Hotels, Inns, Hostels, Bed-and-Breakfasts

The Cornstalk Fence Hotel, a landmark on Royal Street

Where to stay when visiting New Orleans can be a challenge, depending on when you're interesting in coming to town. If you're looking for lodging for Carnival or Jazz Fest, and the big day is two weeks away, I guarantee you you're out of luck. New Orleans has become a major tourism and convention destination. As such, hotels get booked up fast. There was a cardiologists' convention a couple of years ago that took up so many downtown hotel rooms that a federal district court jury had to be put up in Houma for a night because that was the closest thing available! In other words, plan early. If you do your homework, you'll get a hotel, guest house, or bed-and-breakfast that'll make for pleasant memories. If you've got any thoughts on lodgings in New Orleans you'd like to share with us, please drop us a line. We're starting to compile a database of user comments that we'll share with others.

Lodging in New Orleans.

As one of the major tourist destinations in the USA  New Orleans has visitor lodging and accommodation to suit all budgets and for all purposes; whether you’re there on business, a vacation or just want to be there for the famous Carnival and Mardi Gras. Whilst booking well in advance for lodgings during the periods of the Carnival and Mardi Gras is to be recommended; the city is also acquiring quite a reputation for putting on good St Patrick’s Day parades and Halloween carnivals, not forgetting of course the Jazz Festival in late April and early May.

Starting at the top price range - two of the best places to stay in New Orleans are as follows:
Le Pavillon, on Poydras Avenue, was originally built in 1907 and has an exquisite marble lobby, plush dining rooms and a roof-top pool. Probably more convenient for business visitors this hotel is close to the Union Railway Station and the Louisiana Superdome; making it about a twenty minute walk away from the French Quarter. Many of its suites have special features in them such as a 17th century fireplace mantle carved in mahogany, that was once installed in a Scottish Castle; whilst the marble and onyx balustrade in the lounge is of the very finest Siena marble. The price for a night here starts at $150 for a basic room rising to around $350 for one of the best suites. However, by booking early and ‘out-of-season’ you can get some great deals.
The Omni Royal Orleans is another of the top places to look for accommodation in New Orleans. Not what you’d call a lodging house, prices for a night here start at $120 - but again there’s always a ‘deal’ to be had. Located on St Louis Street this place is in the French Quarter and very convenient for all the tourist hot-spots. Reputed to have the best furnishings and in-room facilities of any hotel in the French Quarter there’s also a rooftop observation deck and spa.

It’s difficult to pick out just a couple of mid-range hotels in New Orleans, but two of the more interesting places for lodgings are:
Hotel St Pierre , on Burgundy Street - not only is this in the French Quarter but the hotel is actually a collection of original Creole cottages dating back to the 1780s. The 74 rooms are fully modernized and the hotel does have its own swimming pool. A couple of other interesting points about this place include the fact that Louis Armstrong has stayed there and Tennessee Williams lived across the road from it. Booked in advance rooms can be as cheap as $70, but peak season expect to pay up to $100.
The Lafitte Guest House might sound more like the sort of place to take lodgings, but it is in fact a hotel on Bourbon Street. Deals for rooms here start at $100 a night and can rise to over $150 for larger rooms with a balcony. But, then you are staying in the heart of the French Quarter, in what was a French manor house built in 1849 and has an exclusive feel about it with only 14 rooms.

A great deal for budget lodgings in New Orleans is The Prytania Park Hotel. Although some distance from the French Quarter this small hotel does offer its residents a free shuttle service to and from it. Add to that the fact that it’s only a block away from the streetcar line and is housed in a building dating back to the 1850s; all in all means you can get a really good experience of lodging in New Orleans in a truly historic building. A basic room here is about $60 a night, but they do also have a master suite at $200 a night.

With four state parks within half an hour of New Orleans there are plenty of camp sites for those of you preferring the outdoor life of the traveler; offering toilets, hot shower-blocks, hook-ups and camping all for well under $20 a night. The St Bernard Parish State Park or the New Orleans West KOA are recommended, the latter of which also offers a free shuttle to the French Quarter.