Holiday Inn

We did the «park and cruise» package as we needed a place to stay before our cruise left NOLA. Dude, it’s $ 150 for 1 night and a week’s parking in the garage. You’d pay that much for the parking alone! Totally worth it.
So even if the room weren’t essentially free because of the parking, still a great deal! I found a room on Priceline at this hotel for like 70 – 80, but cruise package was worth it.
Prime location, right off canal & 1 block away from bourbon street. Indoor pool, friendly and VERY busy staff, restaurant/​bar «in» the hotel… but technically next door to it. No need to go there though, as all the good places are within a 10 minute walk or closer.
Sure it’s a holiday inn so you know what to expect from the rooms. But they were clean, comfortable, and decently roomy. Good bathroom too. Besides, who hangs out in their hotel room anyway in New Orleans? Great stay, totally recommended.

We were charged a fee for smoking in the room when we had been gone since 9am that morning!!! WTF, I spoke with management who were not helpful and said someone reported our room and they charged the card on-file…with no investigation into the fact we had taken our car from Valet that morning and had not been to the room the whole day! SHADY MANAGEMENT DO NOT STAY HERE AND LET THEM TAKE YOU’RE $!

My husband and I recently stayed here for Mardi Gras 2013 for five nights.
The Positives:
The hotel is in a GREAT location! It’s a block away from Bourbon Street and a block away from Canal. Everything was in walking distance. We didn’t have to go far to find food and entertainment. It was great. Most of the parade routes were usually a block or two from the hotel.
The hotel was clean and the staff pretty friendly and helpful. They also have HBO which is a plus. Our view was awesome, too!
The Negatives:
Their wi-​fi was pretty slow. We actually logged into the other Holiday Inn’s wi-​fi and it was much faster (much faster being ²⁄₅ bars).
The maid service was alright. They cleaned our room ⁴⁄₅ nights. One day we got up at 10AM, left the room, returned for about an hour around 1PM and the room had not been cleaned. We left again around 2PM and got back later and the room still hadn’t been cleaned… We were gone in like two five hour windows during the day and the room had not been cleaned.
During Mardi Gras they have extra security by the front. They lock both the front doors so everyone has to enter through the side, however there’s security there. They hassled us multiple times for coming into the hotel without a wristband. We were supposed to go to the front desk and get a wristband. WTF? I’m sorry but I’m not going out of my way to get a wristband. They should get rid of the security or hand wristbands when you’re walking out the door. That was very annoying.
One reason why this security idea is so ironic is that the elevators have security in them… You need to have a room key to access «guest floors». So every time you enter the elevator, you have to have a room key. Like thieves are too lazy to take the stairs or something…
Last but not least, the elevators were a HUGE issue. They supposedly had three but it felt like the whole time only one was working. We’d have to wait and wait for the elevator to reach our floor. A few times from the pool, we just took the stairs. We’d joke with everyone about the elevators because they were such an issue. Some of the time, the elevators would be so full we couldn’t go and we’d have to wait again.

All of the staff here were pretty helpful and friendly. The hotel is in a good location, given that it’s in the middle of the French Quarter. With that said, just be ready to run into drunks and drug addicts. On another note, if you drive, just know that the streets/​alleys are so narrow. If I am ever back in New Orleans, I’d stay here again.

I’m never staying here again! Enough said. The only reason they r in business is because they are the cheapest.

****Pictures of my insect bites can be found in the Photo Section*****
This Hotel experience was one of the worst hotel experiences I have ever had. Every facet of our stay was totally sub-​standard and completely inexcusable. Here is a laundry list of the things that went wrong: We called to confirm double beds on the way, and were told that they couldn’t do anything over the phone. Then we were put in a King suite with a foldout bed. I slept in said foldout bed, and woke up with bug bites all over the left side of my body. The manager said they would call an exterminator to determine if there were bugs, basically calling me a liar. Then they switched us to a room across the building. We could see into our old room and saw that housekeeping had flipped the couch on its side and were obviously cleaning it before the exterminator got there. The entire time, the complimentary internet access was spotty and unreliable.
We called the front desk, and received no answer several times. Then, for shampoo, they transferred us to a non-​english speaking housekeeper who said they would bring it, even though he didn’t know our room number. We ordered room service and were transferred four times. Then we were assured it would take no more than 20 minutes. It arrived cold, an hour later, and the order was wrong.
There are only 3 elevators which take forever. Late at night you have to wait in line to get back to your room. The plug in the bathtub didn’t work. We called the front desk to ask for a cab, and were told there was one coming. Then when we got down there, the front desk person was rude to us, and said that we obviously hadn’t talked to her, and that she wouldn’t call us a cab. Lastly, the tray from our room service stayed outside our door for about 12 hours.
This Holiday Inn is mis-​managed, dirty, and utterly unsatisfactory. We have called corporate and will be fighting the charges for our stay.

The location is perfect for restaurants, drinking on bourbon street or shopping on royal. Love the garage attached to hotel, no waiting for your car. This is not a new shiny place, but the furniture in my room was new, bed was comfy and while bathroom was showing age, it was cleaned free of mold. I’d come back on biz trip again, but think the 5star hotels are worth the price of you are on romantic trip.

It is all about location and this hotel is exactly where it should be located. It is right off of Canal and a block away from Bourbon street. The streetcar to take you to the Garden District stops about a block away. Everything in the French Quarter is not a far walk at all.
We stayed there a few weeks before Mardi Gras and the rates for this hotel were better than we imagined given it’s location. The price we paid was an outstanding value. The hotel was showing obvious signs of some wear and tear but it was very clean and tidy. All of the staff did a great job and made us feel welcome. Our room was neat and clean and everything was in fine working order.
I think that the next time we are down this way this is going to be one of he first places that we check out for vacancies.

Not a bad hotel at all. Also known as the Holiday Inn New Orleans French Quarter. Some friends and I stayed here when we drove down for Mardi Gras Weekend.
The best thing about this hotel is the location, hands down. It’s on the corner of Royal and Canal, right in the middle of the French Quarter, just one street down from Bourbon. Perfect stumbling distance from all the bars and craziness.
They gouged the hell out of us on the price, but for having made a drunken, snap decision to go to New Orleans less than a week before, we were lucky to find anything at all. So although it hurt my wallet, I suppose that’s a plus.
The front desk staff was very helpful and polite, as were the doormen and the ladies who ran the restaurant next door. I wish I could say the same about the lady who checked us in and out of the parking garage. I don’t know what her deal was, but she made it seem like she was doing the biggest chore in the world. Anyway.
The rooms themselves were decent, not great, but not bad. The beds were comfortable, and the windows looked out onto Uptown.
If you plan well in advance, you could probably find another hotel that’s also in a great location and is even nicer, but this Holiday Inn ain’t bad at all. Plus, the cool thing about the French Quarter is that it’s very walkable, so anywhere within several blocks should do you just fine.

I’m a big fan of this location. The front desk folks and the concierge were pleasant and helpful. It was a great deal that I got via Hotwire. I’d definitely stay here again. The rooms were clean. The pool was almost always empty, which was awesome for me. The fitness center is tiny.
The big plus in this experience was the location. It was awesome. You’re blocks away from all things awesome in the French Quarter.

I found the cleanliness of the rooms to be fine. It was also extremely quiet to my surprise. Think it must be the best deal bear the French quarter especially during slow times. That said the number of homeless, beggars, drunks and general thugs on the street and surrounding streets was surprising and I grew up in NYC! I suppose it’s true of any hotel in the area just don’t remember this in my previous 8 – 9 trips. Old school televisions in rooms but who cares that’s not what the big easy is all about!
As mentioned in another posting the Internet here is worthless as they must use use an old DSL line for the whole building. If you need to to work or use the Internet reliably this may be a problem.
Those with cars should know that parking is an additional $ 28 per day.

Location is great! The employees at the front desk are pretty helpful. But nothing else is very impressive.
Stayed here for about 5 days for a convention. The employees were very helpful at check in. The doorman said if our room wasn’t ready he would hold our bags for us. But luckily our room was ready at 8 AM in the morning.
The rooms are nothing fancy and semi-​clean. My roommates thought their sheet smelled a little funny. They requested they be changed and they were without problem. Whenever we needed towels or anything else they were very quick to bring them up to us.
The room hasn’t been remodeled since the early 90’s. Not much closest space which made it hard for 3 people to hang up their clothes for 5 days of a business conference.
Most hotels now put a mirror over the desk area in the living space so multiple people can get ready at once. These rooms only had one long mirror outside the bathroom not close to a table.
The only bad thing about staying in the French Quarter is it is loud… always… even on the 14^th floor. We had homeless men outside the hotel playing «drums» that we heard loud and clear on the 14^th floor.
Employees were very helpful when we were checking out. We had some special requests with our bills so we could be reimbursed when we got back to Houston.
Would recommend for a long weekend trip to NOLA, but was hard to stay in for 5 days.

This review is for the Holiday Inn French Quarter on Royal Street. It’s not a 4 star hotel, obviously, because it’s a Holiday Inn, but I had a 4 star experience.
The hotel is clean, affordable, comfortable and quiet and the staff was friendly. There are computers in the lobby to use and the hotel offers free wi-​fi. There is a gym and a pool although we only used both briefly. The beds were comfortable.
I don’t know too many people who go to New Orleans just to stay in a hotel room though, so aside from a clean, comfortable and quiet room, my main concern is convenience.
This hotel is perfectly located for just about everything. It is not on Bourbon Street which is great, in my opinion, because it’s more quiet. It is parallel to Bourbon though, so it’s a very quick walk. It’s a quick walk to Canal St and Jackson Sq and pretty much anywhere in the French Quarter. We walked to the casino, to the shopping center by the Mississippi, to Jackson Sq., to the French Market … we pretty much walked everywhere. We did not need to rent a car — in fact, I’d advise against it if this if your first time visiting New Orleans. It’s also convenient to Audubon Park and Audubon Zoo and you only need to walk to the St Charles streetcar stop and pay $ 1.25 to take it. Even if you don’t get off, it’s a fun, picturesque ride. Basically, anywhere you want to go, this hotel is conveniently located, affordable and quiet. The only thing that is awful about it is the Checkered Parrot. I think it’s somehow connected to the hotel but I would never ever ever go there again, no matter how convenient it seems. Otherwise, definitely stay here if you’re just looking for a comfortable place to stay while exploring the city.

Maybe it’s because I don’t stay at fancy schmancy hotels on the regular, but I have pretty modest expectations when it comes to hotels. I think some people are far too picky and want everything to be the Ritz. For under $ 200 a night, you will not be sleeping in the lap of luxury. But you will find a nice, clean room that is a decent size, friendly staff, free wi-​fi, and an indoor pool. And a very comfy bed, which seems to be standard for Holiday Inns. They also seem to have made some upgrades since I was last here in 2009 — new paint jobs, new carpet in the hallways, that sort of thing. It just feels «newer.»
The major bonus to this Holiday Inn is its location. You are within walking distance of everything in the French Quarter (and Frenchman Street, if you don’t mind a hike). You are also right on the edge of the CBD (Central Business District) and can walk to Harrah’s, the Aquarium, the businesses on Canal Street, the St. Charles streetcar, and a plethora of other wonderful New Orleans things. Royal Street is also one of the quieter areas of the Quarter, so you are pretty insulated from the Bourbon Street chaos but still close enough to partake if that’s your thing.
Yes, there can be some sketchy characters around the hotel. This is partly due to the liquor store that is directly across the street. But if you have an issue with sketch then what are you doing in New Orleans? I never felt unsafe while going to and from the hotel, and we were out at all hours of the day and night.
Also, if you (or in my case, your spouse) happen to be a government employee they have an AWESOME rate. You will also get free parking (it’s regularly $ 26.00/day. Yikes. But you don’t really need a car in New Orleans.)
But when you get right down to it, New Orleans is such an amazing city that you shouldn’t be spending time in the hotel! Take advantage of the great location and laissez le bon temps rouler!

good value for the price because of it’s location. Didn’t need to take a taxi at all in French Quarter. The hotel is SAFE and the workers are friendly. I’m reading here that people are complaining about smell? Personally I didn’t smell a thing. Our room was nice and clean, good view of the city.
My only complaint is that we were over charged for our stay and it took them a long time for refund it. If you call their front desk they will send you to five different people who can’t help you. MY ADVISE — just speak to the manager of the hotel or call the holiday inn customer service to get things done quicker.
Besides that, our accommodations were A — OK nothing special but nothing bad.

I don’t know what people expect when they stay at a hotel. What I expect is a clean place, quiet, and professional people running things. I got all of those when I recently stayed here.
The room was clean. It served my needs which were to sleep at night and to shower in the morning. Nothing more was needed for me. The few times I did need something or had a question to ask, the front desk and/​or concierge were both able to assist quickly. The only nit I have to pick is that I really wanted a late checkout, but they did not tell me until the final day that «late check out» is noon, only 1 hour later. However, you can check your luggage there and pick it up later if needed.
Overall, it’s a great location for those who want to stay in the French Quarter, as well as explore the Warehouse District.

Ok… so this place is a GREAT location and the people who work here are friendly and helpful.
Here’s why I won’t stay here again:
They didn’t service our rooms until after 4pm everyday (we left every morning by 10am)… and when they did… they didn’t provide new towels (while they were doing the room)… or they forgot to replace the ones they took. We came back at 6:30pm to find our bathroom devoid of any fresh towels… we had to call the front desk who sounded confused why I’d want to talk to Housekeeping… he asked Why a bit indignantly… to which I replied we had no towels… 20 minutes later they delivered warm towels… so the warm towels were nice.
The next day… we got back at 4pm… and our room had not been serviced… so we left and came back to almost the same thing… and as I was about to call down again… the housekeeping person delivered the towels.
The elevator is a little tricky… especially when the front desk doesn’t explain that you need to put the card in and take it out and then select your floor. I guess that’s how they play tricks with the drunk people.
The bed was a bit lumpy… but we were so tired each night that we fell asleep easily anyways.
The heater/​AC thing was noisy… and since it was HOT (90 degrees and 70% humidity) the weekend we were there… we had to run the AC in order not to swelter.
The last night I was there… there was a large insect trying to come out through the sink overflow opening. It had long hairy nasty looking legs… so I stuffed the hole with kleenex so that it couldn’t crawl out. Needless to say, I did not sleep well that night.

Location is fire!
But…the rooms were nasty. For a million dollars, I wouldn’t walk barefoot on their carpet. Blacklight sea monkey discovery galore.
My man made the rez. Due to a huge convention, the hotels were practically sold out. I quickly let him know he was not allowed to make reservations again. EVER.
The room smelled like a old dirty powdered ass. Probably due to a nasty smoker. Also, we had no housekeeping for 2 days in a row.
The lobby is great people watching. Liquid courage and lots of fools.
My advice, check out the location of this ho-​tel and find something in the area that has better reviews.

Not the cleanest. I agree with other Unilocalers. Kind of old and in disrepair, but it got the job done.

(Visited the hotel during Halloween 2009)
I did not experience the horror stories others have mentioned about this hotel. Yes — this wasnt the prettiest hotel ever, but it is a Holiday Inn after all.
The location is great, right in Canal street and just blocks away from Bourbon. Royal street itself is actually quite nice as you continue walking into it. The rooms were actually very roomy — the bathroom was ok. Everything seemed clean — and the service was a bit intrusive in the morning, so I recommend you hang the dont disturbe sign!