After a hectic day of flying that included delays, missed connections, and rebooking, we finally made it to Baton Rouge. After a 15 minute Uber ride we pulled up curbside at our home base for the weekend, the Courtyard Marriott Baton Rouge Downtown.
Booking
For this trip, the two suggested hotels for the wedding were the Hilton and the Courtyard. With work travel slowing down for me this year, I’m trying hard to requalify for Marriott Bonvoy any way possible. That narrowed it down to the Courtyard which I booked directly through Marriott.com. One other property that I’ve been wanting to try was the nearby Watermark, which is part of the Autograph Collection, though by the time I thought about switching prices were already sky high due to LSU hosting the NCAA Baseball Regionals.
Location
The Courtyard is located on the corner of Third and Florida Streets, right in the heart of downtown Baton Rouge. If you’re looking to stay in the downtown area, everything is walking distance from the hotel including the State Capitol and Parish offices, though the LSU campus and other parts of town would require a car/rideshare service to access.
Lobby/Check-In
We arrived at the hotel just before 4:00p and entered through the side door next to the valet stand and check-in desk. The hotel has an odd layout where the main doors face the interior driveway and the doors facing the street are keycard access only, so be aware when arriving.
There was no line at check-in and, for that matter, no person. However someone quickly appeared from the back and checked us in. Since I booked this hotel using a leisure travel code from work, I was unable to apply Suite Night Awards to this stay but was still upgraded to a high floor balcony room for our stay.
After checking in, we headed through the lobby to the elevators. The lobby featured a variety of seating as well as a bar area. In the morning, breakfast was available here for purchase and, in the evening, it serves as a bar. I didn’t see more than a couple of people here during the duration of our stay though.
Room
Our room was located on the 7th floor down a short hallway from the elevators. As you stepped off of the elevator you could either go left or right and our room was to the left.
Our room was no different than the standard king room with the exception of a balcony. Upon entering the bathroom was to the left while the bedroom was straight ahead.
Lamps and nightstands were located on each side of the bed and the wall behind it was covered in an abstract, Mardi Gras bead pattern.
Against one wall was a desk area that also incorporated a set of drawers. A flat screen TV was mounted above the desk and could swivel and adjust to wherever you were seated in the room.
Opposite the desk was a strange round loveseat with a high back and an accompanying ottoman. Aside from putting on shoes, we never sat here.
Towards the rear of the room, next to the sliding glass door that led to the balcony was a small cabinet and countertop that held a coffeemaker.
Out on the balcony, there were a couple of chairs and a small coffee table. From our room you could see some of the buildings downtown as well as a bit of the Mississippi Rover. Though, if you were any lower, your view may be more obstructed.
Back near the front of the room was the bathroom. While it wasn’t necessarily modern, it was clean and spacious. There was a large sink area with space on both sides as well as a toilet.
The bathroom had a shower with a half glass wall instead of a door. If you weren’t careful, water would spray/splash out and get on the floor. Toiletries were in reusable bottles and were 39° North branded.
Coffee Shop
Though technically separate from the hotel, there was a Starbucks Coffee located on the ground floor that could be accessed via a hallway near the elevators. A keycard was required to enter the hotel from Starbucks. We ended up getting coffee/breakfast from here each morning during our stay.
Summary
The Courtyard Baton Rouge Downtown is in a great location if you’re looking for a downtown hotel. The rooms were clean and spacious at a price that didn’t break the bank. Parking can be pricey if you bring a vehicle so be prepared for that. All in all, I would stay here again during another trip to Baton Rouge.
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