Were living in hotels full-time at the moment. I’ll continue covering Hyatt Centric properties, with a review of a third property of the brand — in previous posts I reviewed the Hyatt Centric Miami Brickell and the Hyatt Centric Fort Lauderdale Las Olas.
Continue reading: Review: Hyatt Centric New Orleans French Quarter
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Check out the Eliza Jane next time. Used to be a country inn and suites and they did an amazing remodel . It’s immaculate and so much character. 2 blocks off the Quarter so much quieter too.
If you ever visit again, to get away from the crowds go down to the garden district. It’s a short trolley ride away from the Hyatt Centric and has beautiful homes with incredible architecture, great shopping on magazine street and fantastic restaurants (better than the touristy ones in the French Quarter).
Nice review. This HC really does look like only a slight step up from House/Place type hotels, though. Especially that pool.
Out of curiosity- did you stay at and will you be reviewing the Eliza Jane? Would love to get your take on it.
@ Ryan (and other Ryan too -- great Ryans think alike, I suppose!) -- I was considering staying there, but unfortunately they're not dog friendly.
@ Michelle -- We loved the garden district. We did a biking tour there, and the architecture was really cool to see, especially with the stories and history that went along with it.
You do realize you get treated differently as a known influencer, don’t you? I’ve stayed at this hotel more times than I can remember as a Globalist and have never received a gift... also your mom had a junior suite as well (the way to tell is the large sofa as that is the defining characteristic).
Eliza Jane has its pros and cons... biggest con is (many) rooms with no outside light. Talk about a cave!
It also has no breakfast... as it’s main restaurant closed due to pandemic.
Finally, garden district/uptown also has the best restaurants which cater more to locals.
The room design here is shockingly uninspired for what is meant to be an upscale hotel that was just opened, no? The bare wall "couch corner" looks like my friends' college apartments...
@ Jason -- I got my notes mixed up, that is indeed what we had booked.
To be clear, the "welcome gift" was a bunch of bottles of water. World of Hyatt elite members are entitled to one bottle of water daily, and we were given a bottle of water for each day of our stay. I think we got delivered the bags because we had an extended stay, so that was easier than otherwise getting them to us daily.
As far as the two bags of spicy chips goes, well, if that's the special amenity that "known influencers" get, well...
Nice review. And no need to apologize for reviewing a hotel you call "lukewarm". Many of us like to visit a great city like New Orleans and spend time out on the town rather than in some hotel lounge boozing it up and eating free appetizers, so reviewing a decent hotel at a good price in a great city is just fine.
Is it just me or do the bedroom walls look vast, empty and underfurnished?
I'll keep your thoughts of N'awlins in mind when I visit next month. I think my choice of hotel will feel a LOT more different (W and JW Marriott)
Outside of the bathroom countertop and shower, this looks like a Holiday Inn. As I said before, Centric is basically the conversion brand for Hyatt as evidenced by the number of flags this property has flown in recent years.
I do find it interesting that Ben (Lucky) hates tourists but goes to Miami, Fort Lauderdale and now New Orleans. If you want to avoid the great, unwashed, maskless masses then stop going to places frequented by those people.
@ FNT Delta Diamond -- Like I said, I'm publishing my reviews by brand here, and it just happened to be that the Hyatt Centrics were the busier places we stayed. Most of the remaining reviews are of hotels where there were very few other guests, and those are also hotels we spent even more time at.
I explained the reasons for these stays in the posts -- New Orleans was a special trip with my mom, and Miami/Fort Lauderdale was because that's where we live, and we had some things to take care of.
If you want to feel like you're in another country, I'd recommend Savannah. My wife and I went there for Labor day last year and it was incredible. Felt like a southeast remix of the bahamas to me. There's an Andaz, a Regency, and soon to be a Thompson (though the Thompson is maybe at the wrong end).
Would love a review of both the Andaz and the Regency (or just the Andaz)!
I see you went to Galatoire's. How was it?
I have extended family from New Orleans and growing up we'd visit and always eat at Galatories. There's definitely special service there for locals - people who go frequently are usually treated differently than tourists - at least some of the time. Whenever I'd go with my aunt/uncle and their family, we always had "their" waiter - always the same. And they were always privy to special menu items and service that others sometimes werent. This is similar at many old school restaurants around New Orleans - local families and people who dine frequently have their "own" waiters, get the "best" tables, and can have a better experience. I've been to Galatoires without my local relatives a few times. Two of the times the service was excellent even though we were not seated in the best place. The last time was absolutely awful. Terrible service, cold food, indifference. I noticed at the next table a "local" family enjoying a much different experience. When I mentioned this to my relatives they were not shocked. This happens / can happen at all the old school New Orleans places - Galatoires, Antoine's, Commander's Palace, Arnaud's, etc...
How was your time there?
Interesting -- the Hyatt Centric furniture looks extremely similar to Hyatt Place rooms I've stayed in. I thought the Hyatt Centric was meant to be significantly more upscale, and maybe it is in the details, but I don't totally understand where Hyatt Centric is supposed to fall in the Hyatt brand lineup...
We stayed there with two rooms booked as a Globalist for my mom’s birthday last year and got absolutely nothing extra except attitude and extremely poor service. It was so bad I contacted the GM who made sure to be as nasty as possible. While the location is excellent if one wants to experience what NO has to offer, the human factor at that hotel is nothing short of atrocious, starting from the GM. Will try Eliza Jane next time.
@ Jason -- We had an AMAZING experience there. We went for lunch on a weekday (since we didn't want to go anywhere crowded), and we literally had the restaurant to ourselves, which was kind of surreal. Our server was a delight, and the food was sickeningly delicious.
I will say this about our dining in New Orleans -- I was a bit surprised by the extent to which menus at all the restaurants we visited were virtually identical. I get that New Orleans is known for a certain type of cuisine, but all the "famous" restaurants almost have interchangeable menus. So for the first couple of meals I loved the food, while after that I was just dreaming of a salad, or something different.
@Ben - okay, that's good to hear. It can be great or it can be really terrible like I sadly experienced on my last visit a few years ago. For locals with their "own" waiter it's always good, but for random tourists it's dicey. Glad you had a great experience there - when it's good it's great!
Yes - old school New Orleans cooking is heavy and certainly not healthy. Galatoires, Commander's, Antoine's all serve similar delicious stuff. But yes, variety in old-school new orleans food is tough to come by. there are new places that people really have talked up, including some amazing middle eastern place that was really hot a few years ago.
I second what somebody else said - the best restaurants are uptown/ garden district where the locals live. Clancy's is a particular standout.
anyway, glad Galatoire's worked for you!
Jason
We visit extended family in NOLA every year. The city has great restaurants and they're not all the standard Creole or Cajun fare, that just tends to be what the traditional French Quarter restaurants offer for tourists who are only in town for a day or two. I always make a point to go to Galatoire’s, Antoine's, or my personal favorite Arnaud's. Though I would never suggest anyone go to more than one for a short visit as their menus have serious overlap of the classics. Next time you're back check out some of the other delicious cuisines on offer (to the point of some others it will require a trip outside of the French Quarter) - Vietnamese, Italian, Caribbean, Israeli (Shaya is a personal fave), and even Vegetarian.
@Ben
How was the New Orleans Airport?
They have a brand new airport what’s your thoughts about it!
Starting to see a common theme here with all these Hyatt hotels. Way more often than not, redeeming points does not represent a good value at the 1.5 cent valuation unless it's an ultra expensive hotel.
" this hotel has ridiculously long and winding hallways,"
Try Hotel du Louvre sometime.
It's a Hyatt BTW.
@ Luis -- Indeed that has been a theme with the past few reviews, though keep in mind that coronavirus has really caused rates to drop in many markets. The math would look totally different under normal circumstances, especially if traveling during a peak period. Beyond that, for me earning points is all about redeeming at aspirational properties, and there the math very much checks out.
@ Joe1293 -- Absolutely gorgeous airport, was very impressed. Unfortunately I forgot to snap pictures, and was only there briefly.
You want a long hallway? Hit up the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto when the border opens up again. You could get your cardio in doing the hallway and stairs alone.
As someone mentioned above, the Eliza Jane is a much preferable Hyatt property in generally the same location. I'd say the hotel is nicer, and it gives you a buffer from the French Quarter. You can easily walk back and forth to it if you'd like. As far as your comment about New Orleans being similar to Vegas, I guess that's somewhat true if you don't make any effort to get out of the French Quarter. Acknowledging that your mom may not be super mobile, there are still a million places that you could have gone that wouldn't have felt anything at all like Vegas. I go to New Orleans frequently for both work and pleasure, and it's been over 10 years since I stayed in the French Quarter.
@Sean The Andaz in Savannah is perhaps the least desirable Andaz in the world. I stayed there last month and it's pretty mediocre. Ben did a good review of it two years ago I think and it's pretty spot on.
I love when you call out great help! That must feel great for the hotel and staff. Keep it up!
My votes for longest hotel hallways are the Anaheim Convention Center Marriott and Las Vegas Aria (and other LV hotels that I don't remember)
Im going to stick with my comment that youd be better off staying at extended stay/all suite locations. This just looks like an old Holiday Inn barely worth $89 a night.
I stayed here just weeks before the pandemic shut everything down, and while the location was excellent, I wasn't overly impressed with much else. We had a similar issue with the room facing the courtyard and it being dungeon-like when the drapes were closed. The room itself was clean, service was fine, but the entire experience left me feeling as if there was more to be desired. I'd stay here again, but not for 15,000 points a night.
Agreed with @Mark, it's great when you call out great service by name. Job well done to the HC MSY team you mentioned!!!
I'm Marriott Bonvoy (and I prefer the Aloft brand, though go higher when hosting clients of course), so rarely stay at Hyatt's, except for a few times at the Hyatt Place in Austin. The furnishings at Hyatt Centric look below the level of Hyatt Place, which is curious.
Off topic. I have hosted several functions in MSY, and am very particular about designing menus at all of the top restaurants....but one thing I've never touched....turtle soup. What in the heck does that taste like??? I am bothered by the idea of turtle soup, which admittedly makes no sense since I will eat almost any other protein.
You would have loved The Pontchartrain Hotel right off St Charles in the Garden District. Very interesting prop, lots of nods to celebrities & authors. It’s boutique but not fussy or over the top. Its restaurants & bars are fabulous, the rooftop is the best in town. Overall just so well done & comfortable with great service & can be booked with URs.
Long hallways... Try the Washington Hilton. It can easily take several minutes to walk from your room to the elevator.
how are you guys moving around - rental car?
Would you do a review of the rental car company or companies?
@ Sean...Lucky did review Andaz as Stuart pointed out when he visited his mom who was getting treated in Savannah couple of years ago. Marriott pretty much rules Savannah. They have better and more high end hotels.
I’m flying there next week. AS had an amazing deal last Black Friday, LAX-DAL-LAX rt in F for $219. Was planning on spending 2 nights at the Westin in downtown Dallas. Between the Texas governor saying COVID is over and not wishing to get harassed by the pseudo-righteous for wearing a mask, I decided to change planes in DAL and fly onward to MSY. My first visit to NO and my 50th state visited. Not interested in the crowded French Quarter. At least this trip. Staying at the Ponchetrain Hotel in the Garden District. I enjoy staying in historic hotels with some character and interesting architecture. There are plenty of places to eat and explore nearby. I’ll return for a longer visit when we are back to normal.
We like the HC in NOLA when we go there. It's on the edge of the quarter, but there's so many other places to go for food and fun while in the city. Old City Park is great as well as the Garden District. Once we took the trolley and found the house from American Horror Story Coven. You'll meet very interesting locals there as well. Taking the carriage ride gives you lots of history of the area. The Spotted Cat in NOLA is a great little live music place in the non-touristy part of the quarter. We avoid Bourbon Street unless staying at the Royal Sonesta or the Omni Royal Orleans. Side streets are much better for traversing the quarter area. We should check out the Eliza Jane the next trip.
The hotel also has some rooms in an old annex on Canal Street with big antique opening windows. Was great for Mardi Gras parades. It is a collection of old buildings with the new entrance at one corner, so long walks to rooms. Rooms with balconies on Bourbon are hardest to get but they face zero with delivery trucks underneath. (there's a secret entrance there) Courtyard pool level rooms are actually nice. Very reasonable prices.