I previously reviewed the Magnolia Hotel in Houston unfavorably. After being invited back by the GM, Mr. Jennings, my opinion has been changed. The service was much improved over my previous visit.

We stayed at The Magnolia on Friday, July 29, 2005. We arrived around 3:00 p.m. and were able to check in. We parked at the meters across the street when we checked in and brought up our bags. We came out and parked at a $5 lot on the side of the hotel around 5:00 p.m. rather than pay the $22 valet parking. The parking lot attendant said we could park there until 12:00 p.m. on Saturday but after that we would be charged because another company takes over for the weekend. We must have caught the $5 lot just in time because we passed by after we ate and saw that the $5 had been covered with a piece of paper and a new attendant was there probably charging more money for the weekend. The hotel pool was closed for maintenance which was disappointing. I wish the desk clerk had told us that when we were checking in. I would have considered moving to another hotel if I had known in advance. My three kids love to swim. We went to the 23rd floor roof where the pool is and saw that the entire pool was only 3 ft. deep and very tiny. Lots of people were walking to the roof and if everyone had gotten to swim, we would have been rubbing shoulders with people. The view is nice from the 23rd floor. The fitness center is big and we had fun using the equipment. We went to an Astros game and walked back to the hotel from Minute Maid Park - straight shot up Texas Avenue - in about 10 minutes to eat cookies and milk. We got there at 9:45 p.m. (cookies are served between 9:00 and 10:00) and there were only two kinds of cookies left and no milk. With about five minutes left, someone came and poured some milk, which went quickly by the time we all got some. It was nice to have the refreshments. The room was nice. I didn't know we had a choice in pillows as someone in another report said so we just used our regular pillows. We were on the 9th floor and my husband had to go to the 12th floor to get ice. I found the desk clerks do not smile and when I asked the guy about the parking meter and where a nearby convenience store was he told me to ask the valet guy like it was beneath him to help. When my husband asked the valet guy, the guy could not speak English plain enough for my husband to understand, although we felt like he probably could have been more easy to understand if my husband had a couple bucks in his hand. I think this hotel would be more for couples or people on business trips.

The Magnolia Hotel in Houston was more than we had bargained for, since we booked this one on the web for $99/ngt. over the Memorial day holiday.
Once we entered the front lobby with the piped in chamber music, hardwood floors and fireplace, and the ultra modern decour, we knew we were in for a treat.

The room was spacious, with a plush king size bed, well stocked mini-bar, and the bathroom provided a large oval tub with ceramic tile.

This hotel offers 23 floors, with pool, jacuzzi, banquet hall, library, billiards room, bar and lounge, and also offers a car service. The staff were friendly and provided ample information when asked about restaurants, shopping and places of interest. We were never awakened by the cleaning crew and only saw them once, which is very uncommon.

My boyfriend and I were so impressed with the Magnolia, that on our trip to Dallas we inquired about staying with them again, but since this location did not offer a pool and temperatures were expected to rise in the 90s, we decided against it.

The Magnolia Hotel leaves us with the sweet smell of adulation.....

We stayed here for a weekend. We were in town for a wedding and all of the out-of-town guests stayed here. Warning - the directions on the web site from the airport aren't correct -- everyone we spoke with got lost getting there! Check-in isn't until 4 and they stick by it which is a pain, and the check-in people aren't that nice! The hotel itself though is very nice, new and clean. The room was big and spotlessly clean. Huge bathtubs - I wish I'd had time to soak in it! Very comfortable bed. And so quiet. The restaurant has good food. Late afternoon the service was very slow though. and they kept running out of spoons at the breakfast buffet. The elevators are agnonizingly slow - we ended up walking up 15 floors at one point because we got sick of waiting. Great room though for the price!