Our first couple if nights in New Orleans were spent at the mediocre Sheraton Metairie. For our last night, we decided to move down to the Central Business District in order to be walking distance from the Superdome.
Booking
We booked our standard King Room three days before arrival for, given the circumstances, a very reasonable rate of $261 for the night. Prices for hotels in New Orleans were already high because of New Year’s Eve and the Sugar Bowl and spiked shortly after the teams were announced. At one point the JW was selling for over $2800 per night.
For whatever reason, hotel and ticket prices kept dropping as the game got closer which made the decision to move downtown for the game a no brainer. We booked our room directly through Marriott.com.
Location
The Le Méridien New Orleans takes up the entire block bounded by Poydras, St. Peters, Natchez, and Tchoupitoulas Streets. Though the address is on Poydras the driveway entrance is on St. Peters, directly across from the side entrance to the Harrah’s (soon to be Caesar’s) New Orleans.
Check-In
We arrived at the hotel just before 3:00p on New Year’s Day. We left our rental car with the valet, grabbed our bags, and headed in through the main entrance which was located on the side off the driveway.
The hotel was bustling with activity due to Sugar Bowl attendees checking in and New Year’s Eve revelers checking out. There were a few folks in front of us checking in and none of their rooms were ready yet due to the turnover. The standard check-in time was still over an hour away.
When it was our turn, we were greeted and asked for last name and ID. The clerk working the desk quickly found our reservation, thanked us for being Titanium Elite, and handed us the keys to our room. This was a great surprise as we could go ahead and settle in instead of waiting in the lobby for our room.
Room
Our room was located on the 12th floor and was a standard king room, no upgrades with all of the events going on but I was just happy to have a room ready. The room was on the smaller side with the bathroom off to the right and the rest of the room straight ahead.
On the left was a desk that doubled as a TV stand. It was fine for our quick visit, but it would have been hard to work here for an extended period of time.
The cabinets underneath were designed to look like luggage and also hid a small mini-refrigerator. Unfortunately, the fridge didn’t want to keep anything cool.
Next to the TV stand and dresser was the mini-bar. It featured a (working) mini-fridge stocked with sodas, beer, wine, liquor, and water along with a selection of sweet and savory snacks.
Across from the dresser and TV was the king sized bed. It was flanked by two different nightstands and bedside lamps. One held a phone while the other held the alarm clock. Overall, the bed itself was very comfortable.
Against the back wall, there was a chaise lounge/sofa hybrid that had a small table that could hold drinks, food, or a small laptop. Overall, it wasn’t very comfortable and I didn’t sit here for more than a few minutes.
Our view from the room was mostly blocked by an adjacent building but, if you looked off to the side, we had a view of the Mississippi River in the distance.
The bathroom was located immediately to the right after entering the room. It was small but well laid out. There was a sink located in the middle of the large countertop which gave us plenty of space for our toiletries.
The shower was spacious and featured reusable toiletries that were Malin+Goetz branded.
Overall the room, though small, was clean and fairly well thought out for a short stay. I would have found the room a little cramped had we been staying for more than a couple of nights.
Lobby & Restaurant
Given all of the festivities, it came as no surprise that the hotel bar, Longitude 90, was packed throughout our visit. Though they were busy, the staff was friendly and managed to churn out drinks at a fast pace. The bar itself wasn’t large, but the lobby was full of people enjoying a cocktail.
The restaurant was located adjacent to the bar and was also called Longitude 90. We had complimentary breakfast here in the morning thanks to my Marriott Bonvoy status. The breakfast menu read as follows.
For breakfast, I had the LMNO Breakfast which was basically a standard American breakfast. While this isn’t the most popular or exotic order, it’s always a pretty safe bet at a hotel.
New Orleans is a city that is known for its culinary scene and, outside of a free breakfast coupon, I’d rather head out into the city to find some local eats.
Pool & Fitness Center
The Le Méridien New Orleans has a “rooftop” pool and fitness center, located a few floors up from the lobby. While it is technically on the roof, its only a few floors up from the street and stands in the shadow of the hotel tower.
As soon as you enter the pool deck, there is a grouping of small benches and tables accompanied by some umbrellas. While the pool space was open, it was January when we stayed so most items were mothballed for the winter.
Further down the deck was the main pool area. The pool was small and had lounge chairs set up on both sides. There were three small cabanas located behind the pool area that would be a great place to relax during the summer.
At the rear of the pool deck was the fitness center. Upon entry there was a small refrigerator with some water as well as clean, rolled towels available. The remainder of the fitness center spread out to the right.
The fitness center was light and airy thanks to the large groups of windows surrounding the building. There was a decent selection of equipment and had multiple sets of each type. Though I visited the morning after the Sugar Bowl, there seemed to be enough space to spread out if the fitness center was busy.
The only major issue I had with the fitness center was the fact you had to cross the open air pool deck to reach it. New Orleans isn’t known for having the most cooperative or mild weather so, having to walk outside to get there could be a deterrent.
Summary
Overall, we had a very pleasant stay at the Le Méridien New Orleans. The rooms were on the small side and the gym wasn’t in a convenient location but, the hotel was conveniently located in the Central Business District and was walking distance from most of the tourist attractions in the city.
I’ve had the chance to visit New Orleans on numerous occasions and, while the Le Méridien wouldn’t be my first choice, I’d gladly stay here again. The hotel worked well for our needs and the price was right, especially considering the Sugar Bowl was occurring during our stay.
