Hotel Class: 
3.5 Stars - 783 Opinions
1615 Howard St, (formerly Sheraton), Omaha, Nebraska, 68102, United States
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of people enjoy staying here
783 Opinions
This hotel has some really nice touches. We enjoyed free cocktail hour, bedtime cookies and chauffer service. Our corner room was nicely decorated with high ceilings and 4 windows, but it was missing some basics like a hairdryer, batteries in the remote control and a luggage rack! The staff was quick to correct these oversights. All in all, we enjoyed the hotel, but it is a bit inconsistent.
The accommodations and hotel itself were nice and I was ready to give the hotel a glowing review but the last night of our stay was ruined by a rowdy wedding party and an apathetic staff. Around 3 a.m., there was a lot of commotion in the hallway and finally the sound of a glass bottle breaking in the ice/vending room across from our room. We called the front desk and alerted them to the situation. We woke up the next morning to find broken glass still on the floor and empty beer cans lining the hallway. Lovely....
Renovated, reasonable prices. No bath tubs and showers are about a foot above floor level. Air conditioning did not work and person sent to fix it knew less than we did. With taxes and valet parking it is not as much a good deal as it may seem. Not a great neighborhood and the continental breakfast and hot buffet are really not much.
Whatever you do find another place to stay. There is not one reason to recommend a stay here. The room we stayed in was so hot, in March, we were told the in room temperature control was not under our control, there is a limited range of room temperature, controlled by someone not paying the nightly rate. There was one towel in the bathroom when we arrived. I can't even count the number of times we had to call the "front desk" to ask for basic amenities. The "front desk" was in a pathway in the cellar, manned by two employees who were so worn down from the hotel's constant inadequacies that they had to explain. The entire hotel should have been closed for renovation but the regular rates and their web-site never indicated anything of the like and staying here was way less than first rate. We originally planned to stay two nights but checked out as fast as we could after the first night.
My husband and I stayed at the Magnolia in October for our birthdays. We were looking forward to getting away and liked the Magnolia very much.
First off, I am a travel agent, so I kind of know what I am looking for when I travel. The staff were very accomodating and the rooms were very nice. There isn't much renovating going on anymore, just on the 4th floor. The rooms were quiet and the bed...oh the bed was heaven...that's all I have to say about that one.
Be prepared to pay for parking....$12 overnight. But what can you expect? In any city if you are downtown, you are going to pay for parking in most locations.
We walked down to the Old Market area, which is beautiful and interesting, a must see. It is also in a good locations. Close to the Omaha Zoo, casinos, movie theatres and Bass Pro Shops.
The only problem we had was that there was a wedding going on the weekend we stayed there and it was pretty loud in the lobby and in the lounge because of all the wedding guests.
Overall, I would go back to this hotel next time I am in Omaha. It wasn't perfect, but then again....where is?
PS....ALWAYS USE A TRAVEL AGENT!!!! :-)
Nearest hotel to Orpheum Theatre and that's about it!
Staff very non-responsive. Had difficulties with toll-free calls. Could not make them via the telephone in the room and had to go through the front desk each time. Called and waited for the shuttle service from the airport to the hotel and it never came! Finally took a cab instead. When we got to the hotel, the area around the hotel was not very good. We did find a Chinese restaurant lost in time in Omaha!! I think it was called King Fung. Go visit it if you get a chance!
This is a strange place. First, it is in the middle of nowhere. Theater down the block and 1 restaurant in walking distance (Flatiron Grill - highly recommend it - awesome). Otherwise, its a depressing area. Closed down stores & offices all around. I think the biggest problem here is that they are majorly understaffed. Every staff member seemed to pull double and triple duty. Only 1 person manning the front desk at a time. Thus, there can be a backlog. They also seem a little confused - not seasoned hotel workers. Hotel touts "renovation" which is really nothing more than fresh coat of paint and new carpet in rooms. Common areas (lobby, hallways) have strange, old musty smell. But rooms are fine. Bed comfy. Wireless super fast! Size of room not properly utilized. Big room with big empty space in the corner - put a chair there. Bathroom spacious - big empty corner but then the shower is narrow - you spend your time trying to avoid shower curtain sticking to you - ick!! Rooms were very clean, which is a big plus. But this place didn't have some of the basic hotel amenities - luggage rack, room service, etc. It is more like a glorified B&B than it is a hotel. The freebies are nice, cocktail hour, milk & cookie hour, etc. Lounge area actually had a nice vibe to it later in the evening after the play let out. Staff really tries hard and they are very pleasant - just clearly overworked. I usually stay at the Hilton but it was sold out so I tried this as an alternative instead of my usual Embassy Suites backup. Experience was too bizzare - think I will be back to Embassy Suites if I need a backup to Hilton. I sort of felt like I was staying at that hotel in The Shining. Something just didn't feel right.
My 13 year old son and I stayed at the Magnolia while attending the NCAA tournament at the Qwest Center. I was a little wary of the place after reading some of the reviews here, but I couldn't have been happier with the outcome! We had a fabulous stay, beginning with the complementary shuttle (Black Escalade). The location was perfect, three blocks from the Old Market which is filled with great shops and restaurants. Qwest Center was a 15 minute walk from the hotel, which we took back and forth between each of the games. The hotel offered a shuttle, but it was such a nice walk. If I am ever in need of a hotel in Omaha again, I am staying at the Magnolia!
My girlfriend and I stayed at the Magnolia this weekend (Mar 29-30, 2008). We chose the Magnolia with the goal of being close to the Old Market area, as we were mainly coming to Omaha to drink, eat, go to a show, and generally be merry. We'd never been to Omaha before, so we didn't know what to expect. But, after the weekend trip was all said and done, we were extremely happy with the Magnolia. We usually stay at AAA 3-5 diamond hotels (italy, france, mexico, hawaii, LA, New York), and this is easily a strong 3.
Oh yeah, before I go into what I liked, I've got to say that this Hotel is in fact, very, very near the Old Market. The front door of the Magnolia is 3 blocks due west of the 13th Street border of the Old Market; it's a 3 minute walk at most. Very pleasant. It's not out of the way at all.
The rooms are cool. There were high ceilings (probably 12 feet), a very firm king bed, an easily-controlled digital thermostat that got the room absolutely freezing, very large/tall windows (reminded me of a the windows from a parisian hotel, only these wouldn't open), leather headboard, above-counter sink basin, and granite shower. Top-class all around. I heard they had gone through renovations, and they seem to have come through with flying colors. No flat screen, but still pretty nice.
The entire decor of the place is really interesting. Sort of an art-deco that's been modernized with Scandanavian-style furniture and design. Lots of dark, woody tones throughout give the place a really cozy feel. The lobby is cool, with its chandeliers, and marble floor, and the bar is incredible with its 60s mod feel (I felt like I was in an episode of Mad Men) and huge window looking out to the street. Very cool look overall.
Another thing we love was the 5:30-6:30 Happy Hour at the hotel bar. It wasn't just a normal "hey, the 6 dollar drinks are discounted to 3 dollars" Happy Hour, but for people staying in the hotel, for the entire hour house wine and beer were free. Free! I drank 7 beers, and was ready to walk down to the Old Market, to the Upstream Brewery for dinner. Amazingly nice.
The free milk and cookies were nice, too. Very chewy.
We only had two complaints.
1: The internet connection is 10 bucks a day. It's crazy, why do expensive hotels always require you to pay for the internet, while cheap ones give it to you for free? The Holiday Inn Express at the Country Club Plaza in KC ($90 a night) gives it to you for free, but the Four Seasons at Manele Bay in Lanai, Hawaii ($700 a night) charges you; totally crazy.
2: The Valet parking was slow and unnecssary. Each of the four times we pulled-up/left, we had to wait at least 5 minutes, and tell the front counter woman to "Please get the valet." My girlfriend and I had to get to a restaurant in Council Bluffs at a certain time, and ended up being late because the valet took 20 minutes to come to the front, take our ticket, and bring the car around. Also, why does any place in Omaha need a valet service?? This isn't the Beauty Bar in West Hollywood, where cars really do have to be put in a parking lot like giant puzzle pieces, this is a midwestern town where street parking is plentiful, and the hotel parking lot is easily manageable. A minor gripe in the grand scheme of things, but still, when you're standing out on that sidewalk in 30 degree weather, waiting for the valet, it gets on your nerves.
Bottom line, go here. We got a heck of a rate online (about 50% what it normally is for a king room). It's close to the old market, has free booze, and is incredibly cozy. It's all you need, and it's classy.
My husband and I stayed at the Magnolia in April 2008. It was a delightful experience. The room was comfortable, attractive and clean. The free drinks in the bar from 5:30-6:30 created a very social atmosphere. The valet parking was useful and easy.
The earlier reviews about construction are all out dated, and they seem to have resolved the issues with room service trays in rooms because we didn't see a single one.
The room was very nicely decorated. I even took pictures of the bathroom for future remodeling of my master bath. The bed was comfortable. There was a large group of fraternity/sorority college students staying Friday night, but we didn't notice any late night noise at all.
Because of some of the negative reviews, my husband had phone and email contact with the hotel in advance of our stay. They were prompt and helpful in their replies and even called after our stay to follow-up.
We stayed at the Magnolia to be close to the Olde Market. There was an Escalade service to drop off and pick up there. The walk was 3-4 blocks. Its further away than the Embassy Suites, but not too far to walk.
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Address: 1615 Howard St, (formerly Sheraton), Omaha, Nebraska, 68102, United States
