I’m glad he found the property impressive. Since these folks were returning from a Luxury week long Cruise and were only staying here for one day and checking out early to leave on a very early flight the next morning , we honored their request to have our breakfast out extremely early prior to their leaving.

Now about our breakfast, please see below…I will address this issue… again.
I am sorry to hear these Guests were disappointed with their one night stay. As we say on our website “Magnolia Mansion is for those seeking an unforgettable experience! It is for those who want something Magical, Romantic & Peaceful ... Not just an overnight stay.”
The Mansion is known for being hauntingly romantic. Over the years, including 2011, Magnolia Mansion has been honored to be selected as “insert name here” Best Romantic Inn, or the Most Haunted Inn (however, our Ghost’s don’t come with a guarantee).
But never have we been compared to a funeral home…that’s really funny.

These Guests are very memorable as they showed up unannounced one week before their reservation check-in date for a one night only stay, just to inspect Magnolia Mansion to see if it met with their approval! Obviously it did, or else they would have canceled their reservation after their inspection. At this time, they also asked for special arrangements to be made for them to be able to check in very early on Sunday morning for the day of their arrival…for the following week! Yes, this property is for sale however, we conduct daily business as usual. All of us go out of our way to make our overnight Guests & our Brides feel like VIP’s. As this traveler prides himself on his observation skills & details, I feel it is my duty to future travelers to clarify all misinformation he has misstated. Tim, not Phil, is the Magnolia Mansion Host, Concierge & Reservationists…not the owner, I am, and have been since 2001. Tim was hospitable enough to accommodate them, and he did so even though these Guests showed up unexpectedly unannounced. These Guests did not give us a courtesy call first to check and see if it was convenient for them to stop by, nor did they respect our policy of making an appointment to view / inspect the Mansion. Our sign in front of the Mansion clearly says that Magnolia Mansion is shown by appointment only, and this is also posted on our website. This policy is in place so as not to interrupt an Elopement Ceremony, as well as to not disturb our in house Guests and to respect their privacy. Magnolia Mansion is a gated property & not open to the public for walk ins or walk thrus without previous arrangements or appointments being made.

We also have a policy of “No unregistered Guests are allowed on the property”. We tell our Guests when we greet them at the gate to check them in, to be sure not to let anyone thru the gate for any reason & to tell people trying to get into the property, to ring the doorbell or call the office. This is for the safety and security of everyone staying on property. Well, one of our Guest’s apparently did not honor this policy and let them on property and into the Mansion without Tim’s knowledge…while Tim was on a phone call taking a reservation. After completing his reservation call, Tim walked into the back foyer and was startled and shocked to find these unexpected strangers roaming around the Mansion. These future Guests wanted to see the entire Mansion and all the Guest rooms, of which many were occupied.

During this unscheduled walk thru these folks, who just happened to be non-smokers, saw the one & only non-smoking sign posted in the dinning room for all to see which clearly reads “Thank You For Not Smoking or a $3000 Fine Will Be Applied”. Non smokers are usually thrilled with this policy; it’s surprising this guest’s, who are non-smokers themselves, are complaining about it. (Note: We do have two “Emergency Exit Only” signs posted at two emergency exit only doors.) We ask all of our Guests upon check –in during their walk thru, if they smoke so we can show them where to go outside to be comfortable. We have a seated designated smoking area on the left side of the Veranda, where ashtrays are provided…away from our Guestroom windows. Since our opening, Magnolia Mansion has always been since a non smoking hotel, as more and more places are today worldwide. Fines for doing so are growing, as it is costly to clean or replace carpet, drapes, and furniture. This notice is not posted anywhere else in the Mansion, however it is posted on our website, as well as in the registration form and in the Ms. Magnolia’s Do’s & Don’ts Mansion policies, which are all signed at check-in. These policies are also visible online…I believe I even posted them on Trip Advisor as well, a while back for all travelers to see. Therefore, since these particular Guests inspected the Mansion prior to checking in and said nothing about it then nor at check –in… we are especially puzzled by this part of their review.

Also puzzling is during the same prior walk thru & check in procedure, they were also made completely aware of the Self Serve - Enhanced continental Breakfast Menu Items which is placed on our big beautiful dining table in our large elegant Dining Room 24/7. Just to clarify… the Magnolia Mansion Enhanced continental Breakfast Menu consists of: Hot Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwiches (choice of two…Egg, Cheese & Sausage on Croissant or Egg Whites, Cheese & Turkey Sausage on Wheat English Muffin), Coffee, Hot Tea Selections, Low Fat Milk, Orange Juice, Fresh Fruit ( Oranges, Apples, Bananas), Assorted Grab & Go Wrapped Pastries & Breakfast Bars consisting of Quaker Granola Bars, Nutri-Grain Cereal Bars, Big Texas Cinnamon Rolls, Cherry Cream Cheese Danish, & Biscotti, Assorted Instant Oatmeal, 3 types of cereal, Bagels & English Muffins, Cream Cheese, Butter & Jelly. Neither one of these Guests complained or questioned our menu, when they saw the above mentioned menu items during his initial walk through prior to his check-in, nor at their actual day of check-in.

We are not known for our breakfasts, as I have said before. Nothing has changed in that department. This menu works for the majority of our Guests. Most people come to New Orleans to dine out in the hundreds of Gourmet Restaurants for Brunch, Lunch and Dinner. We have found over the past 10years that most of our Guests don’t want to fill up on traditional Bacon & Eggs; they want just enough to hold them over till they get to one of the New Orleans great places to eat. Many of them want to go to the famous Café Du Monde to have their delicious Beignets

The only comment they made to Tim was to inform him they would need an early check-in for their reservation. Which, by the way was not until the following week, as their cruse ship was docking at 8am on Sunday morning, and they were checking –in with us that same day. Tim told them we would do our best to have their room ready for them upon their arrival (which we did), or we could hold their bags for them until the room was ready (which is the policy of hotels including major Luxury hotel chains). A phone call or email request to us can accomplish this also.

Our standard check-in time at Magnolia Mansion is 2pm-6:30pm. Earlier or later then this always require notification & special arrangements. Magnolia Mansion, like many other Hotels, have early check in charge for a ½ day rate charge to check into a room so early, which we waived for them.

On Sunday, the day these particular Guests were expected to arrive… for their one night stay, housekeeping was scheduled to come in early. This was done in order to get the room cleaned to accommodate their extremely early Sunday morning check-in per their request. They then informed Tim the morning of their arrival, by phone, that they had changed their minds and decided to take a tour instead & would check after the tour. Upon their arrival late afternoon, instead of calling us or ringing the doorbell to notify us they were here to check in… they managed to walk past a couple of our Guests leaving the through our locked Gate, and these same in-house Guests also gave them entrance into the Mansion itself…again (as the man states in his Trip Advisor report). Tim knows this because when he asked them how come they didn’t ring the bell or call so he could have helped them up the stairs with their baggage, the man said he just came in as others were leaving.

“Our policy is to greet all arriving Guests at the gate with a warm southern welcome & smile, and then show them around to make sure they feel at home and are comfortable with their surroundings. We tell them some of the history & get them registered & properly checked in. We can not properly greet you or help you with your luggage if we don’t know you have arrived and ready to check in. Sadly, because some of our Guests did not honor our policies, we were unable to greet this couple properly and assist them with their bags up the stairs. This gave him a negative first impression. Our policies are in place for a reason…this is just one of many.

As far as the way Tim was dressed…he had on black dress pants, a shirt and black sweat. Basic black Business Casual is what both he and I wear. We work very hard all day, everyday and have to be functional. We only dress more formally when we are hosting a special event or wedding. As far as his unshaven look, every now & then he goes unshaven with the stubble look. I prefer clean shaven as well, however every now and then he has to rest his skin for a day. At check-in, it is standard policy to ask our Guests if they are celebrating anything special and if they would like for us to assist them with restaurant or tour reservations. We also, let them know that if they have any special needs that they should let us know before we close up the office for the night. All Guests are given our emergency phone number to contact if in dire need of something, which the person on duty that particular night answers. Tim was not on duty that Sunday evening and wanted to make sure all of their needs were attended to before he closed the office. This is normal protocol for all check-ins, as we do not have a 24 hr. front desk service…we are to small for that.

Magnolia Mansion is an historic property operating as a small boutique B&B. We have 9 romantic and uniquely themed Guestrooms inside the Mansion, 3 on the main floor & 6 upstairs. These Guests stayed on the Main Floor in a Deluxe Queen Rm# 2 Napoleons Rendezvous which they booked on line. They had to climb the main entry stairs into the Mansion as all Guests have to do in order to come inside the Mansion, no other stairs needed for their room. They did not need any assistance getting up or down these stairs, nor did they complain at the time. He is correct in saying that we do not have an elevator to the top floor & people must climb stairs. However, he is misinformed and has given misinformation in saying that we are not handicap accessibly. We are handicap accessibly on the ground floor for weddings & events and have handicap bathrooms on the ground floor as well. We assist all Guests with their luggage when checking in or out, when notified they are doing so in advance. We would have done so with these guests as well, had they rang the doorbell or call us to notify us they were here to check in. All of the above is posted on our website, including the information regarding the elevators, stairs, etc. I strongly suggest that all travelers go directly to a properties website to study their policies, amenities, ambience and all that they have to offer before booking a reservation. This will help each traveler make a well educated and informed decision on the right place for them to stay. Not all hotels or B&B’s have the same style or personalities…just like people. Different Strokes for different folks.