Noble Inns — Hotel in San Antonio

Spend your money elsewhere!

Beware, we have stayed in many B&B's throughout the US and Abroad, and this is the lowliest of them all thus far!! I honestly feel a bit scammed - there are limited photos of the rooms for a reason. They want to secure your non-refundable payment before you actually see what you're getting, because once you're here, you're stuck! We stayed in the Carriage House 1 'suite' that includes the kitchen and dining area. We were attracted to this B&B because of their beautiful online photos and kid friendly rooms. We were honestly speechless with disappointment when we opened the door to our room. I have listed my pros and cons, then a synopsis of improvements needed for them to dare charge anyone for the fees they currently do. Seriously, I'm warning you that you'll likely be disappointed in the value if you book here. We chose this room because it is 'kid friendly' and because they have a jacuzzi tub.

Pros Beautiful land Friendly staff Good breakfast Beautiful, small, stained glass window in our bedroom - Carriage House 1. Plenty of windows, but garden level so we didn't have shades open as other guests walk by them to get to their room. Close to pool

Cons Scratchy sheets. Aged mirrors that were not clear. Old, Stained window dressings. Stained shower dressings. Many exposed cords. Mold. Tv was not mounted, yet this is the kid-friendly rooming option. Old electronics. Very dated decor. Worn decorative pillows on couch. No outlets near bed for phones. Dated kitchen. Old, rusting fixtures. Dated furniture throughout. No upgrades. Wood shingles outlining the interior walls as decor. Shingles!! It seems as though the only thing that has been changed in our room, since 1998, are the sheets. Serious room upgrades needed. Bathroom tile is discolored. Bedroom carpet is worn. Based on current decor trends (reviewed 2017) 'Suite' decorations would be considered ugly, outdated, thrifty.

There is a difference between antique, vintage, and thrift. Decor would be considered thrift in our room because it is not preserved, nor is most of it in good condition. Furniture is worn, broken, rusting, discolored, and scratched.

Staff was friendly at check in, but our room is in a different house across the street. We weren't shown to our room, which should be customary, we were pointed in the direction and sent on our way to find it. Red flag #1. Room needs complete overhaul. I can't believe they get away with this. 1 star value room. Came out to almost $300 per night (with fees, taxes, etc.), a complete joke. Spend the extra $60 and stay at Hotel Emma down the way and see vintage done right! I tried to not let it affect me, but this B&B put a damper on my San Antonio experience.

There is an answering machine and a phone book in the room! A free, local, San Antonio food magazine on the central table that is from 2014! Just a few more details to let you know what we're dealing with here. All our clothes smelled old when we got home, like a Thrift store, after sitting in the room. Good design is timeless. I understand wanting to keep the history of the property alive, but this is definitely NOT the way to do that!

Upon checkout, we got to peek into a room in the main house. WOW! This room is on a completely different caliber and looks like a traditional B&B, I didn't expect that level of drop off from the main house and the carriage house! DO NOT STAY IN THE...

We confirmed our reservation on February 6, 2021 for a stay on April 8-10, 2021. We confirmed the Chinoiseie Room. On April 7th, while on our trip, we received an email from the owner, Don Noble. This is a portion of what it said.

From Don- "Please reply by email or call us if your arrival time has changed. We also wanted to let you know that we have given you a complimentary upgrade to a King room at the Oge House: The Alhambra Room."

Our email response- "Thanks for the upgrade, but we would prefer to stay in our original room, the Chinoiserie Room."

Don's response- "Greg and Betsy Unfortunately, the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Oge House have been rented to a group for their exclusive use, so the Chinoiserie room is not available. We had hoped that a complimentary upgrade to a more expensive room would compensate for not getting the specific room you picked. Unfortunately we only have one other option, which would be a substantial upgrade to the Castle Howared suite, at an additional cost, but this is available at the moment if you want to do that instead. Of course if you would prefer to have a refund instead and not stay with us, you may also choose to do that as well. Would you please call me when you arrive so that I can meet you in the parking lot and show you the room ?"

This email took place one day before our arrival while we were all ready traveling around Texas. It would be time consuming to make a change and we didn't know exactly what to expect. Do you see the lovely photo of the house and all the write up? We were not given access to the house at all (it is a locked front door) and we were put in a room with an entrance below the stairs that you see (Harry Potter?) and owner claimed this as an upgrade.

We spoke with the people who supposedly had booked the entire house and they said that they had booked their group well in advance. Don knew that he double-booked the room that we had confirmed. And by advising us 1 day before, we were stuck.

I can provide pictures by anyone who requests. The lower entrance area was dirty, unappealing. Our purchased breakfast (continental due to covid19) was not provided on the 2nd day. Our Master Card bill reflected we were billed $16 over our confirmed price. Need I go on?

When I told Don that he knew well in advance that he had double booked the room, he blamed it on Covid? Huh? I understand the idea of nabbing any possible business, however, I looked back on the reviews and this has happened in the past as well. Also, as I mentioned to Don, he could have made a phone call to us long ago, explained he booked a group and let us have the time to select another room or location.

Very disappointing as we spend a lot of time choosing quaint locations to stay...

Sharing the content of a May 30 email sent to the proprietor of Noble Inns:||||This note describes my dissatisfaction with our recent three-night stay (May 27 to May 30) at the Oge House. To clarify for those with whom I’ll share this email: we booked our lodging through Airbnb.||||We arrived at 2:53 pm on Thursday, May 27, seven minutes before the House’s check-in time. In two brief conversations through your camera-equipped doorbell (you couldn’t tell that all of us were over 60?), you made it clear that we wouldn’t be admitted early. We waited on the front porch in upper-eighty-degree Texas heat as your landscaper filled our noses and ears with noise and exhaust from his leaf blower. Only at 3:00 pm were we admitted to the building’s reception area.||||At check-in, you said I would be charged $15/day for on-site parking. “Free parking on premises” is featured under “Amenities” on the first page of your Airbnb listing and again in the “Parking and facilities” section. ||||In a Saturday, May 29 voice mail, I asked if we might have our trash emptied, be resupplied with fresh hand towels and washcloths, and have the toilet seat repaired. In a subsequent phone call, you replied that we would be charged $20 for housekeeping. You also said that we had broken the toilet seat by throwing away a key component.||||What I found particularly objectionable was your statement that we had broken the toilet seat. The critical part—a white plastic cap—that you stated we’d “thrown away” was found on the floor behind the toilet. I placed this component on the desk in the reception area.||||In an email follow-up to our Saturday conversation, you wrote, “I did not charge you anything for the new toilet seat. The charge was for the housekeeping that you requested. Our Airbnb rates do not include any housekeeping, and it is provided on request and for an additional fee.” There’s nothing in your Airbnb listing that mentions a charge of any amount for towels and trash. Gosh, I’m glad that we came with extra rolls of toilet paper.||||At no time did we have adequate wi-fi service in our garden-level rooms, although we had acceptable service in the common area at the top of the stairs.||||I now know what it’s like to spend $330/night to be a...