Hi there! My dh and I will be going to New Orleans for our year anniversary in October. Today I booked the Omni Royal Orleans because I nabbed a good entertainment book deal and I liked the location. The only negative I've heard thus far is that the Omni has smaller rooms.

I'm wondering if another hotel would be better b/c they have balconies (such as Hotel St Marie, Ramada, Hotel Ste Helene). I think a balcony would be fun, but from the pictures on the websites they don't look like they are private or anything. I was kind of picturing somewhere that you could have breakfast overlooking the street, or stand out there at night to people watch. I'm wondering if a balcony is worth the extra $50-100 a night. I know that everyone's preference is different but please offer your advice. This is our first time to New Orleans and I'd like to make it special Thanks!

We too are visiting New Orleans for the first time. . .over New Year's. The Omni Royal is on my short list. The Omni Royal website lists several rooms with balconies. I think these rooms are only about $20 more than a room with just a view.

We stay at the Ramada in rooms with balconies overlooking Bourbon. There are some shared balconies and quite a few that are singles, but those tend to be very tiny and don't have a table to put your "stuff" on. Our big thing in New Orleans is people-watching so we always spring the extra for a balcony room and to us it's very much worth it. Let us know if you have any more questions and enjoy the city!

The Omni Royal Orleans is a classic N.O. hotel. It's expensive but probably worth it! I would splurge for the balcony room.

I stayed at the Omni a couple of years ago and really liked it. I would definitely stay there again. The King Deluxe rooms with balconies are a good size .... I've heard the queen rooms are very small. The balconies are also a good size and are on the 2nd and 4th floors ... I would prefer the ones on the second floor. We ended up with one on the 4th floor which was OK but a little high up for people watching in the streets. It's definitely worth it to pay extra for a balcony room. Also, the Omni has a nice roof-top swimming pool with great views of the Quarter and river from the rooftop. The location is perfect ... right in the heart of the Quarter on one of the nicest streets (Royal) a block or so away from Bourbon (which can be extremely loud if you have a room overlooking Bourbon, unless that's what you want, of course!) It's also within easy walking distance to Jackson Square, the riverfront, and lots of great restaurants.