My husband and I spent Memorial Day weekend at the Magnolia and can say nothing bad about our entire stay. We arrived Friday and were greeted by the valets to park our car. Now some might try to save money on the valet parking, but the convenience of having the car there was more than enough to overcome the additional cost. The lobby had the air and feel of a boutique European hotel with a bit more Southern charm. The room was spacious and the bathroom was quite nice with lots of marble and tile. The hotel was conveniently located to both of our main attractions. We had tickets for an Astros game - and the Magnolia is just blocks away from Minute Maid Park. Then we had tickets for a show at the Alley Theatre and the hotel is just blocks in the other direction from the Alley. The free breakfast in the morning is fabulous as is the free happy hour. The milk and cookies at night may appeal more to those with children, but I snuck a cookie as well. All in all this was a great stay and I would highly recommend the Magnolia to anyone.

I stayed at the Magnolia for two nights during a weekend conference at the University of Houston, just south of downtown. This is third time I've stayed at the hotel in the last four years. I love it. It's in the middle of a surprisingly vibrant downtown scene, within easy walking to restaurants, Minute Maid Park, light rail, and the downtown government and business complexes. The hotel itself is relatively inexpensive ($120 a night). But it has a luxurious, stylish, and historical feel to the rooms and common spaces. Even though there are numerous restaurants suitable for all tastes just outside the front doors, you may never want to leave the second-floor Magnolia Club, which has a great bar menu (best calamari I've ever tasted). The club has live jazz on some nights and free "cookies and milk" on all nights. It also a free pool room tucked away in a corner. Great for business or a weekend getaway.

Not a bad place to stay. The rooms were big, bathroom big, but showing its age. There was a refrigerator in the room, but stock with mini bar supplies at high prices. This hotels tries to be a high end hotel, but falls short. The exercise room was a good size, but the pool area was small, but it did have a nice view. Parking for hotel $20 per night. They do offer a free happy hour from 5:30 to 6:30, you can get 2 drinks, either beer or wine. Free breakfast in the morning and offer cookies before bed time. Overall not a bad stay, some noise can be heard if on the lower floors.

I visited this hotel for an overnight weekend away with two girlfriends. We visit Houston a few times a year to shop and go out, but typically stay at the JW Marriott on Westheimer. We decided to mix it up and try something different, so we chose the Magnolia Hotel. Upon arriving, we attempted to park in the parking garage mentioned in one of the other reviews. However, it was very narrow, looked a bit scary for two 20 something women to be walking around in at night, and there were also no in and out privileges. So, we circled the block several times due to the streets being one way and finally settled in with the hotel valet. They were very courteous and we got checked in with them with no problems (although I still hate the thought of paying $24.00 a day to park at a hotel). The personnel at the front desk was very friendly and made a point to tell us about the hotel amenities before we were escorted to our room with our bags.
The hotel decor is very modern, nice, but a bit dark and not really my style. We stayed in Room 1312, which had a great view of the city. Other than police and ambulance sirens going on all night, it was very quiet. The best part of the room without a doubt was the bathroom. The tub is a huge garden tub and gives the feel of a very luxurious hotel. The bedding was o.k. in my opinion, not super luxurious by my standards, and the room was also a bit humid during our stay. We visited the fitness center and the pool area, which I thought was pretty small for the size of the hotel. The pool area was literally only big enough for 1 small family to use at one time. We did not actually utilize the pool during our visit.
Another perk of the hotel is that they serve a complimentary hot breakfast. The breakfast was delicious, and there was plenty of food and seating when we arrived at about 8:30. This type of breakfast usually costs my friends and I about $20.00 each at other hotels that we usually stay at, so we were thrilled with our $60.00 savings by enjoying the breakfast at this hotel.
I enjoyed the hotel, but will not likely stay here again unless I have specific business downtown. I don't really enjoy the hustle and bustle of the traffic and people in this area. But, we are thinking of staying again when we go to an Astros game later this summer. It would be the perfect location for something like that, but not really ideal for a quiet girls weekend.