Hotels

If you're doing your New Orleans trip right, you shouldn't be doing much sleeping. But you do have to put your change of clothes somewhere. Fortunately, New Orleans is bursting with hotels of every variety (though increasingly of the brand-name chain sort), so you should be able to find something that fits your preferences. The path of Hurricane Katrina and the resulting flooding meant that the main areas of the city with the largest concentration of hotels were largely unscathed or at least sustained repairable damage. Hotels that had minor leaks and the like that could be treated or repaired easily reopened almost immediately. By mid-2006, more than 30,000 hotel rooms in downtown were back in business.

And how do those New Orleans hotels look? Pretty much the same as always, and in some cases, even better, as some properties took advantage of the downtime to upgrade. Further, many hotels have dropped their prices in an attempt to lure back tourists. On the other hand, persistent staff shortages may mean less than swift and flawless service, though every establishment is doing its best to fill in gaps. Still, keep this in mind if housekeeping is lax or room service slow (if not nonexistent). As always, during crowded times (Mardi Gras, for example), however, just finding anything might have to be good enough. After all, serious New Orleans visitors often book a year in advance for popular times.

Given a choice, we tend to favor slightly faded, ever-so-faintly decayed, just-this-side-of-elegant locales; a new, sterile chain or even a luxury hotel doesn't seem right for New Orleans, where atmosphere is everything. Slightly tattered lace curtains, faded antiques, mossy courtyards with banana trees and fountains, a musty, Miss Havisham air -- to us, it's all part of the fun. We prefer to stay in a Tennessee Williams play if not an Anne Rice novel (though in summertime, we'll take air-conditioning, thank you very much).

Understandably, this may not appeal to you. It may, in fact, describe your own home, and who wants one's own home on vacation? Meanwhile, here are a few tips. Don't stay on Bourbon Street unless you absolutely have to or don't mind getting no sleep. The open-air frat party that is this thoroughfare does mean a free show below your window, but it is hardly conducive to . . . well, just about anything other than participation in the same. On the other hand, making a night of it on your balcony, people-watching -- and people-egging-on -- is an activity with its own merits, one enjoyed by a number of happy tourists. If you must stay on Bourbon Street, try to get a room away from the street.

A first-time visitor might also strongly consider not staying in the Quarter at all. Most of your sightseeing will take place there, but you may want to get away from it all after dinner or simply see a neighborhood whose raison d'être isn't to entertain first-time visitors. Try the beautiful Garden District instead. It's an easy streetcar (or rather, bus, until sometime in 2008, depending on your location uptown) ride away from the Quarter, and it's close to a number of wonderful clubs and restaurants. Finally, while staying in the Garden District and the Quarter means you can avoid seeing any Katrina damage, staying in the increasingly interesting Mid-City might bring you in proximity, depending on which place you choose. You can decide for yourself if this bothers you.

All of the guesthouses in this chapter have their merits. If you want more information, we recommend PIANO, the Professional Innkeepers Association of New Orleans. Their website (www.bbnola.com) will provide you with quick descriptions and photos of and quick links to a variety of B&Bs, inns and more. All members must be licensed by the city and inspected by a state official.

Though tourism is not what it was pre-Katrina, as a general rule, just to be on the safe side, always book ahead in spring and fall. And if your trip will coincide with Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest, book way ahead (and we can't stress this enough)) -- up to a year in advance if you want to ensure a room. Sugar Bowl week and other festival times when visitors flood New Orleans also require planning for accommodations, and there's always the chance that a big convention or sports event will be in town, making it difficult to find a room. (Though we have to admit that's often when the maligned anonymous chain hotels do come in handy because they may not be the first choice of regular visitors. If a convention didn't take one over with block booking, there is often an extra room for a decent rate floating around.) You might conceivably run across a cancellation and get a last-minute booking, but the chances are remote at best. You should also be aware that rates frequently jump more than a notch or two for Mardi Gras and other festival times (sometimes they even double), and in most cases, there's a 4- or 5-night minimum requirement during those periods.

If you want to miss the crowds and the lodgings squeeze that mark the big festivals, consider coming in the month immediately following Mardi Gras or, if you can stand the heat and humidity, in the summer, when the streets are not nearly as thronged. December, before the Sugar Bowl and New Year's activities, is a good time, too, but perhaps a bit chilly and rainy. In both cases, hotel prices fall dramatically and great deals can be had just about everywhere. (And these prices might not be accounted for in the rack rate quoted in this guide, so you might have a pleasant surprise!)

There are no recommendable inexpensive hotels in the French Quarter. If you're on a budget and must stay there, consider a guesthouse. On the whole, however, you'll have a better selection of inexpensive lodgings outside the Quarter. There are also a couple hostels in New Orleans; check the website www.hostels.com for more information.

You'll find a list of our favorite accommodations in a variety of eclectic categories in the first section of this chapter.

The rates we've given in this chapter are for double rooms and do not include the city's 11% hotel tax. You may see some wide ranges of room rates below, which hotels were not eager to break down more specifically for us. Realize that rates often shift according to demand. Unless it includes the caveat "higher rates for special events" (implying higher prices then) or "seasonal rates apply" (implying lower prices during same) the high end of the range is for popular times such as Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest, and the low end is for quieter periods such as the month of December. Note: Some of the hotels listed under "Expensive" have some surprisingly low numbers at said low end of their range. These could indicate certain times of year or even just whim. Therefore, it's worth searching those out and making a call; you might get very lucky!

Spending the Night in Chains

For those of you who prefer the predictability of a chain hotel or are gambling that generic lodgings get overlooked during popular events, there's a perfectly okay Marriott at 555 Canal St., at the edge of the Quarter (tel. 800/654-3990 or 504/581-1000). A Sheraton at 500 Canal St. (tel. 504/525-2500) is also a good bet.

In the Central Business District (CBD), check out the Holiday Inn Express, 221 Carondelet St. (tel. 504/962-0800), or consider the slightly spiffier Cotton Exchange next door at 231 Carondelet St. (which is now part of the Holiday Inn), in the historic building of the same name (tel. 504/962-0700). Both were flooded and looted after Katrina but reopened in March 2006 with completely renovated rooms, which only received cosmetic damage. Residence Inn by Marriott, 345 St. Joseph St. (tel. 800/331-3131 or 504/522-1300), and Courtyard by Marriott, 300 Julia St. (tel. 888/703-0390 or 504/598-9898), are both a couple of blocks from the convention center. The Homewood Suites, at 901 Poydras St., is pretty dazzling, in a cookie-cutter way (tel. 800/225-4663 or 504/581-5599), while the Quality Inn, at 210 O'Keefe Ave., seems clean and fine (tel. 877/525-6900 or 504/525-6800).

Still need a last-minute emergency reservation? Here's a bunch more, all more or less CBD or adjacent: Comfort Suites (346 Baronne St.; tel. 800/524-1140 or 504/524-1140), Country Inn and Suites by Carlson (315 Magazine St.; tel. 800/456-4000 or 504/324-5400), Embassy Suites (315 Julia St.; tel. 504/525-1993), Hampton Inn and Suites (1201 Convention Center Blvd.; tel. 866/311-1200 or 504/566-9990), La Quinta Inn and Suites (301 Camp St.; tel. 800/531-5900 or 504/598-9977), and SpringHill Suites by Marriott (301 St. Joseph St.; tel. 800/287-9400 or 504/522-3100).

And if all the rooms in town are booked, you might try to see if one of the chains down by the airport has something for you.

Fencing at the Cornstalk Hotel

Thanks to the famous fence out front, the Cornstalk Hotel is a well-known sightseeing stop. Consequently, people wonder if they should also stay here. Beats us. Despite repeated attempts, we've never been allowed to view a guest room. So while we can't recommend the hotel in good conscience, we do suggest swinging by to see the fence. It's at least 130 years old (photos indicate it might be even older), is made of cast iron, and looks like cornstalks painted in the appropriate colors. When it was a private home, Harriet Beecher Stowe stayed here -- a trip that inspired her to write Uncle Tom's Cabin. 915 Royal St., New Orleans, LA 70116. tel. 800/759-6112. www.cornstalkhotel.com.

The Faubourg Marigny

The Faubourg Marigny is very distinct from the French Quarter, though they border each other and are just an easy walk apart. This arty and bohemian neighborhood may be better for a younger crowd who wants to be near the French Quarter without actually being in it. If you stay in the farther reaches of it, however, please either take a cab or be very cautious returning at night; the neighborhood has suffered from crime problems lately.

Central Business District

At first glance, the CBD seems too generic big city for a proper New Orleans stay. And while it is true that many of its hotels blur together in terms of style, quality is consistent, and you can get very good rates here compared to prices just across Canal. It's an easy walk to the Quarter, but given the increasing number of more moderately priced, and excellent, restaurants in the area, you may not care.