In response to this review, first of all, we want to say thank you, we’re glad they loved the location and think Magnolia mansion is beautiful.

In regard to the “rules” . . . they are not rules, but policies that are put in place to ensure that everyone’s safety and privacy are protected and to preserve the romantic environment of peace and tranquility. As a matter of fact, we have many of guests who request a copy of them to give to visiting family and friends, as they are based on common courtesy and common sense, and presented in a way that makes you chuckle.

In response to the breakfast, hot sandwiches are available upon request, consisting of choice between two egg, cheese and sausage on a croissant or egg whites, cheese and turkey sausage on a wheat English muffin.
And the pastries are not from 7-11 store (as far as we know there aren’t any in New Orleans!). We have an enhanced continental breakfast consisting of: choice of cinnamon rolls, cheese Danishes, and donuts. 3 choices of bread: English muffins, everything bagels, blueberry bagels.
Our breakfast is served between 8:30 and 11:00am, as informed at the time of check-in, and the majority of our guests don’t even arrive for breakfast until after 10:00am. For the early risers, we let them know that there is a 24 hour restaurant right across the street, should they want coffee or breakfast early or want something other than our enhanced continental breakfast or hot breakfast sandwiches that are available, as described above.
As in most establishments, including large hotels, breakfast begins and ends at a certain time.

Regarding the mini-bar and or honor liquor bar, we do not have honor bars, as we have found that many people do not honor them. We do provide glassware and openers, and inform them that they are more than welcome to bring their own bottle of wine or liquor, which they can purchase half a block down the street, at one of two local groceries, or walk across the street to an indoor/outdoor local pub.

We agree that the green plastic container did not go well with the luxurious, elaborate décor. Unfortunately, due to insurance battles following Hurricane Katrina, the damages to our roof could not be repaired until the insurance battle was over. The green plastic container was not visible unless it was raining, and was later replaced with a color-coordinated gold container! Being that this couple is from Louisiana, I am sure they are aware of the insurance nightmares that we all have faced, and would be understanding about a green plastic container as a safety precaution and to protect antique hardwood floors from known hurricane related leaks during a rainfall. (FYI, all leaks have been repaired, and all plastic containers were removed. That insurance battle is over!)

These guests are well remembered. From the minute Lyndsey greeted them she offered to assist them or see if there was anything she could do for them, the response was always, “no thank you.”

I would recommend to all travelers, even the savvy ones, to research all aspects of their accommodations to find out if they supply liquor or a full breakfast, if this is a high priority. Magnolia Mansion is for those seeking a romantic private and peaceful ambience and a great location to access fine dining and entertainment.

MM Response: Before I respond to each of issues this guests has remarked on, I want to introduce you to Ms Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts intro at the top of the Policy Page before anything else is listed: I hope you get the humor. If you are not familiar with our property, all over night guests must be 21 years are older with a government issued photo I.D., we do not allow animals or pets, we do not allow smoking anywhere inside the mansion, candles, incense or fire of any kind.
We are not known for our continental breakfasts, we are known for our peaceful, private, secure, romantic luxurious environment and were selected one of 2007’s Top Ten Most Romantic Inns in America, by ILoveInns.com and American Historic Inns.

Introduction to Ms Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts or as this reviewer puts it “House Rules”.
MM Response: Decide for yourselves - here are the infamous “Ms. Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts

Little Darlin’s, Please Respect our Do’s & Don’ts here at the Mansion.
We want everyone to safely enjoy a quiet, peaceful & romantic stay!


I want all of ya’ll to Dream &
Relax in Romantic Peaceful Luxury & Step Back in Time.
*This means No Children!!
(Ya’ll must be 21 years or older to stay overnight).

Thank You for Choosing
Magnolia Mansion. We Hope
You Enjoy Your Stay with us.
Do Let The Good Times Roll!

For the Safety & Security for all …No Unregistered Guests Are Allowed In Our Guest Rooms or on the Magnolia Mansion property at anytime. Please notify Ms. Magnolia or our Resident Ghost, I mean Host, when expecting a guest, prior to their arrival.

Polite Southern Do’s
Say “Yes Maam, or Yes Sir, Please & Thank You. It is the polite way to reply to others. Smile, say Hello, be kind & open a door for someone”.
Do Be Considerate of Others
Do Save Energy So We Don’t Have To Raise Rates!
Do Ask Us Where To Eat.
Do take Taxies don’t drive!!
Do Take Local Tours!!!
All of our guests will get along just fine as long as you have left the kids, & all other pet critters at home with the candles, incense or anything to do with fire & you don’t bring home strangers to disrupt our peaceful bliss or harm any of us.

( Believe it or not, all of the Don’ts have happened more than once)

*Don’t Smoke Inside – Otherwise I will be happy to collect the $3,000 Fine
for breaking or ignoring this no smoking inside & no fire policy!
You May Smoke Outside Only!!! If you must smoke, please sit on the left side of our beautiful veranda where we have a designated smoking area with ashtrays.
*Don’t forget to unplug all curling irons & clothing irons, they might just catch fire.

*Do- For Everyone’s Safety Always close all of the Mansion Gates & Doors tightly when leaving or entering the Mansion. Slam the black gate, but not the white. Don’t let anyone in the gate. If they don’t have a key, they don’t belong.
*Do Be Quiet In The Hallways. More than likely, the other guests were celebrating on Bourbon Street the night before as well. Musical instruments may only be played on the left side of the veranda between 12 noon and 4pm (not if a wedding is taking place) & never in the guest rooms at anytime.

*Don’t - Darlin’s It is just downright rude to use your cell phone at the Breakfast/Dining room table or in our hallways, unless of course it’s an emergency. Get some fresh air and talk out on the Veranda or in the courtyard.

* Don’t Whine… Please, & Don’t Bring Red Wine, White Zinfandel Wine,
or Bloody Mary’s inside Magnolia Mansion.
* Do enjoy a bottle of Red Wine out on our Veranda, however.
*Do Drink White Wine, Champagne, Beer, Water, or other colorless drinks inside
the Mansion & your guest room of course Darlin!
* Do Only take only plastic/Styrofoam/paper plates & cups into the guest’s rooms & Veranda. Someone might step on broken glass & cut their lil footsies.

* Do Eat & Drink What You Bought & Brought & complimentary snacks avail.
* Don’t Eat Or Drink What You Did Not, Or Someone’s Gonna Get Upset!
* Do bring home left over food from dining out, store tightly & label w/ Room #.
* Don’t Order Food To Be Delivered to the Mansion at any time, no exceptions

* Do close your black out curtains for a good nights sleep & Room Temp control.
* Don’t close the decorative curtains or raise the Austrian Sheers at any time.
* Do make yourselves at home & Do be considerate of all the furnishings.
Treat things like you paid for them, because if ya don’t you might just have to 
* Do wear the robes, but only inside the guest room, please Don’t outside the room.
* Do use the hooks on the back of the doors for makeup bags, & garment bags.
* Don’t hang anything on anything else, such as makeup mirrors or towel racks.
*Don’t take souvenirs such as the robes ($100 each), towels ($10 each), washcloths ($5 each), or the cute plastic hangers ($2 each), water carafes ($20 each), Videos ($25 each), TV/VCRs ($600 each) etc. etc. etc., or you buy them.

*Don’t Lower a room’s A/C cooling temperature below 70 degrees or raise the heating above 70 degrees, as it will automatically throw the entire air system off in the MAIN UNIT, affecting all rooms, possibly shutting down the entire Air Unit system, and then everyone will be very upset. The main air unit can identify the room & the temperature & identifies which room that has caused the problem. Let us know if your temperature is comfortable or not, so we can adjust it for you.
Darlins, Please Turn Off All The Lights, T.V. & Radio When You Leave Your Rooms So We Don’t Have To Raise The Rates!

Signature _____________________________________
Signature______________________________________________


MM Response: I apologize for such a late response to this review. I only took notice to this a short while ago, and wanted to respond to each and every issue. Unfortunately, every now and then we have guests that have chosen the wrong place for them to stay. By this I mean that it is a poor match between what they want in an experience and what we offer. We have all of our information out there for people to research, however you can’t guarantee this research will be done or that once they get here they will like the old world ambience, the personalities of the owner and/or staff or sometimes even other guests. We have our own in-house guest memory book that the majority of our guests leave hand written memories and we post them on our website and have them here for future guests to read, and it has been done in this old fashioned personal way since the day I opened Magnolia Mansion. I rarely have the time to read anything else, as we are open 7 days a week and do not have a large staff. So again please accept my apologies for not responding to this review sooner. Time flies by before you know it another year has passed. Life is too precious and to short…Enjoy every minute you can, while you can.
Now, to first address the positive remarks from our British Visitors from across the pond. Thank you. I am happy they found the location wonderful and were in awe of the surroundings of Magnolia Mansion. This is especially appreciated because of the amazing Architectural surroundings found in Britain and Europe that they are so used to seeing (London is one of my favorite cities to travel to). Talk about opulence! I have invested a lot of time, attention to detail and of course money in creating these surroundings to share with others to experience and enjoy, both prior to Katrina and recreating it again Post Katrina (complete strangers, I might add).
This brings me to responding to their negatives and answering a few of those afterthought questions for clarification of anything that seemed overly cautious to these travelers. If he had asked me at check to explain any of our policies he was concerned or displeased with, I would have happily done so. We probably could have had a laugh and all of this could have been avoided.
The majority of travelers contact the property before their arrival to confirm their reservation and ask a few questions, even if they booked their reservation online. And, by the way, the most important of all of our policies are stated on our website. I apologize if they felt “put out at some of the rules”. However, I assure you that all of the policies that are on the above Ms Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts, have happened a minimum of two times or more. Most of the things are common sense and common courtesy. After reading the Ms Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts (policies) most of our guests make the comment “You wouldn’t think that anyone would have to be reminded of such things when staying anywhere, much less a place like this”. I have learned from experience that it is very necessary to do so, which is the whole point.
Anything that happens more than once goes on our policy sheet, which is presented in a humorous way, much of which is as much a lesson in human behavior as it is comic relief. I apologize if these visitors did not grasp the straight-faced humor of it all. Yes, there are some these policies that are presented as a serious reminder of how to be safe, as well as behave in a quiet, romantic, luxurious historic Mansion with a smoke free environment, especially in a party city like New Orleans. Many of our guests comment “Have people really done these things in a place like this”? My response is always “Yes, and more than once…that is why it is now policy”. Many guests want a copy to take hope to give to friends and family to use when they have guests staying in their home, because it is an amusingly curious way of teaching someone how the ways of your home and how to be a respectful guests.
Now to help this previous guests understand the $3000.00 fine/renewal fee for smoking (not drinking red wine…I‘ll address this issue in a minute). First of all, smoking is allowed, but only outside the mansion and in a designated area on the beautiful wrap around veranda where tables, large comfy wicker chairs and ashtrays are provided. Our no smoking policy is posted all over the internet. If a person has a need to smoke inside or in bed, then this is not where they should choose to stay. It is really that simple! We have many smoking guests who remark that they also do not allow smoking in their own home and understand this policy, especially with all of the expensive window dressings, upholstery, rugs and linens. It is very expensive to clean all of the fabrics in a Mansion that is over thirteen thousand square feet. It also sets off a smoke alarm through our Alarm Company and the fire department is here within less than one minute. This is an expensive chain reaction! Not to mention, how alarming (pun intended) and disturbing this can be to other guests and staff, especially if it happens while they are asleep in the middle of the night. When I opened in 2002, we posted No Smoking signs and informed guests verbally at check-in that smoking was only allowed outside on the veranda where the ashtrays were provided. Many Guests ignored this verbal policy and set off alarms during all hours of the day and night. Then I introduced a $100.00 dollar fine/renewal fee, there were some who still ignored this. So I raised it to $500.00., again some stilled ignored this. So then I raised it to $1000.00, and it was still ignored. So then I raised it to $2000.00, and yes if you can believe this…it was still ignored. So, I raised it to $3000.00. Since the $3000.00 fine/renewal fee has been enforced there has only been one young lady who was silly enough to break this policy. Believe it or not, she checked in and signed the policies and registration, did the tour where there are signs posted with the $3000.00 Fine /no smoking signs are pointed out and she still went right up to her room, closed the door and lit a cigarette and set off the alarms. She has since called me and thanked me for teaching her such an expensive lesson. She said that this experience helped her to quit smoking and this was very important because she had just found out that she was with child a few months after that incident.
Per Ms Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts *Don’t Smoke Inside – Otherwise I will be happy to collect the $3,000 Fine for breaking or ignoring this no smoking inside & no fire policy! You May Smoke Outside Only!!! If you must smoke, please sit on the left side of our beautiful veranda where we have a designated smoking area with ashtrays.
Now, on to the next issues of concern on his from Ms Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts. I am posting all of these in this response so you can judge for yourselves. I hope you find the humor in most of it
1. In response to 1) No turning down the heating in your room below 70 or turning it up above 74.
MM Response: The policy clearly states the reason. Again a reminder this building was built in 1857 and is over 13000 square ft with 14 foot ceilings on the main floor and 10 foot ceilings. The upstairs A/C is called a Zone System and the main control is set for the heat to go on if the temperature falls below 68 degrees (which is the recommended heat setting for the comfort of the majority of people). As most of you know, when you have a system programmed on auto the heat and A/C must remain at least 2 degrees apart. So if someone lowers their A/C below 70 Degrees it will automatically confuse the system and it will go into heat mode. There is absolutely no mention of not turning the A/C up to above 74 Degrees, which would save on electricity and be better for my utilities bill. In the winter when we have our Central air system set on heat only. We ask people not to turn their heat above 74 Degrees for the same reasons, it will throw all of the other rooms off because in the winter we have the heat set on 68 and the A/C set to go on at 76degrees just incase we have a rare hot tropical day in the middle of winter (again, the heat and A/C must remain at least 2 degrees apart).
Per Ms Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts “*Don’t Lower a rooms A/C cooling temperature below 70 degrees or raise the heating above 70 degrees, as it will automatically throw the entire air system off in the Main Unit, affecting all rooms, possibly shutting down the entire Air Unit system, and then everyone will be very upset. The main air unit can identify the room & the temperature & identifies which room that has caused the problem. Let us know if your temperature is comfortable or not, so we can adjust it for you. Do Save Energy So We Don’t Have To Raise Rates!

2. Response to 2) No running down the stairs. As adults can only stay on the first floor, this is obviously aimed at the exact people who are unlikely to run down the stairs.
MM Response: The obvious answer is for safety reasons, our stairs are steep, the stair case curves and are historic (made shorter than they are required to be constructed now days). This policy is in place also as a consideration for people whose rooms are located on the main floor, some of which are right under the stairs. This safety policy applies to any stairs any where in most buildings as a safety precaution. The only exception I can think of is if you are in a sweat suit, out side in an area doing a work out with the Rocky theme playing in your head. And just for the record, we have many adults that have an abundance of energy and come down the stairs with the speed, agility and attitude of a teenager. FYI, just because someone is staying on the first floor, doesn’t mean that their curiosity doesn’t get the best of them and they decide to go see for themselves what’s upstairs (nothing but six guest rooms). We do try to discourage this because it can disturb upstairs guests who may be sleeping in or napping during the day. The majority of the mansion décor and visuals are on the main floor in the Grand entry hallway, parlors and dinning room. Six guest rooms are on the 2nd floor, that’s it. We are always more than happy to give guided tours of the rooms when they are available to view.

In response to 3) “No white Zinfandel wine”.
MM Response: As most people are aware, White Zinfandel is not white… it is Pink and it stains. Secondly, guests are welcome to drink White Zinfandel or Red Wine out on the Veranda Per Ms Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts “
* Don’t Whine… Please, & Don’t Bring Red Wine, White Zinfandel Wine,
or Bloody Mary’s inside Magnolia Mansion.
* Do enjoy a bottle of Red Wine out on our Veranda, however.
*Do Drink White Wine, Champagne, Beer, Water, or other colorless drinks inside
the Mansion & your guest room of course Darlin!

In response to 4) “Don't touch the blinds in any circumstances EVER, only close the blackout curtains with cord (which you have to locate behind the blinds so you have to touch them).
MM Response- Touching and opening or closing Decorative drapes are completely different instructions.”
Per Ms Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts “
* Do close your black out curtains for a good nights sleep & Room Temp control.
* Don’t close the decorative curtains or raise the Austrian Sheers at any time.
* Do make yourselves at home & DO be considerate of all the furnishings.
Treat things like you paid for them, because if ya don’t you might just have to 


In response to 5) “No hanging clothes anywhere in the room except in the wardrobes.”
MM Response: Simply put, it breaks or damages furniture, canopy beds, makeup mirrors and towel racks if you hang things on them. There are hooks provided on the back of the entry doors as well as in the bathroom, not to mention the closets or armoires
(Wardrobe). I really don’t understand why this is upsetting to this person.
Per Ms Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts “
* Do use the hooks on the back of the doors for makeup bags, & garment bags.
* Don’t hang anything on anything else, such as makeup mirrors or towel racks.

In response to 6)” There are 11 coathangers, if any are missing there is a $2 per coat hanger charge. The towels are also counted and you get 4 face towels, 2 hand towels and 2 bath towels. Charges are levied for anything that goes missing. Robes are $100 if they go for a walk.”
MM Response: First of all there are four bath towels, four face clothes, one hand towel, and two robes per Room. Post Katrina we housed a lot of people who lost everything including coat hangers. People are still moving back who have lost everything. I even had one person say to me in response to my asking what happened to several items that were missing on a regular basis, “You can afford it”. Just for the record – No, I can not! I am sure that they would have continued to take item after item had I not addressed the issue immediately (they were on property over an extended stay due to Katrina) Every item that is taken or broken cost me money, time and gas to replace. It is stealing no matter what they take. Again, if we don’t address it and put a dollar amount on it, some people think even a small or fairly inexpensive item is not going to be missed, that it is just a souvenir, and that “We can afford it”. Two things are certain, 1. It will be missed and 2. We absolutely can not afford to replace items that are taken, no matter how small they may be.
Per Ms Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts “
*Don’t take souvenirs such as the robes ($100 each), towels ($10 each), washcloths ($5 each), or the cute plastic hangers ($2 each), water carafes ($20 each), Videos ($25 each), TV/VCRs ($600 each) etc. etc. etc., or you buy them.

In response to 7) “Do not soil the bed linen or there is a $75 cleaning fee”
MM Response: There are stains and there are stains. Anything that can be washed out there is no fine at all. Magnolia Mansion is no different than any other hotel in the fact if you destroy or harm their property…you must pay for damages. If you spill ink on the linens (this has happened) or if you iron your clothes on the bed (and don’t use the ironing board provided) and burn the bedspread or sheets or rug, (this has happened) or if you ignore the no red wine inside the mansion policy and spill it on the rugs, linens or furniture (this has also happened), then you will have to pay for it. If an accident happens and someone stains the sheets with a body secretion, there is absolutely no fine, this happens from time to time. If this happens and it is on the bedspread… then yes there is a fine. Adults should know the bedspread should be turned down before getting into/onto the bed.

In response to 8) “No candles (which I understand)”
MM Response: Wonderful, I am relieved that this is clearly understood.

In response to 9) No music on one side of the house.”
MM Response: The other side of the veranda is right in front of two of our Luxury King Bridal Suites and a Queen Deluxe. We don’t want to have guests in these rooms disturbed with someone sitting in front of their windows practicing or playing an instrument. The property has several courtyards and the left side of the veranda is not in front of any guest rooms, this provides several choices for someone to play an instrument if they choose to. Also, we have an antique upright piano on the main floor of the mansion in the back foyer at the end of the Grand entry hallway. Some guests have felt inspired to play this at all hours of the day and night with out asking permission to see if they are allowed to play, that is the polite thing to do. This policy is in place so as not to disturb our sleeping guests.
Per Ms Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts “
*Do Be Quiet In The Hallways. More than likely, the other guests were celebrating on Bourbon Street the night before as well. Musical instruments may only be played on the left side of the veranda between 12 noon and 4pm (not if a wedding is taking place) & never in the guest rooms at anytime.


In response to 10) “No guests to be taken to the room, you can entertain then in the parlour but not in your rooms, this is strictly forbidden”
MM Response: Someone who is an unregistered guest, does not know our policies and this is also a liability issue not only for Magnolia Mansion, but also other in-house guests. We do not know who these people are or where they are from, and no way to contact them if anyone or anything is harmed. Again, with the veranda, the courtyards, and the triple parlors as choices to choose from to entertain a friend, there is no need to have a group or even unregistered guest in a guest room causing noise or safety issues that could possibly disrupt another guest’s peaceful exclusive environment. Many people choose Magnolia Mansion because we are private and exclusive to in-house guest only. This helps to insure a peaceful quiet atmosphere.
Per Ms Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts:
For the Safety & Security for all …No Unregistered Guests Are Allowed In Our Guest Rooms or on the Magnolia Mansion property at anytime. Please notify Ms. Magnolia or our Resident Ghost, I mean Host, when expecting a guest, prior to their arrival.

In response to 11) “No food in the rooms”
MM Response: Of course we prefer that guests not eat in the guest rooms, so that accidents don’t happen to spoil furnishings for future guest, however most guests still eat in their rooms, and most are careful and respectful in doing so. We always let them know that although we prefer that they enjoy their food on the veranda or at the dining room table, they can eat where they prefer, just be careful and notify us immediately if something spills so we can attend to it so it hopefully won’t stain.
Per Ms Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts
*Do Drink White Wine, Champagne, Beer, Water, or other colorless drinks inside
the Mansion & your guest room of course Darlin!
* Do Only take only plastic/Styrofoam/paper plates & cups into the guest’s rooms & Veranda. Someone might step on broken glass & cut their lil footsies.
* Do Eat & Drink What You Bought & Brought & complimentary snacks avail.
* Don’t Eat Or Drink What You Did Not, OR SOMEONE’S GONNA GET UPSET!
* Do bring home left over food from dining out, store tightly & label w/ Room #.
* Don’t Order Food To Be Delivered to the Mansion at any time, no exceptions.

In response to 12) “Massage oils are acceptable but don't get them on the bedding or there is a cleaning fee levied”
MM Response: Again, if they wash out there is no cleaning fee. If not, then they will be cleaned and there is a cleaning fee. If it still doesn’t come out, then yes there is a replacement fee.

In response to 13) No children on the first floor, under the age of 21.
MM Response: He clearly did not understand or possibly did not read the registration form, Ms Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts, our website or any other online information regarding Magnolia Mansion. No one is allowed to stay as an over night guest unless he is 21 years or older & we require a Government issued photo ID at time of check in for proof (also to help prevent identity theft & confirm they are rightful user of the credit card paying for the reservation) We only allow children on the property for weddings, receptions, or family reunions and on these occasions they rent all of the guest rooms. Magnolia Mansion appeals to travelers who want a kid free relaxing romantic get away (sometimes even from there own kids).
Per Ms Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts “
I want all of ya’ll to Dream. Relax in Romantic Peaceful Luxury & Step Back in Time.
*This means No Children!! (Ya’ll must be 21 years or older to stay overnight).

In response to 14) “Every guest whether they pay for the room or not has to supply ID, either a drivers license or passport and sign the contract. They want ID from everyone, not just the person who pays for the room.”
MM Response: Again this is for the safety of all concerned, which includes these guests, other overnight guests, on site staff, and the owner. People need to remember that the