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The Magnolia Hotel
Category: Event Planning & Services Hotels Hotels & Travel Hotels Hotels [Edit]
1401 Commerce StDallas, TX 75201
Neighbourhood: Downtown
(214) 915-6500
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
69 reviews for The Magnolia Hotel
Review Highlights
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"They serve cookies and milk in the evening." In 12 reviews -
"Happy hour was a lot of fun, great drinks and appetizers." In 23 reviews -
"Complimentary breakfast was great." In 5 reviews
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69 reviews in English
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Review from Shannon G.
Fort Worth, TX
4/28/2012
Now, I did not actually stay the night in The Magnolia, this review is for working with them to block rooms for my weddnig guests. We got married pretty nearby and they were far and away the best and most helpful hotel I spoke to about getting a courtesy block. Any of the cheaper hotels I tried would either require we pay for any unbooked rooms or that block rate wasn't that much better than the listed rates. The Magnolia gave us a deal, did not charge for unbooked rooms, and -the part the impressed me most- still gave block rates to my guests who booked rooms after the block had ended (after already extending the block for me once.) Seriously great customer service. And I believe many of my guests took advantage of the shuttle which was also cool. It was a little bit of a bummer to me (on behalf of my guests) is that parking is so expensive.
After our wedding, we thought we'd meet everyone who was staying there in the bar and hang out. Well, that particular night it was packed and there was a hip hop DJ and it was super fun but a little bit lame because some of my wedding peeps got turned away (either because they weren't staying there or they were told they had to pay a cover, I don't know what was up with that.) But me and my new husband danced our asses off and random guys gave him marriage advice, it was awesome. Then we went to our friends' room and it was really nice, it was a suite with a little kitchen and living room area with a couch, I didn't see the bedroom or the bathroom, though. Didn't notice any big problems with the elevators but it was my wedding night and I might have had a couple drinks.Listed in: Wedding Thangs
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Review from Melissa C.
Austin, TX
5/7/2012
I found my experience at Magnolia to be pretty disappointing, but I think I'd likely give it 2 1/2 stars if given the option. My boyfriend and I stayed the night at Magnolia along with our friend's wedding party. To start, we were given our room key and headed upstairs. We were immediately impressed with the spaciousness of our room for the price (though the furniture is pretty beaten up and run down.) We get settled in, use the restroom, etc., when there is a knock on the door. Apparently we have been given the wrong room, and receptionist asks for my credit card to recharge us for the correct room. He takes my card with him (which made me extremely uncomfortable), and tells us to wait in our room for him to bring us our corrected key. While we wait, the correct guests show up at our door and wonder why we are in their room. After an awkward conversation with them about why we are in their room, we pack up our things and decide to wait in the hall. It takes nearly 30 minutes for the receptionist to return with our key and my credit card. We are not offered any form of apology. We were on a tight schedule to get to our friend's wedding, and were nearly late over the room ordeal.
When we return from the wedding, we are not any more impressed. We attempt to call for room service, and receive no answer in the kitchen during the posted kitchen hours. We call the receptionist's desk, to let them know there is no answer in the kitchen, and they again connect us to the kitchen where we receive no answer. It took five phone calls to finally get someone in the kitchen.
The room is nice enough for the value. The view from our room was also pretty nice. The biggest letdown here was the customer service. -
Review from Marika D.
Atlanta, GA
4/25/2012
This is one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in. It's clean, quaint and the beds are so comfy! The customer service is wonderful. We called down to get a microwave and told them we couldn't find the refrigerator and the guy not only came all the way up to show us, he also search for a microwave for us when we were told they didn't have anymore. Not only did he do that but he also hooked up the microwave for us too. None of that really was his job.
Happy hour everyday was awesome. I work auto shows so being able to have a glass of wine is a plus after the end of each show to unwind when I get back to my room. Their cookies were SO yummy too!
The hotel is also in such an awesome location. They are right next door from this place called Iron Cactus which became my favorite place to eat. The food is awesome and all we had to do was walk to eat.
I can't say enough good things about this hotel and the Dallas hospitality I got!
I didn't want my stay to end! -
Review from Gabriel C.
Austin, TX
4/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
My coworker and I stayed at The Magnolia Hotel from April 20-23, 2012. I enjoyed my visit.
The one thing I can complain about is that the blinds in my room (609) were broken and it seemed as if they had been broken for a very long time. Besides that, I was very pleased with the location of the hotel, the accomodations, and the very hospitable staff.
I will definitely stay at this hotel the next time I visit Dallas on business and pleasure. -
Review from Chris Z.
5/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
Reviewing their 2nd floor bar area. I met some co-workers for drinks here. The atmosphere is ok. The chairs aren't that comfy. The service was pleasant, and the drinks were cheap... I think we may have run into a for hotel guests only happy hour. Oops.
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Review from Beth F.
Westchester, NY
3/5/2012
Highly recommend Magnolia Hotel.
Staff is really friendly, rooms are nice and reasonably priced, the hotel is in the middle of downtown Dallas, and there's a milk and cookies reception every night. Does it get any better? -
Review from Dennis S.
1/28/2012 1 Check-in Here
If you are staying in downtown Dallas, what can beat an hour of free drinks, free fresh cookies later in the evening, a free full breakfast, and a shuttle to take you to where you need to be (especially on a rainy morning).
Their desk staff was refreshingly friendly. The rooms are very adequate, with good space and a pile of pillow to pick from.
I've already booked my next stay. But don't over value that - location rules! -
Review from Tam M.
Camarillo, CA
3/27/2012 2 photos
I called the Magnolia home for nearly three weeks straight while on business. Got to know the place and surrounding areas quite well.
Stuff that rocked:
+ Fresh cookies and milk every night. Wonderful and if anything, it's an excuse to come down and socialize.
+ Shuttle staff were outstanding, available late, knowledgeable and able to make decent suggestions. Very important for an out-of-towner with no rental car, and many many nights spent away from home.
+ Proximity. Easy walking distance to 7-11/CVS for supplies, banks for cash, Urban Market for groceries, and food options ranging from a hot dog cart to DC Steakhouse.
+ Plenty of paper cups and plastic lids at breakfast to take some coffee to go. Very important. Need coffee.
Stuff that sucked:
- The rooms are way too dark. Even with every single lamp turned on, it's too dim for serious work on the road. Eye strain galore.
- Elevators. Gawd. "Historic" = super slow with occasional breakdowns which reduced the number available. Dreaded whenever the hotel hosted a trade convention, singles mixer, or other party. Took much too long to get up to my room after a long day.
- Poor sound insulation. Make sure to get a floor above 7th because otherwise you'll hear any loud music playing in the lounge and 2nd-3rd floor social areas.
Stuff that was meh:
* Breakfast wasn't hot enough, especially the gravy. Little variety in yogurt choices. Came with the room though so I can't complain too much.
* The laundry floor is just plain creepy late at night. Plus the upper left unit doesn't work well.
Overall the Magnolia was a good value with friendly service. Beds were nice and great soaps/shampoo provided. It's an older hotel with some charm. They need to upgrade those elevators though. -
Review from Kimberly F.
Valencia, CA
4/1/2012
I booked a large group of 20 students almost six months in advance. Carla was great to work with and offered us an excellent price for the area. After spending time emailing and planning our rooms with Mai, (we were all supposed to be on the same floor), once we arrived, we were on three different floors. Not a big deal for adults, but a HUGE issue when dealing with high school kids (you remember high school...). So, after a minor freak out on my part, they were able to get us on two floors. Meh...I can deal with that, but, still not happy as a chaperone of 17 teenagers...
Hotel
Very cool, very romantic place! Bathrooms have great water pressure! Comfy bed. NOISY air/heating unit! Hotel has a certain personality that makes you feel relaxed. It could be that is sooooo dark in EVERY corner, room, hallway, bathroom, that you feel like you have returned to the womb. I like being in the dark, but this is intense! One chaperone had to move to another room. He only had one small window - around a corner - he felt jailed and depressed. They were kind to move him to a room with windows...Gracias! Excellent workout room with plenty of towels and widescreen televisions!
Elevators - SUPER fast. Legend has it, that the elevators have 'personalities' - they move faster for certain guests. So...if they are slow during your stay, they don't like you...(sorry) BTW - supposedly, the place is haunted - we went ghost hunting on the 10th floor. Nothing to report... (research 'ghosts + Magnolia Dallas)
Food
Breakfast. Well...let's just say it's free. If airplane food and hospital food were to have a baby, it would have been birthed and raised in this kitchen. (eat the bagels)
Ordered a pasta dish from the restaurant...meh. But, great service! Oh, and the 'cookies and milk' were a disappointment....they are cold store bought cookies!! But, we took them upstairs and put them in the microwave! Yummm...problem solved!
Valet
Ok - I almost didn't book here due to the HORRIBLE reviews of the valet service. We stayed from Tuesday - Saturday. Here's the deal. Valet is EXCELLENT during the week, but, once the weekend hits, things start to slightly go downhill. During our competition days, they granted our request to keep our car in the front. Gracias!! Free Shuttle - be prepared to wait up to 15 mins. during the week and up to 30- 40 mins on the weekend. The valet team is SUPER nice and didn't mind carrying around annoying teenagers all day. I bought them a pizza to say thanks! Shout out to Edward for being best valet dude EVER!
Staff
EVERYONE is very helpful! Front desk crew is sassy, fun, happy shiny people! Let's just say if I were to have a party, I would invite them all! I have a new love for Dallas thanks to the Magnolia! -
Review from Blake C.
3/13/2012 1 Check-in Here
Happy hour every night from 530-630!!! Not a bad hotel at all. great service and friendly staff and a happy hour. Its a common place for corporate events so be aware but its a nice place.
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Review from John O.
Reisterstown, MD
5/1/2012
stayed 2 nights. the hotel has a lot of character. Bathrooms were a little old. The room we were in was also showing it's age. The front desk staff was very friendly and attentive. Room service was expensive but very good. the beds were comfortable.
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Review from H T.
Carrollton, TX
11/15/2011
We had our wedding & reception at the Magnolia Hotel in Dallas this past weekend. The wedding ceremony went very well. I couldn't be happier with the turnout. However, we didn't fully enjoy the wedding as much as we should have. Though our back-up wedding coordinator is a very nice and cordial person, however she dropped the ball on us several times at the reception. Our entire wedding was off scheduled and she was missing for most of the night. Our biggest disappointment was that we weren't able to visit the tables as per the schedule. I wasted 20 minutes dealing with the vendors because the wedding coordinator was nowhere to be found. Last but not least, she left before the reception was over because she had to rush off to another party.
To further our disappointment, when we got to our room at the end of the night, the bottle of champagne and strawberries were not provided as promised. Additionally, several of the items we brought to the reception were missing - 10 chair covers and sash, 2 chair cover bins, cake stand as well as the card holders. -
Review from Lisfrancs C.
Houston, TX
11/15/2011
We initially made our reservation through http://Hotels.com, so I cannot comment on pricing because our room was a good bargain for the location.
That said though, the experience did not exactly get off to a good start.
Why do hotels insist on valet parking? There is nothing like pulling up on a busy city street, afraid for your life that you will be flattened by traffic, then rushed to gather all the belongings you could possibly need before your car disappears forever ...
Then, after the valet says, twice, that overnight parking is $10, you are told in no uncertain terms by the desk person that is it actually $24 to park (there goes my savings from http://hotels.com ...). When we questioned this we got a look and an eye roll. The desk girl then disappeared for a while and came back and told us again "nope, overnight is $24."
The room is ok, but the overwhelming smell of Fabuloso cleaner was a serious bummer.
I was overall underwhelmed especially since my expectations were high after staying at the Magnolia in Houston which was lovely.
Oh well, guess we will save our pennies and go back to Aloft. -
Review from Maegan D.
Dallas, TX
9/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
I really wanted to like this hotel. Really, I did. Unfortunately, I was left disgruntled.
Let me start out by letting you know there was a wedding on the night we stayed. A wedding in the side parking lot area usually used for valet. From the moment we arrived until the moment we left, valet did NOT have it together. I understand when there is an event things are busier than usual, but at 22 dollars per night for valet, I would at least like a mediocre valet experience. When we pulled up, we had to fetch a valet person, they did not come to us. We got no help with our luggage and no acknowledgement. OK, I'll live. Not that big of a deal.
We check in and get ready for dinner. We call ahead to have our car pulled around. 20 minute wait. That's fine, we will take our time. We go down 15 minutes later in case the car came early. The 20 minute mark came...the 25 minute mark came. What about puling a car around takes 25 minutes? I will tell you what, they did not even have our car on the list to be pulled around. Lovely. Even though we had called 25 minutes prior. Finally 35 minutes after the call, our car came around. We were not apologized to, nor offered compensation for the valet issues. 22 dollars well spent...not.
The hotel was just very noisy and crowded the entire evening. So much that we did not want to go downstairs for the happy hour or milk and cookies. There are much better hotels in the Dallas area and we will not be returning to the Magnolia.
I understand that hotels are going to have events such as weddings, but the hotel staff should make priority of ensuring that the integrity of the other guest's stay is affected as little as possible. -
Review from Pam S.
2/17/2011 3 Check-ins Here
I'm very, very, very torn about what to give this hotel. I came here for business, and was also conducting business at the hotel. While parts were good, the bad was just too insurmountable to leap higher than 3 stars.
The good:
*My suite was amazing. Clean, airy, and bigger than my apartment. With a dishwasher. If it had more closet space, I probably wouldn't have left.
*The bathrobe. I like to patter around my room when I'm getting ready, and I don't like having to bring my own bathrobe. Out of all the hotel bathrobes in the world, this one was the best. It was like being inside a Muppet, except less creepy.
*The staff was wonderful and amazingly patient when I was going to be late for my flight. I know that many people take staff for granted, and therefore some staff can be jerks, but everyone I spoke with was helpful and friendly.
*The breakfast, milk and cookies, and happy hour are nice....can't beat free food and booze. It's like an Elite event without the awkward moments.
The bad:
This hotel is NOT set up to accommodate meetings much larger than 100, or to accommodate meetings that grow in size due to on-site registrants. The meeting rooms are limited in size, and to my knowledge, they can't pull air walls to make them bigger. In addition, water started dripping on the attendees and then a ceiling tile fell. Thankfully it fell on the aisle, and didn't hurt anybody, but this is a problem. Not only that, but the plumbing kept shutting down on the main floors so toilets and sinks weren't working. This is a MAJOR problem when there's a conference. Those people are in a room all day and are going to have to pee all at once.
Cute hotel, but I wouldn't hold a meeting or major event here. Definitely worth a stay it if you're handling business elsewhere downtown. -
Review from Jessica P.
Manhattan, NY
9/8/2011
Free bar (beer, wine, soda) between 5:30-6:30. They're generous with it too, and we lined up enough drinks to see us through to 8:30!
Unfortunately our room didn't have a central ceiling light, only side lamps, so it was pretty dark. Everything else about the room was great though. -
Review from Steven M.
2/26/2011
Stayed here for one night on a business trip.
Friendly and helpful staff and nice sized and clean rooms. The decor is nice, looks like they're trying for a boutique feel which I liked.
Only downsides are related to it being a little past its prime. Slow elevators, worn carpet in the room, broken equipment in the exercise room, are some examples.
All in all a good place if you get a super rate, otherwise there may be better options for you. -
Review from Tisha B.
Dallas, TX
11/25/2011
~~ Something to think about: I've heard from more than one reviewer that they have received calls and/or e-mails from certain restaurants and hotels encouraging people to write highly favorable reviews on TripAdvisor in return for discounts or special treatment upon return visits.~~ "The truth shall set you free."
I had high hopes for the Magnolia. The lobby is unique and quirky without feeling pretentious. Check-in was fast, but things deteriorate quickly when we're told there are only Queen suites left. We go up to find our Queen suite is actually dark 2 room affair with a bed that is in reality closer to a full-size. For adults this is ridiculous. I spent most of both nights falling out of the bed along with the pillows.
The Magnolia lures customers in with good deals and promises of freebies like cocktail hour, breakfast buffet. and milk & cookies at bedtime. However.... we had problems with several of them ... and a bit more.
What did NOT WORK:
1) Free cocktail hour: We went down, but the bar was so
jam packed we could not get through in any direction. We gave up and
left. Not a table open, not even a chair (again due to the wedding(s)? Really shouldn't the wedding parties cocktail/bar be separate from regular hotel customers? So much for that freebie. Next.
2) The breakfast area was so full we stood up to eat for the first few minutes. Classy. I felt like I at any resort area hotel with a kiddie attraction (aka Disney World) -- you come down for breakfast and it's packed with the families and kids are everywhere, like locusts. They will eat ANYTHING that doesn't eat them first.
The eggs were cold and had an odd texture (almost like powdered or something... very odd). There was no meat on the buffet. The potatos were cold and greasy. It was toast-your-own bread (what there was left). No where to sit. So stand, hold your juice & balance your plate and eat. Charming. Am I at the Motel 6?
Within a few minutes, before we could even get a cup of coffee the entire buffet was broken down and wheeled away. Who closes breakfast at 10 a.m. on a weekend? We are left wondering again if non-wedding guests are paying the tab here. I am underwhelmed (to be kind).
3) The noise was horrendous. I was kept awake until after 2 a.m. on both
nights. Partying from the weddings; motorcycles (like a motocross track), horns, cabs, yelling -- it was insanity. We were on the 22nd floor and it was AWFUL. I might as well have slept out on the street.
4) Super slow elevators. Oh and be prepared. The wedding parties don't mind cramming in on top of you to the point of knocking you down. Oh and you're welcome. Just move the ___ out of their way already.
5) Valet system was a nightmare in general. We paid $24.00/ & used our car ONCE. When we came down to get a taxi on our second night, the valet area was a disaster zone. We waited and waited and waited ---- and we were PAYING them $24 a day for this service?! Huh?! They even stick a note in with your bill on check out day asking you NOT to call for your car. So at check out time you get to go down and wait in line (think of cattle line at security at the airport but even MORE disorganized). A less than stellar ending to our stay. Oh and I'm paying the hotel $24/day for this and tipping the attendants. Who me? Sucker?
6) Top covering on bed was like burlap. Really cheap, really tacky. As we say in Texas, "Tacky McTack Tack."
7) No luggage rack
8) One bathrobe for two people
9) Small vanity in a HUGE bathroom
10) Queen bed (really more a full size) suite when we'd requested a King. Didn't want or need a suite.
The good:
1) Night #1 the valet staff was wonderful. I think we caught them just before mass of wedding guests arrived and left. We came down to get a cab & the valet staff offered to take us in the hotel's Texas-size gas-guzzler SUV. Nice.
2) Front desk staff was courteous, friendly, helpful.
3) The hotel lobby was clean, well-kept; wonderful unique architecture.
4) The bed was comfortable (though small). Silky sheets, super-light comforter (not sure if it was down or synthetic). Plenty of pillows of decent pillows.
This is probably a different hotel during the week. I can't recommend it on the weekend though. The $24/day for valet is a joke. The free cocktail hour and breakfast buffet is also a joke. I wrote the management. They have not bothered to respond: at all. -
Review from T. F.
Chicago, IL
7/3/2011
I stayed here with someone very special for a romantic stay and we had a good time!
The room was very comfortable and we were given complimentary drink tickets for happy hour in the very nice lounge.
We both enjoyed the hot tub with amazing views of Dallas and open windows. The sauna was also very relaxing ;)
This was a great deal for the price and I would stay here again in a heartbeat! -
Review from Chris W.
Houston, TX
1/15/2011
My partner and I chose The Magnolia to stay in for our trip to Dallas for the New Year festivities. Upon arrival, the curbside service was right on it and unloaded the vehicle with our items while we checked in. We were traveling with our Schnauzer and the hotel was very accomodating. Check in was a breeze but getting our luggage was a nightmare. We had a tight schedule for the evening and needed to get showered and change ASAP! I had to call down twice and even go down to the lobby to see what the hold up was with the luggage. I stayed calm but it was quite aggravating. For the inconvenience, they did not charge me parking fees which were $22 a night (kinda high). The bellboy lost our ticket or something so the luggage sat in a holding area and once discovered, he followed me up.
The room was oh so beautiful. We were very lucky to have THREE views of downtown dallas from the 10th floor and I loved waking up to them. There were a few little nitpicks like the faucet for the tub being loose and some blinds were torn but overall I enjoyed it. The rooms are spacious so I had enough room to run the dog around.
Breakfast in the mornings and the cookies and milk buffet is awesome. It is a nice little perk. My partner desired a pool but we visited the hot tub and it was sufficient.
I will stay at The Magnolia again for our next trip as it is difficult to find a nice hotel with accomodations for the family pet. -
Review from Nicole E.
Rumford, RI
7/17/2011
This was my husband and my favorite hotel in Texas. This Saturday we drove from Killeen to Dallas, just to enjoy a night or 2 at the Magnolia. Our favorite things about this hotel were the peace and quiet, the large rooms, the big, hot breakfast and especially the bar & bartender.
The first thing we wanted to do when we got there was relax at the bar and maybe order some appetizers. We really looked forward to this. The bar was closed until 9pm for a wedding. Very disappointing. Later we could even hear some of wedding music and drunk people from our room, but it wasn't loud enough to really bother us.
The next morning we got up early and went to enjoy a breakfast of bacon, potatoes, eggs, french toast etc. No potatoes or bacon or any breakfast meat. There was some nasty looking chicken, cheese and corn chip mixture.... for breakfast? The french toast was hard and chewing and the scrambled eggs were cold. We left our uneaten breakfast on a table and went back to the room to pack.
When we went to check out we were never asked how our stay was.
If the hotel offers a certain experience on their website and cannot deliver, they should offer a lower rate and they should always ask how your stay was.
We went from praising this hotel to friends to never wanting to return. -
Review from Barb N.
11/4/2011
Beautiful, romantic and next to the Iron Cactus, bonus. They serve cookies and milk in the evening. Very COOL! My favorite part is the super nice bathroom with awesome tub for two!!!
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Review from Hugo E.
3/27/2011 5 Check-ins Here
I booked a room in this hotel for the sole purpose of convenience. It is walking distance to the Dallas Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon start and the Dallas Convention Center where the Expo is held.
I receive a pretty good deal online, and immediately consulted with the Yelp reviews to get honest reviews from my fellow Yelpers. Most of the reviews were right on target, and I am glad I have a good dependable reference source.
Overall, I was satisfied with our stay at this hotel. The hotel is nice and very clean. The entire staff was very helpful and knowledgable.
On the plus side, our room was clean and roomy, the beds were very comfortable, and the bathroom was very clean and had all the toiletries. On the minus side, the A/C was a bit noisy which was not a big deal after we fell asleep but we had to raise the volume on the TV. The elevators were also kind of slow and a bit freaky.
We took advantage of the complimentary continental breakfast, the complimentary drinks during happy hour (5:30 pm - 6:30 pm) and the complimentary milk and cookies (from 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm).
The continental breakfast had a decent selection: oatmeal, waffles, variety of fruit, english muffins, toast, muffins, juices, coffee. For an additional charge ($5.95), they also had an omelet station with a professional cook.
As for the happy hour and complimentary drinks, the selection is very limited. The complimentary drink only includes beer, wine, and soft drink. The only beer available is Bud Light, and their wine selection was very limited. -
Review from Abigail H.
Los Angeles, CA
11/30/2010
Definitely NOT the nicest hotel but they make up for it with other ammenities. They have happy hour with free drink vouchers, cookies and milk before bedtime, and an awesome breakfast buffet in the morning.
Every morning I had 2 plates full of goodness. The way to my heart is through my tummy so this hotel won me over with food. Go figure.
Also, next to the hotel there are tons of restaurant and bars so the location was pretty good. I stayed here for the FIG (fashion trade show) and they offered free shuttle to and from the show which was super convenient. -
Review from Deen B.
9/18/2011
Very nice hotel - the rooms are spacious and nicely decorated. Complimentary breakfast that goes beyond cereal and bananas. They had homefries, pancakes, and sausage, along with the bagels, muffins, etc. Bedtime turndown & cookies, too! Would definitely stay here again.
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Review from Marisa R.
Los Angeles, CA
11/21/2011
This place is Four Seasons treatment for Holiday Inn prices!! You cant beat that.
The hotel is sooo beautiful. We splurged for the suite which was worth every penny & more!! up on the 23rd floor, beautiful view that made us feel like we were in a swanky NY loft. Very clean and had a full kitchen!! Clean, nicely decorated, layout of the hotel. There is NO pool though. Very nice gym, with great views, makes you want to work out & never leave, lol. All of the staff was sooo nice! They even provided us with a driver for local drop off's (for a charge or tip, I can't remember) we felt so fancy getting dropped off in a nice SUV rather than a dirty cab. Very nice touch!!!
The dining area & bar are really nice, the free breakfast is ummm what you would expect for free! The bagels & cream cheese were good though! french toast, ugh, not so much. Whatever you do, DO NOT order take out from the chinese restaurant they recommend =l it was expensive ($60 for 2 fried rice & kung pao chick & broc/beef, 4 things!) and it gave me food poisoning for a full day of my vacation!
The staff at the front desk, valet & bar were so nice :) They always recognized us & seemed happy to see us, and help us with anything we needed. I did not have a full length mirror in my room (such a bummer!) but when I called to ask about that, they apologized & had one set up in our room within 20 mins!!! I wasn't expecting that, and it was great!
I highly recommend this hotel & I will stay at a Magnolia each & every chance I get!!!! -
Review from deno f.
Updated - 6/1/2010
My daughter ate apple pie--she's allergic to apples.
So right after we checked into our room--our luggage had not arrived yet with the benadrhyl inside it--she broke out in giant red itchy sore hives and started to cry. She was a trooper about it. No one knew she cried, but she did a little.
I went to check on the luggage and Robert, the bell/valet went out of his way to make sure we found the meds. Also the bartender who's name I didn't get went and opened a closed bar that was in an area where we were not supposed to be to get her a glass of water.
Everyone was SUPER.
The room was nicer than your basic two queen room. The comp wine/beer/soda reception was upgraded to free you call its. The cookie buffet was endless. Great Great place for a get away.Listed in: Big D Staycation
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/14/2010
There were four little rooms and a hallway in our suite which was only $120 after tax, title and… Read more »
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Review from Jason P.
1/4/2010
This place could have been a 4 star hotel to me; but take my word for it: STAY AT THE ADOLPHUS ACROSS THE STREET!
I paid around $200 for a King room NYE. My friend's club is walking distance and the Adolphus was booked, so I made a reservation here. I waited 20 minutes outside in the Valet line prior to check in.
Now, let me stop here. I've stayed in a lot of hotels in this world, but I've NEVER had to wait 20 minutes to get to a valet so I could check into my room. Not in Houston, not in Dallas, Miami, New York, LA (you get my point.) I was watching the valets as I waited, and they were standing around chatting. They weren't really hustling AT ALL and it was NEW YEAR'S EVE! There were like 6 or 7 of them too! That showed me two reoccurring characteristics about this place: lack of a sense of urgency and poor management. Oh and by the way they charge you $22 for overnight parking with in and out privileges.
When I finally get inside to the front desk I gave the girl my name and of course she said they didn't have my reservation. She asked if I received a confirmation email; I hadn't. I told her I'd called the night before. She checked again, and apologized but said she couldn't locate any reservation I'd made.
I kept my cool and asked "I'm sure the next thing you're going to tell me is that you're completely booked too, right?" She confirmed that there were no rooms available. So I asked her if she was going to type me up a "walk letter." (A hotel voucher for a free stay at another hotel with whom they have an agreement). She replied "No I can't, you don't even have a confirmation."
So at this point I ask her "so what's going to happen then?" I'm still being cool at this point. Then she tells me that since I don't have a confirmation number or email that there's nothing she can do for me. That's when I sort of lost my cool. She wasn't understanding my dilemma so I had to put things into perspective for her. "I called the Adolphus FIRST and they were booked, so I called you guys and she said you had a room for me. I booked it, here's the credit card I used. just drove 4 hours to get here, and my friend is picking me up in two hours from THIS HOTEL. And now I don't know where I'm going to sleep tonight. Something needs to get done RIGHT NOW."
The Manager heard the commotion and came over and politely took control of the situation. I caught him up on the problem, and within 2 minutes he'd located my reservation. They'd misspelled my name when booking the reservation over the phone. If I hadn't gotten furious and loud then the first chick would've just let me walk out of the hotel without ever finding the correct reservation. I tried to move on and get up to my room. I thanked the kind manager and went upstairs.
Their elevator is ancient and they have a plaque disclaimer stating that they take pride in their slow, annoying, ugly, and noisy elevators that have been operational since 1920 something.
The room was spacious and nice, the bathroom was nice too. But the toilet handle broke instantly. That's when I experienced something that I'd never encountered in a hotel before. I called the front desk from the room; and nobody answered. I hung up, pressed 0 and called again, no answer. I tried calling 3-4 times and NOBODY answered from the front desk. The next morning I called for a late checkout (noon instead of their ridiculous 11am checkout time) and thank Jesus somebody decided to pick the phone up and grant me a noon checkout.
Don't be a dipshit, stay across the street at the beautiful, pleasant, Adolphus. -
Review from Tolga E.
Hayes Valley, San Francisco, CA
9/21/2008
I loved the Magnolia Hotel. It's in a very historic building, and it has its quirks (particularly the ancient shaky elevators). But it's kinda perfect for staying in the middle of downtown Dallas. For such an old building, the room was shockingly spacious and modern. The views were great from the 20-somethingth floor as well.
But what makes Magnolia special is two things: the history/trademark and the little free amenities. As I mentioned, this building is old as town, and has Dallas' signature red magnolia winged horse neon red sign on the roof. They also have a great version of this at the main entrance. The hotel kinda anchors this part of downtown. As for the amenities, you gotta love that offer FREE hot breakfast, FREE drinks during happy hour, and FREE cookies and milk at night. Who doesn't like those things? Who especially doesn't like them for free?
All-in-all, a great, affordable, historical, comfortable hotel in the middle of it all. I'd definitely stay again.
Inside tip: If you don't want to pay for overnight parking, the metered spots on the street outside are free after 6 and always open. They don't come back on 'till 7am so, if you're in for business, just wake up, feed the meter for an hour, go back to your room and get ready, and then get on your way! -
Review from Christopher H.
Atlanta, GA
10/25/2008
Staying for 3 nights on business, I had high hopes for the Magnolia after hearing such great things. The building itself it fantastic, and although the elevators are slow as molasses, they're cool (and original 1920's).
What drove me crazy was the little things, like WiFi not working in the room and the hotel having no solution to that. I was able to get WiFi working in the lobby and other public areas, but their ISP was blocking the ports for me to get to Gmail and Yahoo Mail via my email client. A quick call to tech support resulted in me being advised to call google or yahoo because it was their problem, not the ISP's. I eventually walked across the street to the Adolphus where I got great FREE WiFi in the lobby that worked like a charm.
One other thing that kinda drove me crazy was the remote for the TV didn't work. When I called the front desk, they said they would send someone up with a new one, but they never showed.
Finally, the pillows were horrible, but you can buy them for $45 each! The bed had both firm and soft, but the firm was too firm and the soft was too soft. Five of my coworkers who were also staying at the Magnolia had the same complaint.
I did enjoy the free hot breakfast, free beer/wine at happy hour, and free cookies and milk in the evenings; those were a nice unexpected touch.
The next time I'm in the area for an overnight, I'll try the Adolphus next door. The Magnolia was cool, but just wasn't worth the high nightly rate. -
Review from Langdon A.
New Haven, CT
12/25/2010
Pros:
- Nice free breakfast buffet spread
- Cookies and milk at night (also free)
- Room service prices are pretty fair
Cons:
- I tried to call down to the Front Desk from my room, and after 50 rings or so cumulatively (3 calls in total), no one answered. Operator wouldn't answer either. Tried calling from my cell phone, and FINALLY a guy answers. I ask him what on earth is going on that no one is answering the phone, he says "Yeah, had a customer here who was asking a lot of questions," as if it was no big deal. No apology or anything. Incredible that a hotel would ignore a call from a guest.
- The building is obviously somewhat old, and the furnishings and all are also a bit tired looking/feeling. Also, while nothing egregious, not the cleanest hotel I've ever seen.
- The breakfast buffet food, though served from steaming chafing dishes, was surprisingly lukewarm. Affects food quality and seems a potential food safety issue.
- Bathroom was poorly lit.
Overall, it really was a 'meh'. Stayed here for an early morning meeting nearby, but don't see any reason to return. -
Review from Erin C.
Carlsbad, CA
5/10/2008
I stayed and conferenced at The Magnolia Hotel. The service was great and my room was cozy. The bed was really comfortable and I had plenty of room to spread out. I was on the 24th floor but I didn't have a view because of the shape of the building -- my window looked into other people's rooms. My only complaint about the room is the lighting -- it was very dimly lit, which made it difficult to work on my computer.
The elevators were a pain in the butt. Very slow to pick me up at the 24th floor. Every time I went downstairs I had to wait several minutes for one of the five elevators to come to my floor.
A highlight is the cookie buffet at 8:00 each night. Milk and cookies before bed. Yummy! -
Review from Cliffton D.
Dallas, TX
2/12/2010
Being in Texas, we don't deal with snow well at all. So with the heavy snowfall yesterday my work decide to put me up at the Magnolia for the night. Don't mind if I do!
The hotel was really busy since it was the beginning of the All-Star break but the hotel staff was still friendly and attentive. One of the valet guys even waved a cab down for me in the cold snow.
I got a a pretty large room all to myself. The bed was soft and the sheets were warm. It was your typical upscale boutique hotel room but this place won me over with the complimentary happy hour from 5:30-6:30, complimentary milk and cookies from 8:00-10:00. and comlimentary breakfast buffet.
This place really knows how to treat their guest and I would definitely come and stay here again. -
Review from Ashli T.
Honolulu, HI
1/28/2011
Stayed here for three nights on business and couldn't be more pleased. Basically the only time we left the hotel was at night to go out to dinner so I pretty much lived here for four days.
I enjoyed the free breakfast. The room was a nice size and very comfortable. Our meeting setups were great. We always had snacks, coffee, juice and water well stocked for those long sessions.
The fitness center was also very nice. Small, but a good number of machines.
My only complaint was that that the WiFi wasn't fast enough. But I'm not going to complain too much because it was FREE.
I cannot rate the room rates as this was a corporate meeting so I didn't have to set up my own lodging, but I'd probably stay again if the rates were reasonable. -
Review from Hans G.
Seattle, WA
3/22/2009
This building is fantastic, and at first glance the rooms promise to be very nice, if a bit cheesy.
But the wifi wasn't working (for anyone), the water pressure was abysmal, the counters are cheap laminate, the sofa was made of plastic (vinyl upholstery), the closets have those dumb anti-theft hangers, and they forgot my wake up call.
5 star building with a 1 star motel-quality stay. -
Review from Anna W.
Temple City, CA
This Hotel became our Home when we stayed here for almost 3 weeks. We got lucky we got a bigger suite compare from my husband's coworker. I would say, I loved it because it has kitchen so i could cook! The only problem in the kitchen was the insinkerator was broken :(
My son celebrated his 2nd birthday in this hotel, and we were able to fit almost 15 guests in our suite! I also loved the complimentary breakfast, especially on weekends cuz it has more variety compare to regular days! They also have happy hour! But the free wine wasn't that great! The cookies and milk serves between 8-10pm every night, and my hubby and son loved it soo much! Laundry is on the 25th floor, such a hassle to go there since they only have 3 elevators (they have total 6 elevators) working to go to that floor.
This place is also very convenient too. You could walk to Urban Market or CVS if you need some groceries. There's starbucks down the building but they closed really early esp on weekend. They closed at 2pm. A lot of restaurants nearby! But most of them are Mexican or Italian. They have hotel shuttle service which could drop you off and pick you up with 3 to 5miles range. They have valet service but it's too expensive to park overnight, they would charge you for $22 and $12 just for half day!
Customer Service of this hotel is the best! -
Review from Mary D.
Kihei, HI
9/26/2010 8 photos
Stayed here for a week in a room on the fourth floor which was a studio with a full kitchen with a toaster, microwave, stove and full size fridge.
Kitchen was great because we could eat leftovers and had space for some groceries and items from the farmers market nearby.
Complimentary breakfast was great. It was easy to grab a bite to eat and get on with your day. There was a toaster for english muffins, bagels and toast. It was a bummer that they only had margarine and no butter. The coffee was strong, hot and served with half and half. They usually had 2 different scrambled eggs with one being a denver style with sauteed red onions, tomatoes and bell pepper. There also were breakfast meats, and cubed potatoes all kept toasty hot in chaffing trays. There was yogurt, fruit, and cold cereal too.
We didn't rent a car because of the crazy and confusing freeway system around Dallas. The hotel has a free shuttle for a 3 mile radius that was great, and we used quite a bit, but it was better for getting dropped off than getting picked which at times had long waits.
After reading reviews from other yelpers, I asked for a room on a lower floor to avoid long waits for the elevator. The fourth floor was just perfect and I rarely had to wait for an elevator.
We also stayed on the fourth floor because they have hard wired internet available and were worried about the wireless internet because other reviewers found it so slow, but we had no problems and the wireless internet worked just fine that we never went hard wire.
A/C was really cranked for the lobby, second and third floor mezzanines so at times it could be uncomfortably cold.
Staff was helpful and friendly. We were able to check in early when we kept passing out in the lobby having arrived with no sleep from a red-eye flight on American Airlines.
Convenient location is just 2 blocks from the Akard Street Station for DART. All in all it wasn't a bad place to stay. -
Review from Noemi R.
Dallas, TX
12/27/2009
I got a one night stay at magnolia hotel, for Christmas.
I like the place I had fun, specially the open bar and later that good chocolate chip cookies and milk...... oohh in the morning the buffet breakfast it was good: all you can eat.......healthy and good!!! Thank you guys I had fun!!!!! -
Review from Megan G.
Pomona, CA
9/17/2010
Note: this review is on the LOBBY ONLY.
Really Magnolia Hotel?
Really?
You are an amazing piece of historic architecture on the outside, but on the inside you look like Ikea.
Thanks for the 3 dollar Shiner Bock, but lets work a little harder on keeping in context. -
Review from Darin S.
6/13/2010
Wow, like several other reviews, I struggle to rate this one. Here are the bullet points:
-Stayed here for a wedding and my room was comped - so, use that as a barometer for this review
-Room was WONDERFUL. Partner and I had a suite that included a full kitchen, large living area with table, and in fact, was larger than my apartment! I only wish we were staying longer to enjoy it
-Two big problems that are echoed by other reviews:
*Valet service is inexcusably slow - the offsite wedding we were participating in had to be delayed 15 minutes because several of the guests had to wait 45 mintues to get their car from the valet - and for $22 a night, definitely not worth it
*Elevators - wow...if you're up for it, request a low floor so you don't have to mess with them. Seriously...four elevators with two of them working on a Sunday morning after 3 wedding parties and people checking out? I was on the 13th floor and waited through at least four full elevators stopping at my floor before I finally crammed myself into one. The wait was 15 minutes to get one. My partner walked the 13 flights down because he didn't want to wait.
Free breakfast is good and very generous. Wasn't able to enjoy other perks such as free happy hour and milk and cookies.
With all of the great "extras" this hotel offers, they should really focus on the necessitiies of getting to your floor and getting your car.
