New Orleans, LA

Summary of The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans

photo by IAN

The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans

921 Canal St
New Orleans, LA 70112

To make a reservation over the phone, call 1-800-372-2496

Location. Located next to the famed French Quarter and occupying two historic Canal Street buildings, the Ritz Carlton New Orleans (La.) is open for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. A $100 million refurbishment was completed at the end of 2006. The stately hotel stands within one mile of the Louisiana State Museum, the Germaine Wells Mardi Gras Museum and Bourbon Street. Day excursions can be arranged to historic plantations and bayou swamp tours.
Hotel Features. The Ritz Carlton New Orleans features a French courtyard with scenic gardens, gas lit lamp posts and cushioned, wrought iron seating. The new signature restaurant, Melange, celebrates local cuisine amidst a backdrop of live jazz music. Known for its nightspot status, FQB (French Quarter Bar) features live music on select nights and walls displaying historical French Quarter, Mardi Gras and jazz memorabilia. The Spa offers extravagant treatments under sparkling chandeliers, including Napoleon’s Royal Massage, a combination hydrotherapy bath and lemon verbena infused Swedish massage. The Spa Café serves a variety of healthy soups, appetizers and salads. Elegant meeting and event spaces are available, including two ballrooms, a conference concierge, business center and high speed Internet access.

Guestrooms. Pet friendly guestrooms offer feather beds, duvets, 400 thread count Frette linens and extra pillows. Club Level accommodations include daily appetizers, complimentary breakfasts in the Club Lounge and guestrooms with fireplace facades, canopy beds and hardwood floors. Bathrooms boast European toiletries, lighted makeup mirrors and a scale.

Expert Tip. As part of the multimillion dollar renovation post Katrina, the hotel celebrates all things New Orleans by offering a crawfish concierge, a snowball sommelier in the summer and a voodoo love massage by candlelight in the spa.

Reviews

One of the best in the world

Reviewed by NOLAgirl on April 19, 2007

NOLAgirl's rating:

"One of Ritz-Carlton's best hotels in their chain, R-C New Orleans has always recieved top ratings and it is easy to see why. The luxury is all around you, and the staff is phenomenal. After the original opening 2000, it quickly was ranked a 5 diamond property by AAA (at that time, the only one in the city). Recently reopening after massive Katrina damage, it was just named by Conde' Nast as one of the top 65 new hotels in the world.... As a former employee, and now a regular visitor, RCNO is truly a gem! From the Conde' Nast website - The second coming of New Orleans' Ritz-Carlton wasn't exactly a miracle but in a city recently risen from the dead it sure felt that way. The reopening of the queenly Beaux Arts hotel just before Christmas 2006 was a vivid reminder of the city's pre-Katrina glories while confirming that post-K life could be glorious as well. The Ritz-Carlton decided to look on the damages inflicted by the hurricane as an opportunity and immediately began months of repairs and renovations. They have plumped up the hotel's luxury quotient by upgrading the already palatial spa and enlarging and polishing the already stellar staff. The hotel was new to the city even before the hurricane, opening in 2000 in one of downtown's most famous buildings, the 1909 Maison Blanche, once the coolest department store in the south. The hotel is a visual and emotional anchor for New Orleans, open to commercial Canal Street on the front and the French Quarter at the back. It mixes the style of both, with rebuilding moguls meeting in the clubby On Trois lounge while young professionals dance in the bar to the music of smooth jazz god Jeremy Davenport. Rooms vary in size but are expertly decorated in a classical style that mixes rich floral fabrics, handsome prints and big beds with piles of pillows and comforters. "

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Disappointing Stay

Reviewed by LisaLisa on December 07, 2006

LisaLisa's rating:

"We arranged a suite for my wedding night. The plans were for my bridesmaids and myself to prepare for the wedding in the suite. Upon the leaving the hotel, I reminded staff that our room needed cleaning, new linens, and turn down. We got nothing… nor did we get a congrats of any sort (wine, strawberries, etc) from the staff which is normal protocol for newly weds. I was terribly disappointed. This is the second time that I’ve stayed at a Ritz location and they failed to give the 5 star service I paid for. "

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