My stay was comfortable and I did enjoy the charm of the hotel. I was happy with the close enough, but not too close location to Bourbon Street. The lighting in the rooms is poor, but the size of my room was fabulous. I loved the shower - SO huge. There was, however, an awkward "moldy" smell in the room; I couldn't figure out if it was a post-Katrina thing or just the age of the hotel - but that is purely my speculation. The internet access is poor in the rooms (you have to check your email by the window) and limited in the conference areas. The air conditioning was unstable; much too cold in the conference center or much too hot. I was charged $40 in bar tabs to my room and I did not even go in to the bar. Unfortunately, I saw this discrepancy after I returned home. Although the hotel did eventually remove the charges after investigation, it was only after I had to make several phone calls and plead my case to several different staff members. I had a hard time getting return phone calls over the issue. This was frustrating to say the least, but the staff that I did talk to me were friendly. I would not want to stay there again.

We've have stayed at this hotel numerous times for Mardi Gras!! It is a fantastic location for parades (1 block from St Charles). And it's not too far from the Quarter (bourbon st). The security is good. The doormen learn faces quickly so if they don't know you, you're not getting in. A great place to stay with a great staff!!!!!!!! :)

Room was good. Well appointed. Read reviews sighting poor lighting we did not have this problem(there was a small dimmer switch in the bathroom). Very nice hotel.

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.