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Royal Sonesta French Quarter Hotel New Orleans
Rating Details »
300 Bourbon St
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 586-0300
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 586-0300
- Price Range:
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$$$$
31 reviews for Royal Sonesta French Quarter Hotel New Orleans
You want to have a GREAT time in New Orleans? Come to the Royal Sonesta. Its smack dab in the middle of Bourbon Street. What that means, is you can walk out of your hotel, and there's like a million bars and gentlemen's clubs right outside. You drink and party at night, and take the morning to recover and prepare for the next night of drinking and partying.
Ok, as for the hotel itself, its a pretty nice place. Nothing "great" that really stands out, but it does have a pool which is good for stay cool in the hot humid weather, as well as a small workout gym with 2 treadmills and 4-5 weight machines. If you want an upscale hotel, go down a few streets and go to the Westin or the Harrahs. But if you want to have fun in the French Quarters, the Royal Sonesta won't disappoint.
Second floor Room Directly off Bourbon Street. I can attest to the fact that the street does not stop. I had always assumed that the things people told me about Bourbon Street were an embellishment. They are not exagerating; if anything, no one has been able to convey the levels of drunkeness and debauchery that occur on this small portion of the French Quarter of New Orleans. I will continue to state that I will NEVER stay at this hotel again. Not because of the fact that it was a bad hotel but due solely to its location. The music permeated the entire hotel until 5am in the morning and then restarted at 9am...ugh. I need sleep. I do not understand how people deal with it.
So, having said my part about the noise, I do see that a lot of people that were present thoroughly enjoyed themselves. If you are planning on nights of drunken debauchery where you get little or no sleep, then this is the place for you as it is in THE heart of the French Quarter's Bourbon Street. While you are staying at this mecca of noise, I will stay a few streets over so that I might actually sleep.
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Convenient location, walkable to most parts of the city. It does sit right in the heart of Bourbon Street, which is worth seeing even if you decide within 5 minutes that it's the last place in the city you'd like to be. The rest of the French Quarter is right there, and it's fun to stroll around those other areas. Really, we walked everywhere in the city (other than the airport) from here.
Hotel itself is clean, comfortable, with great meeting spaces and a friendly staff. I didn't use the pool but it seemed to be quite popular, with plenty of room to lounge and even a little bar nearby. If I weren't there attending a conference (which to me makes things awkward) I'd be planted there, too.
Price was fair, but like most hotels of this caliber, internet was not free (10 bucks per day, until noon the next day --so if you buy it late, you get even less bang for your buck). This is a pet peeve of mine, but nothing new to this type of hotel.
I'd certainly stay here again.
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THE place to stay to get a balcony overlooking bourbon street and party all the time. it's all happening below you and right outside your door. if you like to get some sleep, better go somewhere else, it is non stop on bourbon street every weekend.
This is a really cool place that is in the heart of the French Quarter! It has very spacious rooms and the hotel workers there are fabulous as far as service and niceness. However, even though I was staying there at conference rates, the prices are seriously fucking ridiculous! 2 Goddamn fucking dollars for a vending machine diet coke??? Oh what really got me is the stupid ass "lounge" where I sat at the bar in order to have a drink and order some food to go in order to dine in my room. I was informed by the bartender, in a really bad wig, (who decided after 10 minutes of talking to her friend that maybe she should ask if I wanted a drink) that I couldn't order food at the bar in the lounge area and told me I had to sit at a table. When I sat at a table the waitress told me they didn't do "to go" orders and told me to go to Desire's which is actually part of the hotel. I'm sorry but that experience was all sorts of fucking stupid! Anyway, the three stars are for the awesome room and the kick ass front desk people as well as the maintenance and valet attendants. The lack of stars is due to my whole "lounge experience". I'm sure out of state people, who don't know any better and totally pay the full price of everything, will like this place.
Ask for a balcony, the few dollars for the upgrade is worth it. The last time I was there was a week before Katrina. At the time they accepted pets and I had my dog with. They made my stay a memerable one, the staff was welcoming. The lobby with fine furnishing is controlled after dark. The location is in the middle of the quarter, you have easy access to all the must visit places all in walking distance.
I stayed here with family for a summer vacation which turned out to be a great location. It's in the heart of where you'd want to be with everything walking distance from sight seeing, restaurants, and shopping. Accommodations are standard and the rooms we got had a balcony which made it even more enjoyable. If you can get a good deal on a room with a view I highly suggest it since it can be very relaxing to just sit outside and enjoy the surroundings. Of course there are always drunken people but you learn to just sleep through it and ignore it. Finding fruit in New Orleans seems to be very hard and this hotel had plenty of if.
I was in New Orleans for the night and stayed at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in New Orleans. The location is by far the best part of the hotel as it locates you in the center of everything going on.
The rooms are fairly small and considering we had a top floor room the view was horrible. The hotel staff was not very helpful and the in hotel dining was average. If the hotel had a lower price point I think I would of expected perhaps a little less for my night in New Orleans.
The bed was spot on comfortable and the whole hotel gives you a very welcoming feeling in the heart of New Orleans. I would definitely shop around next time I stayed in New Orleans before staying here but if you can find this place at a cheap rate than book it up!
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We have stayed at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in New Orleans three times now, and will be more then happy to return.
The hotel is smack dab in the middle of everything that Bourbon Street has to offer - the good, bad and darn right strange. The Royal Sonesta is a shoal of peace and quiet in a mad sea of fun, food, drink, and sound.
You will pay for a balcony overlooking Bourbon Street with a nearly sleepless night. If that is why you are there - that is perfectly fine. We prefer the rooms facing the pool and large internal courtyard.
Our room was a good size, the king size bed was comfortable as were the pillows. The hotel staff, at all levels, were extremely helpful and responsive.
There are a couple of weak spots. The wireless hotel phones were nearly impossible to answer. They had to be 10 years old and badly designed. Strangely, the toilet was super loud and super hard to flush. Weird...
All things considered, the Royal Sonesta Hotel in New Orleans is a great place to stay - not cheap - but worth the price.
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I stayed here for a business conference. The lobby and reception were great. The rooms are well appointed, but definitely a little on the small side. Beds were very comfortable and bathrooms were nice. It is smack in the middle of Bourbon Street, so make sure to ask for a room on the back side of the hotel. Bourbon Street is noisy all night long, so if you want to rest, get away from it. A useful thing I found out is the side entrance so that you don't have to be hit in the face with the umm, colorful part of Bourbon Street located across from the main entrance. Parking fees are completely ridiculous, but if you're on business it doesn't really matter.
The hotel is really convenient to everything in the French Quarter and its walkable to some of the surrounding neighborhoods.
We stayed here for our honeymoon in May. We were upgraded to a huge suite in a private courtyard area because they knew it was our honeymoon. When we walked in the room It took my breath away. The room had two stories the first level being an elegant living room and the second level being a beautiful bedroom tremendously large. On the coffee table the Vice President left a card congratulating us and a complimentary bottle of champagne. The room was also so silent at night you could hear a pin drop even though we were right on bourbon st.
Now for the service unbelievable. Our safe was acting funny so we called the front desk they had someone there to fix it w/ in 5 minutes. The man came in the room and was very respectful of our privacy. They made the whole thing seamless. Everything there was seamless. There were tons of service people around but they made there jobs looks so easy you didn't even notice they were there.
The pool area is phenomenal. The food great. I would stay here again and again and again. Highly recommended if you are willing to pay a little more and in return be rewarded with phenomenal service
We normally stay at Le Pavillon, but for Christmas we wanted to be smack dab in the middle of the Quarter.
When we arrived at Royal Sonesta the hotel was decorated beautifully with lots of Christmas trees and nifty Nutcrackers. They put a lot of thought into dressing the hotel for the holidays.
The service was fantastic and there are multiple bars/restaurants throughout the hotel to satisfy your every need. We stopped at Mystick for a nightcap every evening since our little one was with us and we couldn't hit the bars, and the bartender made us scrumptious holiday drinks to take up to our room.
They also have a mini Starbucks in the lobby with tasty pastries and muffins.
This was a great place to spend Christmas and I would recommend it to anyone visiting New Orleans!
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Our quickie stay in NOLA included a night at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. $149 got us a lovely room with my favorite basic - cleanliness. You can put me at an Aman or Four Seasons property, but all I really want is a clean, quiet room.
Sugar Bowl festivities had just ended so rooms were plentiful. We were asked if we wanted a balcony room, but we asked for a quiet one. We got what we asked for - what a treat! A quiet non-smoking King overlooking private courtyards. Perfect.
You are on Bourbon St. here so a balcony means all that Bourbon St. implies even after you've called it a night (morning?) and want some sleep.
Hotel staff were cordial and eager to help. Near the elevators is a plaque honoring the employees they called heros who helped the Royal during Katrina.
After coming back from Cafe du Monde the next morning, we peeked in the window to see the Sunday brunch buffet that was taking place from 11-2 pm. It looked wonderful but would then require another night's stay to sleep off the effects of eating all the roast beef, sushi, bread pudding and Bloody Marys.
A fountain is the foyer of the lobby and when we checked in, I noticed a grandmother with her two young grandsons, dressed up in their navy sports coats and shiny loafers. Very cute and they were tossing in the pennies their grandmother had given them to make a wish when they threw them in.
She gave them each a coin to toss in the fountain along with a wish. It was a nice unhurried moment to watch unfold and it made me glad to be back in New Orleans
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My only experiences with the Royal Sonesta came during Mardi Gras and at company sponsored parties. However, I can say that the location is amazing and all my experiences with the service there are as well.
The hotel decor itself is very sharp, with a nice courtyard and lobby for lounging. The rooms i have been in have also been very clean and well attended to by the staff.
Nothing beats tossing beads from the balconies on Bourbon with an open bar in the suite its attached to.
My Mother and I stayed here for two nights during a last-minute trip to NOLA over Christmas Day and Boxing Day. We managed to snag a special $110/night rate using http://TravelWise.com, and I honestly think that was an appropriate price - any higher (especially the regular $450/night listed on the door) and I would have felt ripped off! Don't get me wrong, it is a VERY nice hotel with very nice room. There's just a lot of little things that accrue to make you wonder why they can charge such a high price.
FANCY SHMANCY: marble floors, crystal chandeliers, a concierge desk, two restaurants, a lounge/bar, a parking garage ($30/day for hotel guests), room service hor d'oeurves and champagne.
NOT SO FANCY: You're right across the street from the nudie bars (the not-so-nice corner of Bourbon street), the rooms are VERY small, the windows have weird plexiglass over them that's all scratched and smudged and foggy, and some of your neighbors may have had too much fun downstairs and get a bit noisy.
We kept having a lot of little problems, such as when we hung out our order form for breakfast the next day, and although it was taken no breakfast ever arrived (throwing off our plans to see a plantation house that day). The CD player in our room was broken, and the last night I awoke at 4:30 AM to the sound of someone next door having furious sex and banging against the wall loudly. That's not to mention the fact that facing Bourbon street meant we could hear the music into the wee hours.
All in all it wasn't too bad of a stay, considering we were within walking distance of everything in the French Quarter and there was nothing gross or seriously wrong with the room. That said, I think I would be willing to try another hotel for another trip just to see if I could get a slightly better experience elsewhere.
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Great place to stay that's in the heart of Bourbon Street. Very classy and you can walk to everything. Good experience for me and I will return.
This was a nice location for my first stay in NOLA. The staff was friendly and very accommodating. I would have to say our concierge was exceptional and geared us in the direction of The Napoleon House (review to come). My bed was super comfy, but my neighbors were a bit loud as the walls were paper thin. They were also smokers, but for some reason or another the hotel did not divide floors up into nonsmoking and smoking. Main downside was the windows did not open! The smoke was really a choker from my next door neighbor even though my room was nonsmoking!
I figured it would be cool to stay on the Bourbon Street side of the hotel, but this is not suggested. The street-goers were really loud even though we went during non-Mardi Gras time.
The water in the bathroom was hit or miss. Either really cold (even after the warm up) or really hot on my second day (almost scorching). Overall, I would suggest the Royal Sonesta if it is your first time in NOLA.
P.S. - Please visit the reflexology tui-na shop off Chevres one block east of Conti!!! This was the best massage I have received ever!!! It tops my massages in Thailand and the tui-na places here in NYC.
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My husband and I stayed here for our 1st wedding anniversary. We made sure to mention that at the front desk in the hope that they could bump us up to a nicer room at no charge. And they did!
Our room was a suite complete with wet bar and living room area. About 8 minutes after we got to the room there was a knock on the door. The hotel management had sent up strawberries and champagne with a note that said "Happy Anniversary".
Our room had a view of the south so we could see the river to our right. We were 2 blocks away from my favorite daiquiri place and the oyster bar downstairs is still my favorite to this day.
I can't wait to go back to New Orleans and I'll definitely be staying at the Royal Sonesta as long as they have rooms available.
It's maybe not as fancy as it was when I stayed there in the seventies, and Bourbon street is certainly louder, but it is still a gorgeous hotel. And at 109 a night, you can afford to go to Commander's for supper.
Definitely SKIP the rooms with balconies on Bourbon Street. It's WAY too loud, and twice as much!
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Very nice hotel ideally located right smack in the middle of Bourbon Street. If you need peace and quiet to get a good night's sleep, request an inside room. Otherwise, if you're facing Bourbon, you will be up until 4am with all the noise.
Staff is very friendly and concierge is extremely knowledgeable. I would definitely recommend the city tour you see on the brochure at the concierge desk. You get to see the city in a smaller tour bus that has access to places that larger tour buses don't.
Hotel bar/lounge is very nice and classier than most of the places in the neighborhood with live jazz on most evenings. Hotel restaurant (Desire) is great for a casual bite.
Did have a small cockroach or two in my room but hey, it's hot, it's muggy, and you're on Bourbon so it's to be expected.
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Stayed here from July 25-28th.
Was down for my cousins 21st birthday party turned family get together.
This hotel has a great location if your down there for drinking. They have a nice pool, hotel parking, restaurants, conference rooms, and rooms with balconies.
You are pretty much across the street from some of the shadier (Hustler/Ricks/etc) clubs, but I never felt "un-safe". There are two entrances, with the side one locked except by room key access.
Hotel rooms are nice, and large. Cleaning staff are friendly and efficient.
We took advantage of the concierge services. To my knowledge, there are two guys who look cliche Louisana Man (Tall, Bulky, Shaved head Minor Facial Hair) and overall gave very good recommendations and helped up figure out what to do that day. Our flight on Sunday was cancelled, and when I made the mistake of telling him I was stuck there for another day, he corrected me and said "You have been blessed with another day in this great city"
Was 175-180-ish Friday and Saturday night, and 105 on Sunday...
BARGAIN.
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Last weekend I had an incredible weekend in New Orleans with my family. The amenities are great, but even with the Expedia package deal on flight/hotel, I gasped at the price for the room we had. After considering the hotel's location in the French Quarter, it makes a lot of sense though, and turned to be worth it. It's walking distance from The Court of Two Sisters, Cafe du Monde, and many local shops I enjoyed browsing, including a wonderful knitting shop called the Quarter Stitch. Harrah's is a couple of blocks away and if you're not up for walking, there is a cab stand on the corner.
Since this hotel encompasses an entire city block, it is home to a gift shop, a couple of restaurants including the lovely Begue's, as well as multiple bars. At the Mystick Den we saw an amazing jazz show featuring vocalist Betty Shirley. If she's playing, do not miss her.
Dear families, I've heard that if you stay on a room that faces out to Bourbon Street on the weekends, it can be quite loud. We were lucky to get an inside room facing the courtyard and pool. There's no reason not to go to New Orleans these days. Bring the commerce back!
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(This is from pre-Katrina, although I've heard the Sonesta's caliber of service has not changed at all.)
Loved it. Every moment of it. Everybody was very tolerant and super polite - from the busboy to the front desk staff to the bartenders at the Mystic Den, a great place to begin or end the day. A top-notch hotel. Step from the maddening crowds of Bourbon Street through the front entrance, and you're suddenly in the relaxed opulence of a fine hotel.
Sure it's pricey, but you cannot be any more conveniently located in the city. It is worth every dime. Fond memories will always abound of this hotel. We especially loved the courtyard suite we booked for Carnival for four years in a row (#3216 comes to mind) where we could relax and party with the other guests (some returning from prior years) while listening to WWOZ (a gem unto itself).
I've been there other times throughout the year and would highly recommend it to anyone for lifetime memories.
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This has been on my list of places to review for a few weeks.
I find myself roaming the French quarter each year. The Royal Sonesta is quite simply my favorite place to stay in the city. The hotel is clean, safe and the staff takes tremendous care of you. In addition, it overlooks Bourbon Street.
The rooms are not huge but sufficient, very comfortable, and clean. Lets be clear though, nobody goes here to sleep, do they? If you want a place to sleep after roaming the French Quarter, I would not recommend this place. If you can sleep through anything, you'll be OK. The bands quit playing about 4:30 am. The food is good, not great but the service is impeccable.
You are within walking distance of Harrahs. If you go there please look for my money. I've left it there two years in a row. Also, you just a few blocks from Jackson Square and the French Market.
In short, this is a great place. It has a rich history and a flavor all its own.
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Stayed here last spring on a trip to New Orleans, perfect location right in the heart of bourbon street. Rooms were large and very clean..cute courtyard and pool area. The best touch was they provide doormen 24hours a day! They are really helpful in suggesting places to dine, or shop, etc. Love the stay I had here!
We stayed at the Royal Sonesta in mid April 08. We had just completed a week of helping to rebuild a home for a family who lost it in Katrina. We were tired and in great need of comfort and peace. We found it here. We requested a room on the courtyard but were put in the back of the hotel facing the river. Not too scenic but absolutely quiet. The room was small but more like a little gem than tiny. Clean, nice furnishings, comfortable bed- and I am picky! I take sponge in my suitcase to sleep on but didn't need it. That says a lot. Very nice staff.
It's right on Bourbon Street which is the craziest street in town but just walk through the door of the hotel and it's a world away. It takes a little walk of 5 minutes or so to reach the water front which is the main part of town. That just gives you a chance to see other neat streets and beautiful buildings. Our stay was $175.00 per night.
My husband and I were married in May 2000 at the Royal Sonesta. We had 150 guest from the Los Angeles and San Francisco area. Everyone enjoyed the hotel and loved the location of the French Quater. The hotel has the southern charm and new orleans style that we were looking for and the food was excellent.
We were married in the Courtyard and used the Grand Ballroom for the dinner reception. It was hard to explain about a sit down dinner as most Southerners have cocktail hour receptions, but they accomodated us. One of the touches I loved were the tall candelabras all over the room. Beautiful.
I stayed here when I attended the Mid-South IASA: Insurance Accounting & Systems Association Conference. I'm a tax software guy....don't I sound like I have the most boring job in the world ever? I really don't. My company rocks.
Anyway, the hotel is very nice. Much classier than I was expecting seeing how it's literally in the heart of Bourbon St. The Royal Sonesta is quite a bit bigger than one would realize. Just like all the other blocks, the ground floor has retail bars that you can just hop into, grab a beer, and continue on your way. However, inside, they have a very helpful staff of bell hops dressed in blue and yellow. They had sold out the night before, so my room wasn't ready on time, but they held onto my luggage while I walked around Bourbon St. getting re-aquainted with the area.
The rooms themselves are nice. Relatively standard, though the bathrooms were actually surprisingly upscale (again, this is all relative). The price that I paid for my room with two twin beds was 149.00 per night, but the door indicated that it could be as expensive as $450.00, which I can only assume is the Mardi Gras price.
I haven't stayed in a whole lot of places in New Orleans, but I could definitely appreciate this one. I'd go back.
Real nice. Well furnished rooms, great service, quick retrieval of car from parking garage every time, great staff attitudes. It was a little noisy from the foot traffic on Bourbon Street until at least 3 AM but it's right in the middle of the Quarter and that's what you get if you want to stay there. I only paid $129 - so check around before you pay a lot more than that. I may have gotten a great deal or some of the other yelpers may have paid a little too much. Then again, they didn't give me any champagne!
I stayed here for two nights during my first trip to New Orleans. I didn't book the rooms but I think we ended up having three or four for New Years 2007. The hotel is very nice and clean, rooms are great, service friendly, and I really can't remember much else though. I think it could have been attributed to the hand grenades down on Bourbon St. though.
hulamom and i stayed here during her birthday jaunt and it was actually pretty lovely. the location is pretty good, especially if you're a newbie and you don't ever want to leave the quarter. commander's palace (hulamom's fave) was booked her b'day night but the concierge got us in...and added a free bottle of bubbly. yay, royal sonesta! plus there were rolling blackouts (it was july, y'all) and they loaded us up with lightsticks on our way back in every night. very thoughtful!
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