Just returned from a 4 day trip to New Orleans and stayed at the JW. Like many of you I rely on the reviews from Trip Advisor before making a decision. I must admit, some of the reviews had me a bit concerned, but after 4 days in this hotel I would definately stay there again and recommend it to friends. Lets be honest, anyone can find something to complain about; but in a city known for it's seedy sinful excess the JW was a great retreat to comfort and luxury.
The positives were many.
1.)Location. You can't beat it for a large chain hotel. It is located at the corner of St Charles and Canal. This is just about a block and a half from Bourbon Street and The French Quarter. You also have easy access to the St Charles trolley car (Which takes you to the Garden District and the Warehouse District) and the Canal Street Line. There are also plenty of shops directly across the street to buy beer and other items to take up to your room.
2.)Service. Top notch, especially given that many of these employees are assaulted with a never ending stream of drunkards. Despite probably hearing the same dumb comments over and over and over, the staff always remained patient, upbeat, and friendly. This was not my expeirence at other places in the city. Although we arrived early on our flight we were immediately given a room. On one occasion, it had been raining and the front desk provided us umbrellas. On another, I ordered room service late at night and my shrimp Po boy showed up in about 10 minutes, was delicious, and had about 30 gulf shrimp in it!. The kitchen called a few minutes later to see if everything was to my liking. But the best example is when a women was getting arrested in the lobby and the staff apologized to us for the disturbance!
3.)The Room
We had a king bed room on the 24th floor. It was immaculate. The bed and linens were extremely nice and it was one of the best night sleeps my wife and I have had in a long time. No problem whatsoever with noise especially consider that the weekend we were there was the start of Mardi Gras. The room was made up every day and new towels were brought in.
4.)Amenities
My wife visited the spa and was quite pleased. There is also a Shulas steakhouse which we tried for breakfest. Although Shulas is your typical ubiquitous steakhouse type restaraunt the breakfest we had there was pretty good albeit a bit pricey.
If I had to give a few minuses it would be these--and this is being quite nitpicky.
No mini-bar in the room
Hair Dryer sucked.
I needed a pen to write with and housekeeping did not provided that after the last guest left.
Others have said this was not up to the typical JW standard. The newer JW's like the one in Indianapolis are over the top. This is an older hotel but compared to the other options available in New Orleans their should be no concern with quality.
Bottom Line: Pretty Darn Good.
- Marriott New Orleans
- New Orleans Marriott
