my husband and i are trying to find a unique hotel in new orleans. we would ideally like to find something that's older with some character, not all these corporate hotels. we aren't interested in a b&b either. the catch, it has to be $100 or less. does anyone have any suggestions? thanks-carla

When are you traveling, Carla? If it's not during the summer, it will be very difficult to find any hotel in a good area for less than $100.

Hi,

Try the Queen & Crescent on Camp. (www.queenandcrescent.com) It's a well-kept secret. Its an old hotel thats been renovated very well. Boutique hotel feel without the boutique price. Its in the business district very near the quarter.

I stayed at the Queen & Crescent just like week. If you like small rooms that aren't cleaned, it's a great hotel.

Get ahold of a AAA Travelbook and they list all the prices for the summer discounts, etc. I would not recommend Hotel Provincial based on a dispositive experience staying with them last month, i.e., paying for a so-called "deluxe" category like $30 per night extra, and getting a "standard" room. We'd booked 6 months in advance, made clear that we wanted an upgraded room, and still got a crappy room for a higher price. I like Richelieu on Chartres Street, and Chateau Inn is supposed to be good. I think you may be able to get the $100 rate there.

I meant to say Chateau Motor Hotel.

Has anyone stayed at the Columns Hotel? We go for drinks there--on the big porch under the magnolia tree. It's where Pretty Baby was filmed. It might be more like a B&B than you want, but I understand that the rooms are fairly inexpensive (maybe they're in need of renovation???) It's on St. Charles, just to the Uptown side of the Garden District.

I don't know if it's exactly what you want but check out Maison St. Charles.

Carla - I guess I should have told you that Maison St. Charles is a Quallity Inn, but it's not a new building. I recently recommended the place to friends who really enjoyed it and got a great rate. They have a website at www.maisonstcharles.com. It's not in the Quarter, but it's not very far uptown and is right on the streetcar line.

We just got back from NO and stayed at the Hotel Provincial on Chartres,...

Excellent value...clean rooms, beautiful pool, great location(quiet) and very friendly staff...
would go back again

I'm curious where your room was located, because the first room they showed us to in the very back building was extremely dingy, very cramped, with one king bed, one nightstand, no room to walk around the bed (I'm not exaggerating) and reeked of cigarette smoke, so I demanded to be moved, especially because it was costing us approximately $165 per night, and on the web the day before we left I noticed rooms for $99 per night. In fact, I'd noticed that price for sometime before we left, because I checked turbotrip everyday for a month.
So, they told us that WAS the deluxe room. Well, I begged to differ.
So then they told us we could stay in this other room near the pool, and yes, it was more what I had in mind. Decorated very nice, but when we pulled back the sheets at night, there were blood stains all over the pillowcase, and on the upper part of the sheets!
I've never seen that before in any hotel or motel. So anyway, then they made us move after two days, because for some reason that particular room was promised out, even though we felt that that's more the kind of room we'd paid for. That was the 100 building. Then ultimately, they moved us to the 300 building which faced Ursuline Street, and we did like that area the best. Although the room was cute, now we had a double bed, and not the king deluxe room that we had paid for, so in that regard I was very annoyed at how we got the run-around. Please understand, I do not like paying a high price, and then not getting what I paid for. When I initially made my reservation I told the lady that I wanted a deluxe, or premium room, that I wanted a courtyard view, and she responded that, "Oh, then that's a deluxe king that you want, and that will be X number of dollars more than our "Standard" rooms.
That is why I will not recommend this motel. You will run the risk of not getting what you truly paid for.