Description: I read in Frommers that if the French Quarter was the best place to party, this hotel was the best place to sleep it off. Plus, it was only a few blocks from the French Quarter.
I arrived mid-morning at the hotel, and while a room in the International House wasn’t ready, there was a room ready in its loft property – Loft523 - just across the street. The front desk arranged an upgrade for me, and I headed off with the bellman to my room. I was surprised that the front entrance to Loft 523 was inconspicuous. If I hadn’t had the bellman leading me, I wouldn’t have known it was there. We entered through the large copper-looking door into a small lobby with a modern motif – lots of hard lines and colorful artwork. The room itself was much the same – very much what I would envision a modern loft would look like. The king bed sat very low to the ground, with squared-off corners that looked out into the “living space”, furnished with a desk, a large studio light, a couch, and a wooden table upon which sat the television and the sound system. Music was playing when I walked in, and there were several new-age CDs next to the stereo in case I wanted to listen to something different. There seemed to be a distinct effort in this room to pamper both the body and mind.
There were two downfalls to the room that I found. When I opened the window, my view was a bit disturbing – construction and the back of another building. It looked kind of ghetto to me. Also, there was no safe in the room. I had to lock my wallet in a lockbox (and keep up with a key) in the main lobby of International House. It also took me a little while to find the hair dryer, which was in the closet.
However, the staff in this hotel made my stay here a success, especially Keisha, who was manning the front desk at International House (the two properties seem to operate well together). She helped me choose and book a cemetery tour and helped me find a good place to eat dinner. She made sure to ask me the next time she saw me how I enjoyed my day and whether her recommendations were to my satisfaction.
I think the hotel was beautiful, and everyone made me feel as if I was a priority. However, I think that if I go back to New Orleans, I would choose a hotel in the French Quarter proper. That said, it certainly wasn’t hard to get to and from the French Quarter from this hotel; I just don’t think that I got a true New Orleans experience in this ultra-modern hotel. I would give the service here a 9 out of 10 and the location and ambience a 7 out of 10.
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