Hotel Ruby Marie

Service was great until 10pm (when I wanted to go to bed). The hotel has a bar below it and on this lovely Wednesday night they have a band that is playing until midnight.
No one is at the front desk after 7pm and guests are encouraged to contact the bartender for their needs. So I called the bartender (because the bar was packed) and I asked how long the band was playing. After answering my initial question, He conveniently couldn’t hear me when I asked repeatedly about the hotels strict quiet policy after 10pm (that is posted). Then he hung up. I guess the strict quiet policy doesn’t apply to the bar one floor below the hotel rooms.
If you’re in Madison for fun (not work, school, etc) and plan on staying out until 1am every night this is the hotel for you.
My minimum expectation for a hotel is that i can get a quiet good nights rest. The plush towels, great location, buildings historic charm, complimentary drink and free breakfast don’t mean much if this minimal expectation isn’t met. I really wanted to like this revitalized historic building that is a hotel, but you simply can’t have a noisy bar (with a live band and cheering crowd) below the beds of customers.

Comfortable bed, had no issues with noise, amazing food, nice bar downstairs. Good location to visit madison, decently priced.

Our stay at the historic Hotel Ruby Marie in Madison, WI was a fantastic experience all around. The staff, location, and accommodations were ideal.
The most striking feature of this hotel is the atmosphere. The Hotel Ruby Marie is a beautifully maintained 150 year old building, and the history is palpable. From the lobby, through the corridors, to the rooms the property if full of elegance and charm. Historic photos hang on the wall, and the hallways are lined with beautiful antiques.
The rooms are similarly appointed. Comfortable, homey, with a notable touch of class. The bed was very comfortable, The bathroom was large and great for two people getting ready in the morning.
An especially nice feature of the Hotel Ruby Marie, were the added bar and restaurant on-​site. On the first floor is a delightful pastry shop/​deli, which hosts the complimentary hotel breakfast every morning. Delicious sweet and savory pastries and coffee are available. They also offer sandwiches and wraps later in the day.
Located around the back of the property is a quaint and quirky tavern. They had live music the night we arrived and it was a wonderful place to unwind at the end of our night. They offer a variety of local beers and tasty cocktails at a much better price point than you’d find at many hotel bars.
We only stayed here one night, but I look forward to booking a longer stay in the future. The Hotel Ruby Marie is a beautiful property. Highly recommended.

Another great time at the Hotel Ruby Marie. Totally unique hotel and that comes from someone who is on the road 100 nights a year!

The Hotel Ruby Marie is a former neighborhood blight that was carefully restored to its original charm. If you like staying in unique places — or hate staying in institutional hotels — then this might be the place for you. A one bedroom was about $ 149 before taxes, so this was more on the high end for hotels that you might be able to find.
The good
— — — —
The location is easy walking distance to the capital and a number of great hotels.
There is lots of free parking
The hotel itself does have unique décor.
The wifi works great.
The staff is very friendly. I saw no issues with the service. It was excellent.
Hotel is clean. Bathroom/​hot water/​etc has no issues.
The bad
— — — –
If you have noise issues, then this is really not the hotel for you. Two sides of the building face busy roads. Although the hotel was nicely renovated, it was not soundproofed. If you are placed on the side with the lake view, you can see a lake, but you mostly see traffic. This also includes train tracks about 40 feet from the building and a very loud train came by at 12:30 am and again at 6 am. You will also constantly hear cars, buses, trucks.
Some people just don’t have noise issues, so this isn’t a problem. Another solution is to ask to be placed in other part of the building (this wasn’t an option for me because the hotel was full, but you might request these when you book). Several rooms, I believe, look into a small internal courtyard, so have no view, but are possibly quiet. Other rooms overlook the parking lot, and are probably quieter.
After one night I checked out. They were very gracious about it. I mention the noise because it was a problem for me, especially after traveling. For you, maybe this just isn’t an issue.
Enjoy your stay!

I’ve stayed at the Ruby Marie twice now, and I love it! They have a quick and easy check in/​out process. The staff is friendly and helpful. It’s quiet at night so you can get some quality sleep, and the beds are super comfortable. My room was very clean, and it looked out onto a little courtyard below with other visitors enjoying a wine and the summer weather.
It’s location is great-​far enough from the nightlife of downtown that you don’t hear street noise, but close enough that you can walk to fantastic bars and restaurants. An added bonus is the local bar connected to the Ruby Marie. They had a great band while we were there. And there’s a sand volleyball court right outside by the (free) parking lot. I’m not sure who owns it, but it makes for a really fun and welcoming environment.
I highly recommend staying here. I will absolutely be back.

Loved this hotel! It’s cute and charming and everything’s at arm’s reach. This was my first stay and Madison and I was glad I got a view right on the lakefront. There were 3 places to eat (and drink!) right on the hotel grounds and even more great options a short walk away.
I was in town performing at the Majestic, which was about a 5 minute walk from Hotel Ruby Marie. Me and some of the audience strolled back to the hotel bar for a drink and found a lively house band playing — which just topped the night off. I was also given complimentary drink tickets with my stay — I tried to redeem them after happy hour, when they were valid, because I hadn’t read the tickets carefully enough — and the bar staff was MORE than accommodating of my mistake and gave me the drinks anyway.
In the morning, there was complimentary breakfast downstairs which REALLY hit the spot after a long night out. I also took advantage of the available breakfast/​brunch menu.
The wi-​fi is really fast and they have a good channel selection too. My room had TONS of character. A lot of hotels can all start blending together if you stay in enough of them, but I won’t be forgetting Hotel Ruby Marie any time soon and hope to visit again in the near future.

Stayed here on a Friday night. Was in town for a show. And needed a place for one night. Beautiful older building with modern touches. Free breakfast. happy hour drinks. comfortable beds. This hotel was a rooming house for the railroad in the 1800’s. Walking distance to our venue also a plus!

Came in last second to find a room in hopes that the Badgers beat Duke. Wanted to be downtown for the experience. Something in forty years from now we could say we werw there for. The front desk was very nice and helpful answering different questions we had. With the purchase of the room we were giving free parking and two free drinks. Not a bad way to start the night off.
Hotel was very old sorta creepy feel. Something you see in an old horror movie. Definitely Victorian style. Room was clean, bed was soft and we had a nice night. So dont let the oddness keep you from staying here. Breakfeast is included with the stay. It includes very delicious fresh baked pastries and muffins, cereal, milk, or juices. There are many things in the immediate area to keep you entertained. Essen Huas resturant and bar, bike path right across the road, Goths Great Dane (4blocks away).
Duke ended up beating Wisconsin. But we most the most of our night anyways.
Thanks to this hotel having some availability mom and dad were able to slip away for a night and enjoy downtown festivities. We would come here again to avoid higher downtown prices when just looking for a cheap room to lay our heads. If it is clean and not haunted is all we care about.

Our room on the second floor was very nice. The décor is Victorian, from the furniture to the color palette, even down to the little octagonal black and white tiles in the bathroom. There was a lovely fireplace, and the toilet tank was mounted by the ceiling with a pull chain to flush.
There was a small sitting area and full sink, countertop and mini fridge, a full sized coffee maker and a small flat screen TV. The mattress was comfortable, the towels were soft and there was good water pressure in the shower.
We stayed in the winter and the room was toasty warm.
From our room you could hear the traffic noise, especially due to the wet roads, and the room is above a bar. From the bathroom we could hear distant voices, maybe from the bar or from an adjoining room, but it wasn’t a problem. I could hear people walking in their room on third floor a couple of times.
The thing that was a surprise as far as noise were the trains that went through in the wee hours of the morning. We had arrived after dark and didn’t notice that a railway crossing was right outside our window one story down, and at least twice trains went by and blew their horns a few toots as they passed the intersection.
We had some drinks, including complimentary ones for our stay, at the Up North, and the bartender told us we could take drinks and popcorn up to the room if we would like.
The Hotel Ruby Marie was a charming stay and I would stay again if I were looking to spend some time in the area.

I’m going to cheat here and add my opinion about the whole spaß platz experience because that’s what makes this place AND I’m too lazy to review each place individually. Sue me.
Anyway, I ended up staying at Hotel Ruby Marie because it was the best of both worlds… My partner in crime somehow finds B&B’s quaint and charming and I am a hotel girl all the way. Hotel Ruby Marie is a little of both. It is small and charming (and even has an innkeeper!) like a B&B, but it is big enough to be considered a hotel. No sleeping in grandma’s guestroom and having breakfast with the other people you overheard doing god knows what last night. Bonus. It also has three other places attached to it to make it an awesome (and responsibly drunk, perhaps) experience: The Up North Bar, The Essen Haus, and The Come Back In. First of all, you get two free drinks during happy hour at the bar (which is just downstairs of the hotel) AND you get a free breakfast coupon for The Come Back In with your stay. The Essen Haus is the only part of the spaß platz experience that doesn’t give you a freebie… oh well.
Each place has its charms and drawbacks, but I suppose it depends on your personality as to whether you will love or hate each part.
I must say, the hotel was cool. It was creepy and quaint at the same time. You get a huge room with old school charm that is very different than any hotel you will stay in. That part I liked. I also liked the bonus perks of the coupons too. The only drawbacks really are the loud ass trains and the old school heating which may keep you up all night if you are a light sleeper or someone who has to pee based on power of suggestion (or in this case, power of dripping/​running water through old pipes). And there’s no hair dryer in the room, FYI, but they do offer other amenities and toiletries so you’re not completely out of luck.
Now for the bonuses: The bar is part of the hotel, so you could mosey on down there whenever and go back and forth to your room if need be. (You know… to change, go to the bathroom if you don’t want to use the bar one, or to do whatever else your little heart desires.) It was small, townyish, and had a good list of Wisconsin craft beers at a decent price. Do what you will with that. The Essen Haus is right next door and it has the typical German restaurant flair (ridiculous uniforms, polka band, decent German food, das boot, etc.). I thought it was a little pricey, but if you like that scene, it’s definitely worth stopping in. At least for a beer (or 4). Last, The Come Back In is next to Essen Haus and has a really good breakfast and a random collectible charm (and is even better when it’s FREE!).
If I stay in Madison again, I will surely be staying here.

One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever stayed at. The price is about what you would expect for a huge room with a jacuzzi ($ 183 for premium room). Service was friendly but it’s not a big chain so don’t expect 24 hour service. Heart shaped jacuzzi was perfect for a romantic experience. There is a train close by but not a major intrusion. Overall, I would highly recommend this place for a romantic getaway. Just a piece of history I will revisit again and again.

Ok, so I chose this place because I love old, and quirky, and full of history and kindness, and in all these aspects I was not disappointed. This lovely creepy cool old hotel was perfectly clean and there were little shared porches, and the bed was comfy, and the bathroom was recently renovated, and the long blood red hallways were hung with vintage photos of horrifyingly judgmental looking Victorians. All of this I enjoy a great deal. The staff were all super nice.
Where it all broke down for me was first, the noise. It sounded like ghosts were cranking machines in all the walls of my bedroom and the machines were full of water and rusty metal and crumbling cement, and it happened all night while the heat swooped from sweaty hot to icy hand of death cold. On the second day I was there the wifi went down, and I weirdly couldn’t get phone calls or texts as well, and when I tried to call the front desk the phone in my room didn’t work.
I chalk this all up to ghosts and history and character, and it wasn’t a huge problem, but I’d hesitate before I chose this place again. I loved the location across from the lake and I loved the fresh free pastries downstairs, and I loved the sweet dive bar attached to the hotel. I’m so torn. Did I mention the staff were super nice?

If you like trains running through your room at 2 A.M. than this might be for you. This is the worst, I feel I should have been informed that there were trains that operated right outside my room and I would have chosen another establishment to stay with, how ever I wasn’t given that courtesy, so I honestly can not recommend this place.

Can’t say enough good about this place. A quirky bed and breakfast on the edge of the Capitol district, this gem is an excellent alternative to the traditional business hotel options in downtown Madison. Your CFO will also smile as you’ll probably save your company a little money as well.
Set in a old brick building within sight of Lake Monona, the location is near-​picturesque and convenient. There appear to be only a dozen or so rooms. I’m guessing each is unique. Décor is period (early 20^th century?). My room had a balcony overlooking the courtyard. The hotel houses a local bar (free drinks to hotel guests), a bakery which prepares complementary fare for guests in the morning, and is adjacent to a respectable German restaurant. Quiet time was strictly enforced so these operations were not disruptive.
The location is within an easy walk of the Capitol and all that area has to offer. Honestly, coming from Wicker Park, Chicago, I felt right at home. It might be a little cleaner and tamer here… but it’s close (in a good way). You’ll have your pick of live music, nice restaurants, pubs, dive bars, and everything in between. If running, walking, or biking is your thing, a lake shore trail and at least one state park are in the immediate vicinity. Parking is super easy as well.
My guess is this place targets the visiting college parents and weekend getaway markets, but it makes a great fit for the business traveller as well.
Thanks for the great stay!

My sister in law planned an overnight stay in Madison and at her suggestion we checked in at the Ruby Marie. My husband and I opted for a premium room because we wanted the jacuzzi, and with the fireplace it just sounded so cozy. We all arrived early since we were going to a local show and the person at the desk, Dylan or John, I’m not sure, was nice enough to let us check in before the scheduled time. The price of the room ($ 160 + taxes came about to $ 183) included two drink vouches at the Up North and a breakfast voucher for two at the Come Back In. The room itself was really nice. The bed was very comfortable, the jacuzzi was a pretty decent size, and the fireplace gave the room a really nice atmosphere. Really, the biggest negative experience of our stay there was getting our free drinks at the bar. When we checked in we were told the 3pm-​7pm happy hour on the voucher was more of a suggestion than a rule. After we got back we went straight to the Up North around 7:10, not long after the show finished. The bartender seemed drunk and was acting really obnoxious. I asked for a bloody mary and the bartender’s response was «Seriously? I just put everything away.» and he seemed so annoyed at my request. He made a few sarcastic/​rude comments while making my drink too, and I’ve never had someone make me feel like such an inconvenience all because I ordered one drink. My sister in law asked for a bourbon and coke and he gave her a bourbon and WATER and they had to ask for a coke on the side. Afterwards we went to Essen Haus, but that’s another review entirely. The jets in our jacuzzi also didn’t work, but after calling the front desk in the morning they gave us a partial refund. I was a little disappointed, but because they did what they could, I can’t really fault them for that. Breakfast at the Come Back In ended up being one of the biggest highlights of our stay, at least for me it was. With the voucher we were able to get prime rib and eggs and two bloody marys. The prime rib was cooked very nicely, with the eggs and pan style potatoes it was definitely a filling meal. Easily a step up from the usual muffins/​waffles that most hotels offer as a complimentary breakfast. Our tab came out to $ 6 with the extra bloody marys we ordered. Overall, there were some hiccups in the experience and the bartender is truthfully the only reason I’m not giving them a 5 star rating, but if I stay at any point in the future, I hope those issues will be solved.

Loved our 5 night stay! 4 nights were in one of the rooms with a gas fireplace. Just loved it. Great location (despite cold weather) — just a few blocks from the Capitol and State St — but isolated from campus.
Proximity of Railroad was not intrusive — got used to the noise which was only for a couple of minutes — only a few times per day.
LOVED the breakfast nook and deli downstairs for weekday breakfast!
It was bitter cold outside for our stay — but right next to Essen Haus (awesome) and the weekend breakfasts at the ‘Come Back In’ were really excellent with really big portions and excellent and friendly service.
Normally we NEVER stay at the same B&B twice (habit) — but planning to stay here again for next Downtown Madison stay. Nice and Romantic.

The Ruby Marie has character, with everything that means for you. It’s in an old building, and they’ve kept as many of the details as they can — cool old room layouts, converted gas fireplaces in the rooms, old furniture — and I can’t remember the last time I saw one of those chains you pull to flush the toilet. It’s very clean. Weekday breakfasts are wonderful pastries from the bakery downstairs, weekends apparently mean breakfast at the Come Back In. Appreciated the drinks at the Up North, too. Just know that Ruby Marie is not a quiet experience, between the bar noise (don’t forget to ask for a room that isn’t over the bar), the traffic noise (the fan helps), the trains, and the noisy floorboards. Sleep might be a challenge. I get why people like it here so much, though — it’s very casual and laid back and friendly. It’s convenient to the square and Willy Street. You can find bikes across the street and this is a VERY bike-​friendly city. There are so many amazing restaurants in walking distance, I can’t begin to name them.
I just need my sleep is all.

I kind of just want to move into the Hotel Ruby Marie. I liked it that much.
It may not be a typical five star experience kind of place and it truly may only be five stars to me because I like staying in places that I think are:
a) possibly haunted
b) possibly decorated with furniture and photos from the turn of the (20^th) century
c) run by some of the nicest people around
I stayed in a gargantuan room for a very reasonable rate. Not only did I have a king size bed, I had a heart shaped jacuzzi tub that I could almost swim in and a little dining area. Breakfast was even included! (Not in my room though, it was in a common area.)
The hotel is located above a bar which is convenient and they offer room service if you want. I didn’t have a chance to try it as I was in and out of there, but rest assured fried cheese curds ARE on the menu.
I would be totally happy to stay at Hotel Ruby Marie exclusively on my trips to Madison, but be aware it’s more like staying at a hotel run by your very friendly grandma and not by Mr. Hilton.

Hotel Ruby Marie was the delightful little hotel we stayed at during an overnight trip to Madison.
It’s not big enough to be called a hotel, and it’s too large to be called a bed and breakfast, so I would classify it as an inn. If you look up the word ‘quaint’ in the dictionary, I’m pretty sure you’d find a picture of the Hotel Ruby Marie next to the listing.
The rooms are charming. We managed to get a corner room which had a fireplace and a separate sitting area. The bed was quite comfortable and the shower and jacuzzi had great water pressure. Those are non-​negotiables for me, and Ruby Marie passed with flying colors.
The inn also houses a couple bars and restaurants, all of which were casual and laid-​back. Continental breakfast on weekdays and full breakfast on the weekends is included in the room price, as are two free drink coupons, and free parking.
My only gripe is that their wi-​fi was frightfully slow. We had to look up directions to a few places and it took forever for the maps to load. It was only a mild inconvenience since we weren’t intending on spending an inordinate amount of time glued to the computer, but if you’re one of those people that needs to stay connected 24/​7, you may find this annoying.
I wouldn’t hesitate to go back to the Hotel Ruby Marie. If you prefer old-​world charm to a boring, nondescript hotel chain, you should definitely consider staying here. I venture to say it’s more reasonably priced too; we spent just $ 100 for one night’s stay.