Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans

I recently stayed at the Four Seasons New Orleans with my wife and infant for a third time, along with my parents, who joined for their first stay here. I am happy to report that we had another enjoyable visit. While our stay this time did still feature a number of small issues that I would prefer not to have at a Four Seasons (which has been the case each of the three times we’ve stayed at this property), all of the positives were more significant on balance. We love the beautiful property itself, and the care that was present on this trip really even when minor things went wrong was nice to see. Trip Planning: As I always do when booking a Four Seasons, I reserved through a Preferred Partner travel agent, which enabled us to get free perks. For no extra cost, our reservation included a room upgrade based on availability at check-in, a one-time $200 hotel credit (it is $100 standard rooms, and $200 for suites), and a breakfast credit of $96 each morning, which could be used in the restaurant or for in-room dining. I appreciated that the breakfast credit was increased this year to help cover a meal for two. Prior to arrival, I contacted the hotel with a few questions through the great Four Seasons app, where the responses are almost always immediate and helpful. They were helpful in scheduling a dinner reservation, as well as a car service for an airport transfer that went very smoothly. We also made several minor changes to our reservations in advance, and the hotel was great about being responsive and accommodating. Prior to our trip, I also emailed with Ella, the Director of Rooms, who I had met on our last visit. I just wanted to confirm our room requests and that things were squared away for us. Ella was wonderful to work with again, and assured me everything was all taken care of for us, which it was. Ella is a huge asset to the team. Arrival: I arrived at the hotel around 2:00 pm on a Wednesday to check-in, and arrival was ok, but not the best. No one was available at the entrance to greet us or help when I pulled up in an Uber with friends who were also staying at the hotel. All of the staff seemed to be focused on helping one group, at the exclusion of having anyone there to greet others. However, this was an anomaly, as the doormen were wonderful to us throughout the rest of our stay, particularly the older gentlemen, who always greeted us warmly and recognized our family throughout the weekend. When I got inside to the front desk for check-in, the front desk agent was nice enough, but the interaction was a little odd. She initially told me my room wasn’t ready, but then said she was able to move me across the hall to a different room that was available immediately. She said the new room was a River View Executive Suite, rather than the City View Executive Suite I had reserved, so I would be getting an upgrade. I was certainly fine with this, but a bit confused, since our Preferred Partner room rate included a room upgrade. The suite she was offering was the room we were entitled to all along if it was available, so it was odd to have it treated like a last-minute special accommodation. When I arrived in my room just a few minutes later, it was already outfitted and ready for us, including a specific pillow type I had requested in advance, along with baby amenities, which seemed unlikely to have just been done on such short notice of a room change. I wasn’t sure if the whole thing was a charade to pretend we were getting something special, or if she was just confused. Room: Ella, the Director of Rooms, was particularly great in making sure we had two rooms on the same floor and that rooms were ready when needed. For example, when the second half of my group arrived a couple days after I had, Ella went out of her way to make sure their room would be cleaned and ready by the time they arrived around 10:30 am, keeping me updated along the way. We had two River View Executive Suites on the 16th floor, and they were both wonderful. The rooms are relatively simple and neutral, but in a good way that feels like a restful urban retreat in a city that can feel chaotic. The Executive Suites are a particularly great option for extra space, with a bedroom and living room that can be closed off and separated, which was helpful with a baby when she was napping. Both rooms had river views, which are nice for sunrise views and views of boat traffic passing by. Since the suites are corner rooms, they also have views out to another side, in this case with one room facing the French Quarter and the other room looking toward the pool and Warehouse District. We’re big fans of the spacious gray marble bathrooms at this hotel, which always feel luxurious, and are especially nice in the Executive Suites with a large adjacent walk-in closet. The water pressure is impressive, with almost instant hot water in the shower and tub every time we used them. The Amande bath products from L’Occitane are very nice too, although I was disappointed that a thicker body oil from this line that used to be offered is no longer included. When taking a shower, I realized that the same hand soap that was by the sink was also in the shower. I initially thought that there had been a mistake when stocking the shower, so I messaged in the Four Seasons app to ask if it could be switched out, and was told that they had gotten rid of the body oil that was previously offered. While I was disappointed, what really impressed me was how much effort was put into offering alternatives. They offered me two other body washes in mini-containers that were brought up right away. The next day, a manager also called to ask if the issue had been addressed to my satisfaction. I said it had been, but she insisted on also delivering a larger full-sized body wash from the spa to try. I could tell that the staff was taking my feedback seriously, which is a hallmark of Four Seasons service done well. The room was otherwise well-stocked, and had a list of various extra items that you could request. I did ask for some extra hangers and an extra luggage stand, and all were brought up very quickly. Complimentary boxed waters were left each day and during turndown, and I was told they’d be happy to bring more if needed. Since we needed extra water to make bottles for our daughter, I also found it easy to pick up some extra waters from the gym when I visited. We did appreciate that the hotel offered baby amenities. They offer cribs, and our room was also stocked with baby bath products in three different brands to choose from, plus a hooded kids’ towel. We were happy to have these, although the overall kid offerings were a bit less extensive than at other Four Seasons properties, which have included other toys or stuffed animals, as well as a diaper pail. We did appreciate that as we were departing, a staff member asked if we had received a stuffed animal for our daughter, which we had not, and gave us a very cute stuffed alligator to take home. There is an iPad in the room to use for general hotel information and to order in-room dining. However, after using it one morning to order breakfast, I saw that it wasn’t charging, and died shortly after that. When I mentioned it, a friendly staff member from the engineering team came to fix it, and he was truly committed to making sure we had a working iPad. He came back to offer a new charger, plus another time just to make sure it was working. I appreciated all the follow-through and concern about another minor thing. One issue I worry about at this hotel is sleep quality. There are train tracks that go directly below the hotel on the river side, and loudly sound their horns as they pass right next to the hotel, including in the middle of the night. This time, there was a sound machine already on one of the nightstands when I arrived (you previously had to request one), so I appreciate the proactive effort to address it from the start. We also find that hallway and elevator noise does make its way into the rooms, even at the very end of the hall, but the suites at least have a door to close off the bedroom and fix that issue. Housekeeping did a great job in the day. Our housekeeper, Meylin, was absolutely wonderful. She was really sweet and would leave us incredibly kind notes each day. I also typically requested housekeeping at particular times, one time pretty early in the morning, and I was happy that it was always accommodated as requested. Turndown wasn’t quite as good. For one, it was inconsistent in small ways. Some nights featured slippers set out by the bed, and some didn’t. Only on the very last night a sleep mist and sleep mask were left, but only on one side of the bed. None of those minor inconsistencies really matter, but I was more irritated one night when we returned to the room around 9:00 pm, and turndown still had not occurred in either of our rooms, despite the fact that we had been out of both since 4:30. We really appreciate full turndown to have dirty towels and trash removed (an especially important thing when traveling with a baby). When I mentioned in the app that turndown hadn’t been done, and requested some extra waters and towels instead, the response was really odd. Before receiving any response, I heard a staff member come to our end of the hallway a couple minutes after my message, but they seemed to hover outside our room briefly. Only after that did I get a response to my message, saying that they did try to service our room for turndown, but that they couldn’t do it because our ‘do not disturb’ sign was on. We had just put the ‘do not disturb’ sign on when we returned a few minutes prior, but the room had been fully available all night before that. It seemed like they tried to rush and send someone up to provide turndown service after I had already complained, only to then act like we were the reason they couldn’t service the room. They simply skipped us, or were understaffed and got to our floor late. All they needed to do at that point was apologize, note our preference for earlier turndown, and move on. The charade about having “tried” to service our room was odd and unprofessional, but I appreciate that they quickly sent plenty of extra towels and waters after that. Dining & Bars: We love the dining options at the Four Seasons New Orleans, with the Chandelier Bar in the lobby serving as the focal point of the hotel. I visited the Chandelier Bar four separate times during this stay, both with friends and family, and all of the experiences were excellent. It was never too hard to get seats at the bar if we wanted them (although it does get busy), and there’s also always plenty of lounge seating with very attentive service. Everyone was friendly, but one server in particular, Jessica, really stood out. Jessica was phenomenal. She was friendly and helpful, remembering us and our order from day to day, and she was always friendly and caring toward our daughter. She was one of the best staff members we encountered at the hotel. The actual food and drink quality at the Chandelier Bar was great as well. We particularly love their Sazeracs, which were the best we’ve had in New Orleans. On the food side, the crispy chicken sandwich is great, so I made sure to have it twice during my stay. The beignets are also wonderful. Next, Miss River is the hotel restaurant on the lobby level not far from the Chandelier Bar. After really enjoying the food there in the past, we returned on this trip and had an excellent dinner. We had a lovely table set in the restaurant’s wine cellar, which was very fun for us as wine lovers. Service from Matt was also great. For appetizers, the blue crab gratin and sweet potato brioche rolls are the standouts to us, with the carved whole fried chicken being a must-try main course. The other restaurant is Chemin a la Mer, on the 5th floor of the hotel with river views. The interior has a bit of a botanical feel in jewel tones, and is light and pleasant. We ate breakfast here one morning, and it was great. Everyone in our group loved the food, with the southern breakfast (eggs, breakfast meat, and biscuits and gravy) and omelets being standouts. Service was very friendly, and it was a nice touch that an amuse bouche was even brought out at breakfast. While there is free self-serve coffee in the lobby in the mornings, you can also go to Chemin a la Mer to get lattes to-go in the morning, which we did on another occasion. We also really appreciated that all of the hotel restaurants were very kid-friendly, having normal high chairs with a tray, which was much easier with our daughter than the wooden type most restaurants have. We also found out that hotel guests under 5 eat free at the hotel restaurants, which was great. This wasn’t well publicized or explained though, and I wish it had been. The final dining option is in-room dining, which I used three other mornings for breakfast. I’m not sure why I bother with in-room dining here, as it has always been one of the most inconsistent aspects of the hotel. The issues I had this time related to both food quality and service. On my first morning, I ordered eggs benedict from in-room dining, and by the time it arrived, it had clearly been sitting for a while. The hollandaise was a bit congealed, and the eggs had gotten very overcooked, to the point that the insides of the poached eggs were basically hard boiled. I didn’t want to eat these, and called in-room dining to explain the issue. I found it odd that the staff member on the phone, rather than being apologetic, seemed confused as to why I was calling, and only reluctantly agreed to have the kitchen re-make the dish after I specifically requested it. I also asked if they could expedite the replacement since I had already waited 45 minutes for the first one, but the second one also took close to 40 minutes more. The delivery person for in-room dining that day was also just not professional at all. She delivered both orders, and was just downright rude the first time, and walked in irritated with the replacement dish. She asked why I had sent it back, and made me take a bite of the new one in front of her to ensure I liked it (not a bad idea in general, but it was done with an oddly aggressive and rude tone). Granted, the delivery staff on the two other days were better, but this department is weak. We also requested a bucket of ice once using the app, and it ultimately took almost an hour to receive it. When I requested it, I forgot that our ‘do not disturb’ sign was up, as our daughter was napping at the time. When I reached out 45 minutes later to ask if it was still coming, they said they didn’t deliver it because they didn’t want to knock or ring the doorbell. That’s fair, but I had made the request in the app, so a logical next step would have been to reply to me to say that the ice was ready, not to just drop the request completely as if I had never made it. They did bring it quickly when I re-submitted the request. Pool: The Four Seasons New Orleans has an outdoor pool and hot tub on the 5th floor, and the pool is heated to a very comfortable 84 degrees. The pool deck is nice, and there is a box full of toys for kids. We did go in the pool with our daughter one afternoon on this trip, and the experience was disappointing. It was mid-March, but it was in the high 70s that day, and the pool is heated, so it was perfectly nice pool weather. It had rained that morning, but the weather had fully cleared by the time we visited in the afternoon. I was surprised to find that there was no staff out there at all, and even towels were hard to find, requiring unzipping various covers around the pool area to find them. There were several other groups of guests at the pool at the time, so we were not the only ones, and it was disappointing that there was no service of any kind. Our past two trips to this hotel were at similar times of year in March, and there was always towel and food/beverage service available at the pool. Spa & Gym: The spa and gym are spaces we particularly enjoy at this hotel. We didn’t visit the spa this time, but would certainly go in the future. The gym is quite large, with lots of cardio machines and an array of weight equipment. It’s a bright space with lots of windows, and it’s just always been clean and well-stocked during our stays. I don’t often make a point of keeping up my workout routine on vacation, but I do at this hotel because the gym is so pleasant. Location: We are fans of the location of the Four Seasons within Downtown New Orleans. It’s the only luxury hotel located directly on the river, positioned in a spot that is just close enough to major neighborhoods to be convenient on foot (French Quarter, CBD, Warehouse District), but separate enough that it avoids some of the chaos and seediness in some of those areas. Service: Service is the one area of this property where I have mixed feelings. There are the standout staff members, such as those I mentioned earlier, who just “get it”. They are well versed in luxury hotel service and provide thoughtful, bespoke attention. The follow-through and attention to detail on even small issues was also really appreciated. However, this is also a property where there have also always been some staff members who are glaringly not at a Four Seasons level, and unfortunately those can stand out. Regardless, I do appreciate efforts that were made to personalize our stay. We received a welcome amenity on behalf of our travel agent, which consisted of a cookie, a piece of chocolate, and some candy in a New Orleans theme. There were also cute dog treats left that we could take home to our dog, who has stayed with us at Four Seasons hotels in the past. Since we had also noted that we were celebrating my birthday, a delicious mini-birthday cake was delivered to our room on another day. We’ve received this cake each time we’ve stayed at this hotel for a birthday, and it’s something we look forward to. I was surprised, however, that the special occasion was never mentioned otherwise. Last year, we visited for the same occasion, and I was wished a happy birthday virtually everywhere I went in the hotel. In this case, that didn’t happen even once. I don’t need anything over the top, but at least some verbal acknowledgement feels more in line with expectations from a Four Seasons. Additionally, while my overall impression of the property is positive, I don’t necessarily feel that my loyalty to this property is fully appreciated. For example, in-room amenities like the ones mentioned above are relatively standard at a Four Seasons when celebrating a special occasion or booking through a Preferred Partner, both of which applied to our stay. However, the amenities have gotten smaller with each subsequent stay at this hotel. This is the opposite of what we’ve experienced as return guests at other Four Seasons properties, which have gone out of their way to welcome us back each time and thank us for our loyalty. Even just very minor dilution of the experience and cutting corners across aspects of the stay is also disappointing. I don’t like seeing things like nicer bath products being removed. Even the way the hotel greets guests upon arrival has gone downhill. The hotel offered a welcome glass of champagne when they first opened, then last year there was just water offered at check-in, and this year I was offered nothing at all. Overall: Overall, the Four Seasons New Orleans is really lovely, and it’s a hotel that we will return to. It’s physically beautiful and restful, with great food and beverage offerings. We also appreciate the excellent staff members, such as Ella and Jessica, who went out of their way to make us feel appreciated. However, this hotel also always has its fair share of service missteps. While I look forward to returning, I also continue to hope for improvement.

Top notch best service at a hotel I’ve ever had. Truly down to every detail turned down service what is offered in the room and every other amenity it is truly amazing all the details that they think of. The room is beautiful and has spectacular view both the city and the river we were on the 18th floor and it was stunning. The restaurants are also top-notch. We loved our meal at Miss river. I actually ate there twice and had a good breakfast at Chemin La Mer. The drinks and food at The chandelier bar are not to be missed especially the viet Nola nonalcoholic although you can add alcohol and the crab brioche toast.

I just love this hotel. The vibe is unmatched. You walk into the lobby with the beautiful view of the big chandelier and it feels like a luxurious party. The rooms are so comfy and well appointed. The service is top notch all around. Nothing is better than having a drink at the bar! Best cocktails, great bartenders. Pro tip: order the chocolate chip cookies when you get back late at night. They arrive hot with sea salt on top.

Every detail at Four Seasons New Orleans is perfect. The service is beyond five stars—everyone is so friendly and on it, you don't have to think about a thing. And you have to hit Chandelier Bar—easily the best cocktails in the city. 10/10 will be back!

Exceptional service from start to finish! The staff is warm, professional, and always one step ahead. Every detail is considered, making our stay feel effortless. Truly the best luxury experience in NOLA. Our stay was smooth from start to finish.