Staircase
Check availability

Reviews of Governor's Mansion Inn

2.5 out of 5
Governor's Mansion Inn
130 E. Gilman St, Madison, WI

Reviews

9.6

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 121 out of 145 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 17 out of 145 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 2 out of 145 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 4 out of 145 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 145 reviews" "

9.8/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

9.0/10

Amenities

9.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.2/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Jenna

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The room was a little small and doesn’t include a mini fridge or microwave, but every other amenity makes it such an amazing place! I would definitely return and stay here again.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

Peggy

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
The bed was very comfortable and the scones in the morning were delicious. The water pressure was very low and a window rattled continuously. Some of the furnishings were antique and looked very nice in the room. A large wardrobe was in terrible condition. The doors wouldn't close, the back was falling off and it was held together on the side by clear packing tape. It wouldn't take too much to make it presentable and usable. The room was very quite and the interior of the common rooms are lovely.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Joe

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Shellie

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
My daughter and I had such a great stay at this beautiful and unique inn! Lovely room, wonderful breakfast, great location close to campus. Highly recommend!
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Daniel, Seattle

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
I stayed in the Garden Studio, which has a private entrance on the back side of the house. The pictures of the suite don't do justice to how large it is; it's probably 900 square feet, including a large bathroom, a kitchenette, a 4-seat table, and a couch area with TV. The king-size bed was wonderful and I slept very well. There is a slight amount of morning noise coming from upstairs but I think it's just the staff putting out the breakfast. I observed no noise whatsoever after dark.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

JUANJO, CHICAGO

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness
Charming old mansion. Nice location. Minimal staff. Spartan - closet consists of a rod near door, with an assortment of plastic hangers, and a small fridge in between; dorm-room like.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Sandra

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Karen

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location. In walking distance of many attractions
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Steven

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice location; close to lake and downtown Madison.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Martin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfectly restored
What a beautiful and historic property. Everything was top notch.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

cathy

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The fact that several governors had actually previously lived on the property was fascinating. The downstairs rooms were very spacious and intriguing. The breakfast had a nice variety of items to choose from and the coffee was good!
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Scott

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
It was a really cool property. The information received on how to use the door code was not complete so as a result it was a little irritating getting in to the room the first couple of times. It was contactless check in so we did not interact with a soul for that portion of the stay so the door code issue may have been a little easier with some actual contact.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Janice

Travelled with family
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The scone & coffee were VERY good! The bed was comfortable!(201) The bathroom had missing tile & the armoire was broken. The room was clean.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

6/10 Okay

Dennis

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This hotel is very clean. But it is quite noisy due to old wood floor. The room we got is really small and is not the same as picture shown when booked.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023
Response from David, owner on 5 Sept 2023
Hi Dennis, thank you for staying with us. We have two economy rooms and both are pictured under the economy room. The configuration of the beds changed from side by side to an L configuration to provide a little more floor space in these small, former servants quarters rooms. I hope you enjoyed your stay in Madison.

4/10 Poor

Richard

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness
Unfortunately not as clean as we had hoped for.
Hi. My daughter and I checked in here for her college move in. I was given a code and room number which was fine and we entered our room no problem. However, I have to write to say the room was not as clean as we'd hoped for. There were hairs on our pillow cases - the sheets had been cleaned but a long hair was still on there. Also, my daughter looked under the bed and she said it was so dirty. I'm sorry, I don't like giving bad reviews but my daughter didn't want to stay there so we immediately checked out and went to the Hilton Garden Inn. I had paid in full a while back so I knew I would not get a refund nor did I even try to email the owners. Also the chandelier above our bed was hanging out of the ceiling by its wires. Another reason why we didn't stay. Sorry for the review but I wanted to be honest.
Light fitting above bed.
Upon check in
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2023
Response from David, owner on 31 Aug 2023
So sorry, we are not sure what happened with the light fixture, we will make sure that is corrected immediately. We have stellar housekeeping staff and our rooms are super clean so I am not sure how this review can be. But we will bring this to housekeeping attention to double down. It is unfortunate you did not contact us immediately so that we could have addressed your report.

10/10 Excellent

Catherine

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jenny

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

4/10 Poor

Charles

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disappointed
I love the location. And the history! And the scones and coffee are very good. But, two problems. First, the air-conditioning is completely inadequate for the heat and humidity in Madison. The owner should’ve learned that by now and provided stronger air conditioning and fans. Secondly, there was a mysterious buzzing sound. That would’ve kept me awake at night, except that I have a white noise machine.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023
Response from David Waugh, owner on 2 Aug 2023
Thanks for staying with us Charles. It is really too bad you didn't report the problem to us -- until now. I have checked the AC and it is working fine and I suspect maybe you might have used the wrong setting on the remote control. The Mitsubishi AC units we use in our historic building are mostly quiet but there is a pump that might explain the sound you heard. We have not had a complaint so we will have that looked at. Again, I am really sorry you didn't think to ask for help so that we could have addressed the problem for you right away.

10/10 Excellent

Theresa

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Galina

Business traveller, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Historic Governors’ Mansion. Unique.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Travelled with family, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice property, lots of space to work and socialize on ground floor. Comfortable rooms. Nice continental breakfast included. Only a few blocks walk to Capital, and a block or so to Lake.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Samantha

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Crystal

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Night out in Madison
We would definitely come back because of the check in and out, very clean and location. We were impressed we the size of the room. The bathroom seemed new and the water pressure was great. The whole place is so beautiful. There is access to the lake and you’re near a public beach. Loved our stay
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kelley

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Would definitely stay there again. Very quiet. Great location.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023

8/10 Good

Jack, Roswell

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great historical building. Very quiet. The only thing I would change is the soap. The hand and the body Soaps were thick and difficult to rinse off. The shampoo left my hair dry and itchy.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Unique setting and facility. Very quiet and laid back. Pleasant staff. Loved it.
Stayed 1 night in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Mylan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Historic and charming!
Who says you can’t experience 19th century charm and history in the 21st century?😊 Splendidly & tastefully restored, we experienced an easy yet secure check in process that was **faster** than even a Hilton or Marriott with their fancy smartphone check in process!
Stayed 1 night in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Robyn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Anniversary celebration.
Love the garden suite at the Governors Mansion Inn. It has all the amenities you need, beautifully decorated. Location can't be beat, very walkable to capitol and to Lake Mendota. The Governors Mansion and the Mendota Lakehouse Inn are our go to for special occasions..
Stayed 1 night in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Triona

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Happy to support small independent inn. Beautifully decorated, great location, easy access, spotlessly clean. Will stay again
Stayed 1 night in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Erica

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautifully maintained at the Governor's Mansion Inn! Next time we will book for a larger bed. Very clean. Breakfast bagels were delicious. May I suggest hard boiled eggs to go with breakfast? Great location. Only issue was the light coming from the hallway lamp outside our room was a bit bright and light coming into the room was disturbing sleep.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

Rhonda

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awesome place to stay! The history behind it is so cool!! The beds were awesome! Bathroom shower was so pretty! Will stay here again! Loved that u could check yourself in and out! I just can’t say enough!
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

Karen

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Carter

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023

4/10 Poor

Kim

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
First floor room next to kitchen was very very loud. I was woken up several times by the guests or cleaning staff in the room above us anytime they walked around and then the kitchen staff in the morning.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Stephanie

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful room
The garden studio is amazing! Will gladly stay there again! Beautiful!
Studio
Shower
Bed
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

John

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Best place to stay in Madison
Simply incredible - I will stay here every time I come to Madison. Historic and beautiful. a great value. Thank you for a wonderful experience
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Hyung Chul

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It was self check-in room. Smooth check-in process and instruction. Room was very spacious and clean. Happy to stay again if I visit Madison in the future
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Erin

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Easy contactless check in. Love the keypads on the front door and room door.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2023

8/10 Good

Kinnan

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Easy to book online, door code to get in.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Robyn

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Family time
The Governor's Mansion Inn Garden suite was perfect for our stay to visit with family. The suite was modern, clean and had everything we needed. The location is great. Enjoyed seeing the first floor of the mansion and learning of its history.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jacqueline

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Clean and quiet with a great breakfast
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2023

10/10 Excellent

Christopher

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2022

10/10 Excellent

Grace

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Its so historic. Beautiful!
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2022

10/10 Excellent

Wuyi

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2022

8/10 Good

Laura

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Thomas

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The accommodations, excellent coffee & pastries, absence of staff or beautiful common spaces were memorable & unique. I would (& will) return. A really great place to stay. 😊
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
I didn't like that I couldn't get a room without a bed with a footboard. I am tall so it was a bit of a challenge getting to sleep but I managed. If I had booked more than 2 weeks in advance I might have had z better choice of accommodations. But it was a nice place. Very classy and well-kept.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Jacques

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
COVID conditions meant no on-site staff but host was responsive and very organized. Property is historic and gorgeous. Our garden suite was luxurious and comfortable. Outstanding value and accommodations.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Maria

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Kristofer

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This was a great option for one night dropping my son off at school. I love staying in historic properties. Electronic access was easy and was happy to have a parking spot. Beautiful Steinway piano that my son got to play for some guests, but needs tuning!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2022