A Great place to stay for streetcar fans!
Written: Feb 19 '01 (Updated Apr 08 '01)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Close to the St. Charles streetcar & within walking distance to the French Quarter.
Cons: Not much of a view in the courtyard rooms.
The Bottom Line: If rates are low (less than $175/night), & you have well-behaved children consider staying here. It is comfortable, the staff professional & the location to the streetcar wonderful.
|
|
|
| udalum's Full Review: Intercontinental New Orleans |
In July of 2000, my husband, four-year old son and I all spent a week at this hotel. Originally, we had booked a room at the Hilton Riverside, and switched to the Inter-Continental because the rooms at the Riverside were dirty and outdated.
The hotel is located right on the St. Charles streetcar line. There are two stops within a two minute walk of the hotel. This is a great location for families with children who love to ride the streetcar to restaurants, and to look at the huge houses on St. Charles Avenue.
Another plus about the location is that it is within walking distance to the French Quarter and the river front. I would estimate it took about five minutes to walk to the perimeter of the French Quarter. There are obviously other hotels that are located in the French Quarter, but from what I understand, these hotels can get rather noisy due to the party-like atmosphere in this area.
As you enter the hotel, you see a gift shop on your right which has snacks, magazines and other gift shop type items. It is a nice gift shop, and you can count on getting a soda, gift or newspaper here.
An escalator takes you to the main lobby. Check-in is efficient, and the staff is very friendly and professional. The Inter-Continental has a special guest recognition program, called the Six-Continents Club. For a $100 enrollment fee, you go to a special check-in/desk area. We signed up for this program, and received fresh fruit and mineral water every day. This program also records your preferences. For us, it meant getting extra towels every day without having to ask. There are other benefits to this program, including an upgrade to a superior room, late checkout, and a complimentary weekend night certificate. The renewal fee is $35.00.
The clientele of the hotel generally appears to be business professionals, and a lot of international travelers. I saw very few travelers with small children, yet I did not feel out of place with my well-behaved four-year old.
The room (superior)faced a rather barren-looking courtyard was spacious and comfortable. We had more than enough room for the blow-up single bed we brought for my son. The room also had an outdoor area with a table and chairs. Looking at the diagram of the rooms on the floor, it appeared that the rooms which faced the barren-looking courtyard were bigger.
The room was tastefully decorated and CLEAN, which is very important to me. I was told by the staff that all of the rooms were going to go through/or had been through renovation. The room was also quiet, and the climate comfortable.
SERVICE: I could go on and on about the service here. The front desk clerks were very professional, but amused my four year old son by making faces at him when we walked by. The bellhops and valets were chatty with you if you are a chatty person. They KNEW when to be professional and reserved, and when to be chatty. The maid service was exceptional. When we wanted an item, all we had to do was to call or write it in a note, and we knew it would be there. The service was FLAWLESS, and should be used as an example to any hotel (especially the Willard Continental in Washington, DC).
RESTAURANTS: We only visited the restaurant for the jazz brunch, which is offered on Sundays. Musicians walked around playing jazz music, which entertained my young son. The food was fabulous, and when I visit New Orleans again, I would not hesitate to go to this brunch again. Make sure you try the bananas foster. I swear there was about a hundred items to choose from (or it appeared to be this way).
BAKERY: The hotel has an on-site bakery. It is open during the week, and occasionally on the weekend. There are lots of breakfast items to choose from, and well as slices of cake, cookies, and candy. It is convenient if you want to grab a quick breakfast before setting off on your daily activities.
HEALTH FACILITIES: They have a small pool on the rooftop which would satisfy the needs of a family who wants to take a dip in a pool, but probably not for someone who wants to do lap swimming. We did use the gym a few times, which is equipped with a sampling of exercise and weight equipment. It would satisfy most people's workout needs. I did not see anyone on staff in this facility while I was there. It did not seem like many of the hotel guests used this facility.
WOULD I STAY HERE AGAIN?: Yes, without a doubt. Originally, I said I would compare the price of a room here to the Windsor Court Hotel. But, I read one person's e-opinion on the Windsor Court which makes me unwilling to switch to this hotel.
RATES ON THIS HOTEL: The Inter-Continental web site runs specials for the upcoming weekend if rooms in particular hotels are not filled. When you book a room in this hotel, make sure you check the rates on this web site, and on travelocity.com, expedia.com, and trip.com. Also, compare prices by calling 1-800-327-0200. I tried to e-mail the hotel for reservation information, but no one responded to my e-mail.
OTHER HOTEL INFORMATION: 444 St. Charles Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 525-5566
e-mail neworleans@interconti.com
482 guest rooms
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
udalum
|
|
Location: Delaware
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 5 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.