Talbot

I guess the discount rate I found on expedia should have been a clue. I've stayed at this property once before (2yrs ago). Overall, it's very nice and certainly one of the nicer hotels in NOLA. "Best in the World"...don't think so. As one previous review posted, the place needs some attention and TLC. My wife and I stayed in one of the full suites (~$500-600/night) for about $250/night. There was a bottle of champagne on arrival which was a pleasant surprise. The room was quite large, very clean, and nightly turn-down was nice. The staff was very helpful although the concierge was a bit snooty. The details, which make a truly world-class property stand out, were lacking. There was a small kitchenette? in the suite with an old-looking stove and standard GE 'fridge complete with partially detatched trim hanging off. The wallpaper was pealing, the carpet seemed worn, the panel on top of the pop-up TV was off and askew, the door-knobs wiggled, the drapery was coming detatched from the track such that sunlight poured in through scattered openings on the ends, middle, etc. See, nothing major...just lots of little things that add up in a hotel that boasts a world-class reputation. Positives? Suite service was excellent. Had breakfast in the room daily which was exquisite...A+ (even for NOLA standards). Advice to travelers? If you get a good rate, it's still a nice place. Wouldn't pay rack rate! Unfortunately, for the WC, the Ritz-Carlton up Canal near the theatre is AMAZING! If you want the best NOLA has to offer as far as hotels are concerned, that's the place! Feel free to drop me a line with questions.

travleis

The Ritz Carlton is nice, but not "amazing" in my opinion. Rooms very small, very few with decent view, bad shower curtains, small bathroom. Good location, newer (remodeled) hotel, great service.
I can recommend the RC NOLA relatively highly, but the Iberville Suites, adjacent to the RC, is a step above the RC for luxury and service. But the RC is still rated the only AAA 5 diamond hotel in NOLA because of the wide array of amenities it offers (which boutique hotels typically don't).

Dan

The Maison Orleans is the Ritz Carlton New Orleans' upscale brand. Iberville Suites is the lower-end suite property which certainly isn't nicer than the Ritz.

Windsor Court is probably due for a renovation soon, especially with the new Loews property opening in the fall and the rebranding of the Meridien as the JW Marriott. They will fix the little issues Talbot described.

bigjay

Dan,
Hold on....The Grand aka Meridien is now going to converted to a JW??? Interesting news for us, we like the Hilton (location) and the Meridien(not as busy as the Marriott). RC is too far from the river for us and the WC too expensive for my taste. Do you have a URL on the old Meridien changing to a JW? Thanks.

Dan

The Meridien-Grand-JW story was in the Times Picayune (local paper) last week. There are some legal issues still unresolved from when the hotel owners kicked out Meridien, and now the Ritz Carlton owners are suing Marriott to keep the JW name off of the Meridien as it would "harm" the Ritz. (Ritz is a Marriott subsidiary). SO, who knows. I'm just reporting what the paper said and what I'm hearing at work (hotel).

Dan

from the Picayune online:

http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf...12700.xml?nola

bigjay

Hey Dan,
Thanks, this should be interesting on how this plays out. Hilton should be sucking some wind also along with the RC but they(Hilton) still have the location.
Good reading. thanks

Bri_Neelan

The new Loews will be very nice according to a local friend who's one of the designers for the project. They are spending a lot of money on this hotel and expect room rates in the $250-400 range! Out of my bracket but should be lovely nonetheless.

DobiesRule

Thanks for the info!!! We stayed at the Maison Orleans back in January and I loved it. We were considering the WC for our next trip, but after reading your post decided against it. The only thing I didn't like about the Maison Orleans, is the lack of a microwave and fridge. I know it is an upscale property, but I always have left overs and would like to be able to bring them back to the room