5 Great Boutique Hotels in New Orleans: Small Properties, Big Personality

Don’t let their small size fool you — boutique hotels are loaded with luxury amenities, personalized service and historic charm. The next time you’re booking a hotel room in New Orleans, take a look at some of these unique properties located within walking distance of all the action.

When you’re staying in the French Quarter, you can’t help but want a taste of opulence and European-style charm — but without all the stuffiness, of course. Stay at The Saint Hotel, an all-new boutique hotel with modern guest rooms featuring marbled bathrooms, complimentary high-speed Internet access, a 46-inch flat-screen TV, luxurious bedding and more. The on-site Burgundy Bar is an ideal place to enjoy live jazz music and a cocktail before heading to dinner at Sweet Olive, a sultry dining venue with contemporary interpretations of New Orleans style cooking. Afterward, spend the night dancing under the stars at Halo Rooftop Bar and Lounge, where you can enjoy panoramic views of New Orleans while mingling with sexy strangers. Hotel life doesn’t get much better than this.

Expect to get a dose of culture when you stay at The Hotel Modern, a stylish new hotel in New Orleans’ Warehouse-Arts District that blends old and new design elements. Each of the 135 rooms includes thought-provoking books and decorative antiques, while also providing modern comfort amenities. Fill up on Vietnamese-French cuisine at the exotic Tamarind restaurant, or enjoy a creative drink at the Bellocq cocktail lounge, where burlesque performers and international musicians provide plenty of entertainment for the evening. During the day, hotel guests can easily walk to the Contemporary Arts Center, National WWII Museum and Louisiana’s Civil War Museum. 

Located two blocks from the French Quarter, the International House has been a home-away-from-home for countless music industry heavyweights and Hollywood A-listers, including Jay Z, Uma Thurman and Matthew McConaughey. Book a room in this stately Beaux Arts building (which was originally built in 1906 as the Canal Louisiana Bank & Trust Co.), and enjoy amenities like Aveda bath products, 24-hour concierge, valet dry cleaning, complimentary Wi-Fi and more. Keep an eye out — you may even spot a celebrity or two.

Traveling for business doesn’t have to mean staying at a cookie-cutter hotel chain. Just book a room at the Royal St. Charles Hotel, which has plenty of amenities to make your professional life easier, such as valet dry cleaning, wireless Internet, fax and copying services, unlimited domestic calls and 4,200 square feet of meeting space. This upscale boutique hotel is also within walking distance to the French Quarter and Convention Center.

This charming hotel in the French Quarter has all the antique charm of a historic manor (think: mahogany four-poster beds, hanging chandeliers and a quaint courtyard), but it comes fully loaded with modern amenities such as designer toiletries, plush robes, cable television and iPod players. While you’re there, make sure to have dinner at Iris, an upscale new American restaurant with a penchant for specialty cocktails. Bienville House Hotel also is a pet-friendly hotel, so feel free to bring your furry friend and enjoy a lineup of pet amenities. 

 

Photo by Flickr/shaggyshoo (Teesha Dunn)