Courtney GThe DoubleTree on Canal Street in New Orleans was originally on my list of choices as I was figuring out where to stay on that first night in New Orleans. However, my friends and I hadn’t made a decision right away to compare all prices. Then, in a panic, my friend, Celeste, ended up booking it through Priceline without discussing with all three of us. I’m not going to lie, I was frustrated about that but in the end the DoubleTree was a pretty good choice for a hotel.
Location
Location was a huge plus for the hotel since it was close enough to the French Quarter to walk but far enough where all the activity and loudness of Bourbon Street couldn’t be heard. For my trip, it was perfect for all of the things I wanted do (and the unexpected things we ended up doing).
It was a 5-minute walk or less from the No Pulp Record Store, Vue Orleans, Ruby Slipper Café, and the Hell or Highwater Tattoo shop that my friend, Cali, found.
Even if you wanted to do things in the Garden District or go to The French Market, the hotel is close enough to a street car stop to make it easy to visit and get around.
The Lobby
There were two entrances. The first is the main entrance with valet parking or ride share drop-off. It opens up into the main lobby where to the left is the hotel restaurant and the right is the bag check leading into the check-in counter.
The lobby wasn’t huge but the décor was nice, the sofas comfy. They actually still had a Christmas tree up as you pass to go to the elevators.
The second entrance is at the side of the building that’s across the way from the elevators, keycard access only. Two computers and printers are right at the second entrance. The concierge and bathrooms are between the second entrance and the elevators.
The elevators are keycard operated only – which seems to be what most hotels are doing now – so there’s no wandering in to find a good view from the hotel. Or were my friend and I the only ones who’d do that in high school?
Check-In
I briefly talked about my arrival at the hotel during my first day in New Orleans. I wanted to provide some more detail behind the check-in.
When I originally went to check-in, a man came up behind me to check out. One of the counter employees took him in front me even though I was clearly standing there with multiple bags. A gentleman, whom I can only assume was the hotel manager, noticed this and went to talk to the employee. I mouthed over to the manager that it was fine but he shook his head. I saw him gesturing towards me as he spoke into the ear of the employee. The employee looked up at me as if finally realizing I existed.
I didn’t get an apology from the employee but the manager came up to me and apologized which I appreciated. Instead, of being helped by the non-acknowledging employee, I was helped by Michael. As I mentioned in a previous post, he told me nicely that my name would have to be on the reservation in order to check in. Since my friend made the reservation, she did not include my name so I had to call her in between her flights to try and add me on.
Side note: This was another reason why I was frustrated that she booked it before discussing it with all of us because I knew I’d be in the city first so it would’ve been easier if I’d made the reservation.
Thankfully, I was still able to put mine and Cali’s luggage in the bag-check while I waited for the ability to check-in. I made sure to tip Jake, one of the bellhops, for his assistance with the bags and his kindness.
The Room
The room ended up being on the four floor which is actually the where the pool was. It was too cold for the pool, though. Once I was finally in the room later in the day, I felt relief. There was bed to rest in after walking around. The bathroom was decent, even though during the night I had to keep fixing toilet as it kept running after flushing.
As I was eating lunch, I noticed the walls were extremely thin (or my neighbors were really loud) because I could hear almost every part of the conversation in the room next to me as if we were in the same room. Then I realized we were in a connecting room so that may have been why. Later that night, we could even hear when people knocked on their door, thinking it was our door.
At night, it was safe. The second entrance wouldn’t let us in even with a keycard so you must go through the front entrance where someone at the desk can see you.
It seems that our neighbors became more annoyed with my friends and I when we came back from our late night walking tour. They banged on the wall as we worked out our game plan for the next morning. I guess they could hear us too.
Overall, I enjoyed my stay at the DoubleTree. I wish we could’ve stayed there the second night but the price went up by a lot the Saturday we’d come back. I’d give it a 9/10.
What are some of you favorite hotels that you’ve stayed in? Comment down below!
