The Royal Sonesta New Orleans

It’s taken time to get to writing a review but wanted to make sure I did because I had such a lovely time at this property. Armani checked us in and he was so helpful. He really did make an impact in the best way on our trip by making suggestions to food around the area and entertainment. The hotel itself was very clean and all staff we encountered were very kind. The room was spacious and kept fresh. Not my first time visiting New Orleans but I think I definitely will make this hotel my go to when visiting again!

Location, location, location. It is all about location. I have not written a review of the Royal Sonesta New Orleans in a number of years. Therefore, this will be, in part, an update of what has changed and an overview of the hotel and location. First you should join their Sonesta Travel Pass Guest program. As a member you receive points towards free nights when booked on the Sonesta website. The more you stay (spend) the more Travel Pass benefits become available to you. More on the program later. Things have changed at the hotel over the last 10 years. For instance, ten years ago there wasn’t a coffee machine in the room. In addition to that I would have to go to the lobby to get a good WIFI connection. Now there is a coffee machine in the room and good WIFI. On the other hand, a turn down with chocolates on the pillow are no longer available. You also do not get a welcome gift or a draw string laundry bag. You might find humor in the fact I asked for a laundry bag at the front desk and they handed what might have been a 60-gallon garbage bag. Something that hasn’t changed is the fact that I have always gotten a clean room, hot water and a quiet ac. The hotel is located on the 300 block of Bourbon Street. If you want the look and feel of Bourbon Street this is the perfect hotel. But be aware this comes with the noise of Bourbon Street. For instance, you have children beating on plastic pails with drumsticks in front of the hotel. Three blocks away is Canal Street where you can find buses, taxis and street cars. This is good to know because it is not uncommon to have Bourbon Street closed to vehicular traffic after 6 pm. Therefore, getting a taxi after 6 pm may be a problem or being dropped off at the hotel entrance will not happen during this time frame. The hotel does have underground parking. The hotel has a PJs Coffee Shop and two fine restaurants. I’ve seen the R’evolution Restaurant appear on a list of the 10 best restaurants in the Quarter. As for the Desire Restaurant, I dined there for the first time in 1973 and dine there every time I’m in New Orleans. In addition to the hotel restaurants, you will find Arnaud’s, Bayona, Brennan’s, Broussard’s, GW Fins within a couple of blocks of the hotel. Therefore, you don’t have far to go for a culinary experience. The hotel is now pet friendly. This could be a good or bad thing. During one of my stays the room next to mine had a dog that barked continuously whenever the owners left the room. Mentioning this to the front desk a couple of times didn’t accomplish anything. However, I did find out the front desk is willing to move you to a different room when one is available. As for music, the hotel’s Jazz Playhouse is the best venue on Bourbon Street for Jazz. In the past the club had jazz 7 nights a week. Currently it has jazz 3 or 4 nights a week. Note that now you have to pay to get in. Across the street is Music Legends Park. During the summer the entertainment in the park may start as early as 8 am. Weather permitting the Park will have entertainment 7 days a week. At the back of the park is a Café Beignet. They may have the best beignets in The French Quarter. Getting back to the Travel Pass program. The Sonesta Travel Pass benefits list shows four tiers. The highest tiers list things like room upgrades, welcome gift, and complimentary breakfast. However, you no longer receive these benefits. In the past I would be upgraded to the 7th floor and receive these and other perks/benefits. Note the list does say that these things are not available at all Sonesta locations. It is interesting to note they didn’t inform the Travel Pass members these things were going to be discontinued. The good news is that you still accumulate points towards a free night. Note that I tried using the points at the Royal Sonesta in Austin Texas and couldn’t use them. When booking your reservation you will see a $25 a day destination fee. If you move your cursor over the “I” next to the fee you will see it is for a complimentary welcome gift (which you don’t get) complimentary WIFI etc. However, there is a $15 a day food and beverage credit for use at the hotel. You just have to charge the purchase to the room. A number of times I’ve noticed that you find out if the rate is non-refundable in the terms. Other hotels may have that fact next to the daily booking rate. I’ve always felt the room size was acceptable for a hotel in the Quarter. It is interesting to note I received an email from the hotel telling me the room I selected is 144 square feet. If I wanted to, I could pay extra for a larger room. On my last stay I measured the room and came up with 284 square feet. I wonder how they could be that far off. I also received another email telling me I could pay to upgrade to a “higher” room for a view. You don’t get a river view at the hotel. However, if you stay on the seventh floor you will have a city/Quarter view. On my last stay I requested a quiet room. This is probably the reason I didn’t get a room overlooking the swimming pool or courtyard. Instead, I stayed in a room with a view of a wall with some construction debris between the wall and my room. It is all about location. Maybe not. The last time I stayed at the hotel it had to do with who was playing at Jazz Club entertainment. Go figure. FYI I stayed at the Royal Sonesta New Orleans 3 times last year.

We had a fantastic time staying here- the Jazz Playhouse had fantastic shows with a wide variety. Our side street balcony room was perfect- saw several parades go by but were able to relax as well. Front desk staff were amazing! Recognized my Birthday which was a total surprise! Jacob - bellman/ concierge- Fantastic! Caleb the doorman made returning to the hotel a joy! We will definitely come back!

Come here if you want exceptionally rude customer service and a level of ignorance from the coffee shop staff that is beyond anything I can put into words. No house keeping as we’d allegedly had our DND on for the 4 days we were here (we did not) and the restrooms in the courtyard hadn’t been cleaned or replenished since Christmas 2023 let alone 2024. When checking in it seemed perfectly acceptable to be dropped off in the basement, which is fine except it’s impossible to get in without a keycard and the intercom doesn’t work! When checking out the rudeness of staff here extends to not caring about my accessibility needs and I was told that despite a disability I would need to take my luggage down the street as a taxi to the basement “was not an option”. Put my concerns in email to management prior to checking out. This has been ignored.

We are world travelers. This is the first hotel where we were charged extra for arriving an hour before and getting in the room an hour earlier. My point is the hotel has that room reserved for its travelers, so how does arriving just an hour ahead one has to pay extra. Also most hotels provide one bottle of water free. At Royal Sonesta a bottle of water costs $8. Hotel wise great location, clean and nice.