a high floor but not want a view. Did they think we liked to ride the elevator?
Overall, great hotel though. And the continental breakfast is way better than most spots.

We were only able to stay one night, so weren't able to use all of the facilities. The valet service was great. Since we were there only one night and two days, the valet recommended we park in an adjoining public parking for much less than the hotel charges. I really appreciate their honesty. The only other employees we encountered because of our short stay were the check-in people, who were very friendly and helpful.

The location of the hotel is right on 16th Street Mall, very accessible to anywhere you want to go in downtown. The hotel offers a shuttle service, however, everywhere we went was within walking distance.

The room was spotless and the bed and pillows very comfortable. There were extra pillows in the closet if we needed them...definitely a plus because who wants to wait for housekeeping to bring more?

We will definitely stay at the Magnolia again, hopefully for longer than just one night!