During a recent trip to Baton Rouge, I spent a couple of nights at the Watermark Baton Rouge (Stylized WATERMARK Baton Rouge). This property is part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection and is one that has been on my radar for some time.
I spend quite a bit of time in Baton Rouge and have stayed at many hotels around the city, most of which occurred before starting this site. One property that I’ve wanted to try but have been unable to for one reason or another is the Watermark. Thankfully, I got my chance as I was searching for hotels on Marriott.com and found a great rate at the property.
Booking
I have a couple of “go to” properties when I’m in Baton Rouge, most of which are affiliated with Marriott Bonvoy. I started my search on Marriott.com and, after cross referencing rates with some non-Marriott properties, I ended up booking the property for $191 per night via the Marriott website. You can also book directly with the hotel here.
This rate did not include valet parking which was $33 per night. The property does not have onsite self parking but lots and garages are walking distance from the hotel.
WATERMARK Baton Rouge Location
The Watermark is located on the corner of 3rd and Convention Streets in Downtown Baton Rouge. It is walking distance from the Old State Capitol, Raising Cane’s River Center, and the Mississippi River. The property occupies the old Louisiana National Bank building whose signage remains alongside the WATERMARK logo.
I drove in from New Orleans but, the hotel has a courtesy shuttle that runs to Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (BTR) and other destinations throughout town.
Downtown Baton Rouge is no longer the hot spot in town though there are still plenty of bars, restaurants, and attractions around the hotel should you want to stay close.
WATERMARK Baton Rouge Lobby & Check-In
I arrived at the hotel just after 10:30p and parked my car in front of the hotel. There was nobody at the valet stand and I headed inside with my bags. Upon entering the property, the old bank building charm had been left intact and made for a warm and inviting space.
A large marble staircase took up the majority of the lobby area which led down to meeting rooms on the basement level. These were closed off during my visit due to a conference at the hotel. The check-in desk and valet stand are located off to the left.
I was greeted by an extremely friendly employee who welcomed me in. Given the late hour I was surprised to see her in such a good mood but she couldn’t have been a better ambassador for the hotel. I saw her a few more times during my stay and she always went out of her way to say hello.
After some friendly back and forth she informed me that the property was completely sold out so no upgrades were available. After a quick swipe of my credit card, I was handed my keys and headed up to my room.
WATERMARK Baton Rouge Guest Room
I was assigned to Room 603, a standard king room on the 6th floor near the elevators.
Upon entering the room there is a short hallway with a wardrobe off to the right. Inside the wardrobe is a mini-fridge, safe, iron, ice bucket, and glasses. Past the wardrobe, the room opens up with the bathroom to the left and the bedroom to the right.
The room itself is on the smaller side but the wood and exposed concrete balanced it nicely and made it feel warm and inviting. It also did a great job of blending the historic building with modern touches.
Flanking the king sized bed are two nightstands. One was a modern, mirrored, geometric design while the other was more traditional and held the room phone, notepad, and mini-bar list. The bed itself was quite comfortable and I got a great night’s sleep during my stay.
The room doesn’t have an in-room minibar and instead uses a centralized, on-demand, minibar. While I didn’t order anything from the minibar, I found the prices to be very reasonable for this type of service.
Across from the bed is a desk with a flat screen TV mounted above it. The TV was on the smaller side but this may have been done to preserve the view from the windows.
Sitting on the desk is a Keurig machine with a variety of pods from Community Coffee along with a bottle of water.
To the left of the desk, adjacent to the bathroom, is a small bench seat. I mostly used this to store my suitcase but it’s also handy for putting on your shoes.
Though the room was on the smaller side, I found the bathroom to be spacious. It had a shower, toilet, and a single sink with a large vanity and mirror.
While this may sound trivial, one of the things I liked most about the shower, aside from its size, is the fact that it had a full door. At other properties I’ve stayed at recently, the showers have been outfitted with those terrible half-door contraptions that allow water to spray everywhere.
Reusable toiletries were mounted on the wall and were Aromatherapy Associates branded. This was true for the soap by the sink as well.
Overall, I thought that the room was well appointed and felt warm and inviting. It was the perfect size for me but would have been on the tight side if I was travelling with Mrs. ATX and ATX Jr.
WATERMARK Baton Rouge Food & Beverage
In addition to the in-room dining offerings, the hotel has three food and beverage establishments on property. Two of these are located at the rear of the lobby. The Gregory is the hotel’s sit down, full service, restaurant and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The Gregory menu is centered around modern takes on southern classics and, having eaten brunch here in the past, the food is much better than you’ll find at most hotel restaurants.
To the left of The Gregory is the hotel bar which is open between the hours of 2:00p-12:00a daily.
The lobby bar offers small bites and a wide variety of cocktails. It also has a selection of local draft beers. Happy hour is available between 2:00p-7:00p daily.
Finally, located at the front of the property is Milford’s on Third, a New York City style deli. The menu features salads, sandwiches, and homemade soups. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to visit during my stay as I was out at meetings during operating hours.
WATERMARK Baton Rouge Fitness Center
The hotel fitness center is located on the second floor and can be accessed via room key 24 hours a day.
The fitness center is on the small side, though it does have the essentials including elliptical machines, treadmills, stationary bikes, and a small assortment of free weights.
While the fitness center is small, the attention to detail from the hotel is carried over. The punching bag and boxing gloves looks like it could have been left behind when Louisiana National Bank moved out of the building years ago.
While this fitness center will work in a pinch, it lacks some of the offerings one might want from a high end hotel.
Summary
I have always heard good things from friends about this property and am glad I finally had the opportunity to try it out for myself. While the room was on the smaller side, the hotel’s attention to detail was evident throughout. All of the staff were extremely friendly and welcoming and went out of their way to assist me and other guests.
While there are other properties in Baton Rouge I still want to try, the WATERMARK may be my new go-to choice when visiting. This is assuming I can get a room at a reasonable rate. To date, I have enjoyed almost all of my stays at Autograph Collection properties and really appreciate the fact that, while they are all different, they continue to provide high quality service.