I have procrastinated and now having difficulty choosing hotel.

The Intercontinental looks great and has excellent reviews and rates for our time frame, but is not in the French Quarter.
Intercontinental New Orleans - Hotels in New Orleans
444 St .Charles Ave

Hotel Provincial on Rue Chartres also looks lovely with old world charm, great reviews and is in the French Quarter.
They are a bit more expensive and have only three nights available for our four night stay. I have a refundable booking for the three nights there.

We are getting in very late the first night, so could stay someplace else for one night, or even close to the airport and go into NO the next morning, find another hotel or just stay at the Intercontinental all four nights. I am leaning towards the IC the first night and the Provincial the last three. It would be a bit inconvenient, but done with. Get in late, sleep, have swim. Change hotels.
Opinions, please. Thank you.

I would stay near the airport since it's a very late flight, assuming you get a great deal out there. Use that savings to help feel better about spending more at Hotel Provincial the next 3 nights.

I'd stay at the IC the first night and then move to the Hotel Provencial. I wouldn't stay out at the airport just because then in the morning you'll still be at the airport and have to come into town - it will feel like a wasted morning. If you stay at the IC, you'll already be where you want to be. Get up, have a nice breakfast, do some sightseeing in the morning like you normally would. Since you will be in the Central Business District, near the St Charles Streetcar line, maybe take the streetcar uptown and enjoy the views, have breakfast in or near the Garden District, wander around the GD a bit. If you like walking tours, maybe take a walking tour of the area. When you check out of the IC, you can either have them hold your bags until you check into the Provencial, or you can take your bags over to the Provencial and have them hold them until check in. Just a matter of how you want to work it based on where you decide to go that day. If you go uptown that day, I'd probably just leave the bags at the IC - come back for them later in the day and take a taxi over to the Provencial when it's time to check in there.

I agree with november_moon.

At the IC, you'll be a 10-minute walk from Willa Jean, which is a great breakfast place.

menu ? Willa Jean

Or go directly to the Garden District and eat at the iconic Camellia Grill.

Camellia Grill | New Orleans | Restaurant

Thank you all. We will go ahead into town so as to wake up in the city.Thank you for the restaurant REC's. DH loves breakfast out. I have read TRs too, so looking forward to this little break.

Rain is predicted every day, but we won't melt. Any particular advice for rainy day activities?

Yes - the World War II Museum, which is FANTASTIC!!!!!

I like your hotel plan and heartily second the recommendation for the WW II museum.

House tours make great rainy day activity too - Herman-Grimma and Beauregard-Keyes are my favorites.

Or a plantation tour. NM, I’ve not been to either of those homes - next trip!!

sf - Yes, definitely take a tour of those houses. Lots of interesting information. And the H-G has a neat gift shop - it's not very big, but they have some locally-made things in there.

Personally, I wouldn’t prioritize the French Quarter and save the money and use Uber instead.