Oct 25, 2007
The prices plummet, and yet the partying picks up, during the month of December in New Orleans
For reasons hard to explain, travel slumps to Las Vegas in the month of December, and it does the same to New Orleans. But the Big Easy fights back by offering a program of hotel discounts known as "Papa Noel Rates" (Papa Noel being the Cajun equivalent of Santa Claus). These will be back this year, and in December it's possible to stay for well under $100 per night at fine hotels in New Orleans' most exciting neighborhoods.
The city's official tourism website, www.neworleansonline.com, lists 48 participating hotels, including 22 in the French Quarter. The Holiday Inn French Quarter, for one, located just a block from Bourbon Street, has free parking and promotional Papa Noel rates starting at just $69 per night throughout December. By comparison, a recent search for a random day in October revealed the hotel's best price was $120 a night. (Papa Noel rates must be booked directly with the hotel; call tel. 800/747-3279 or visit www.hi-frenchquarter.com for the Holiday Inn.)
Another excellent hotel brand, Hilton Garden Inn, offers special rates of $59 throughout December at two Big Easy locations: one near the convention center, the other on Gravier Street, two blocks from Bourbon Street (tel. 877/782-9444; www.hilton.com). Many boutique-style hotels are available for under $100, as are certain luxurious and historic properties. The InterContinental New Orleans has rooms for $99 (tel. 504/525-5566; www.new-orleans.intercontinental.com), and the four-diamond-rated Le Pavillon Hotel -- a member of Historic Hotels of America and Leading Hotels of the World -- starts at only $89 if there is availability (tel. 800/535-9095; www.lepavillon.com).
Add to those values the December advantages of a much less crowded French Quarter, uncrowded restaurants, uncrowded jazz clubs, and a speeded-up schedule of events. Famous Jackson Square hosts free concerts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays leading up to Christmas, with local choirs performing jazz and gospel starting at 6pm. A special candle-lit night of caroling takes place at Jackson Square on December 16; everyone attending receives a song sheet and a candle, free of charge.
For more on New Orleans during the winter holidays, contact French Quarter Festivals, Inc., at tel. 800/673-5725 or www.fqfi.org. The organization lists all sorts of happenings, including free cooking demonstrations by renowned area chefs, assorted concerts, tours, book signings, steamboat rides, and even a day for decorating gingerbread houses. For New Orleans, December is a top month.
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The city's official tourism website, www.neworleansonline.com, lists 48 participating hotels, including 22 in the French Quarter. The Holiday Inn French Quarter, for one, located just a block from Bourbon Street, has free parking and promotional Papa Noel rates starting at just $69 per night throughout December. By comparison, a recent search for a random day in October revealed the hotel's best price was $120 a night. (Papa Noel rates must be booked directly with the hotel; call tel. 800/747-3279 or visit www.hi-frenchquarter.com for the Holiday Inn.)
Another excellent hotel brand, Hilton Garden Inn, offers special rates of $59 throughout December at two Big Easy locations: one near the convention center, the other on Gravier Street, two blocks from Bourbon Street (tel. 877/782-9444; www.hilton.com). Many boutique-style hotels are available for under $100, as are certain luxurious and historic properties. The InterContinental New Orleans has rooms for $99 (tel. 504/525-5566; www.new-orleans.intercontinental.com), and the four-diamond-rated Le Pavillon Hotel -- a member of Historic Hotels of America and Leading Hotels of the World -- starts at only $89 if there is availability (tel. 800/535-9095; www.lepavillon.com).
Add to those values the December advantages of a much less crowded French Quarter, uncrowded restaurants, uncrowded jazz clubs, and a speeded-up schedule of events. Famous Jackson Square hosts free concerts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays leading up to Christmas, with local choirs performing jazz and gospel starting at 6pm. A special candle-lit night of caroling takes place at Jackson Square on December 16; everyone attending receives a song sheet and a candle, free of charge.
For more on New Orleans during the winter holidays, contact French Quarter Festivals, Inc., at tel. 800/673-5725 or www.fqfi.org. The organization lists all sorts of happenings, including free cooking demonstrations by renowned area chefs, assorted concerts, tours, book signings, steamboat rides, and even a day for decorating gingerbread houses. For New Orleans, December is a top month.
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Labels: new orleans
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