Holiday Inn Express New Orleans - Arts District

Breakfast, which I served myself, turned out good. The juice was awful, though. You could see water coming through intermittently to dilute it, and since I don't like sweet juice, it was basically flavored water. Other staff I met were super friendly. The front desk team wasn't very welcoming. They answered questions, but when I asked for a place to eat after a long drive, they just handed me a list instead of making a personal suggestion. Parking in an unsecured lot costs $40 a night plus tax. The room was tight, and the bathtub floor looked questionable, so I put a towel down just in case.

The room was clean, the bed was nice, and breakfast was really good. For a reasonably priced stay, I'd recommend it. I was here alone for a conference at the Ernst conference center, around a 15-20 minute walk depending on pace. I felt safe on the way to and from the Convention Center. As a solo woman, I made sure to head back before 8pm, just in case. A couple of people made me more cautious, but everything was fine. The area was fairly clean. Bourbon Street is about a 25 to 30 minute walk. The hotel room was comfortable, though the hallways could use fresh paint and more regular vacuuming. Traffic outside was noisy, but a sound and fan app helped me sleep. The walls seemed thin too, since one night I could make out someone's conversation, either from the hall or another room.

I tried several times to book by phone, and the employees kept hanging up on me. Then they checked us into a dirty room and didn't even apologize. The lobby had fruit water throughout my stay, but the oranges were all dried up at the bottom of the bowl. Other guests said it hadn't been changed throughout Mardi Gras. I've stayed in hotels all my life and never dealt with this kind of disregard. This morning they also tried to charge my card $10, and I don't know why. I'm still waiting for a manager to contact me, though I'm not hopeful. Avoid this place if you want to keep your sanity.

I booked a room with two queen beds through a third-party site and called the hotel to confirm, so I thought everything was set. When I arrived Friday, though, the room had a bunk bed. The front desk employee said I should have booked directly with the hotel, which was frustrating because the reservation clearly listed two standard queens. They did move us to another room at no charge, and I appreciated that. The next day my car had a boot on it. I'd told the front desk I wanted hotel parking and given them my tag details at check-in, so I didn't expect a problem. I had to go back to the desk and spend time figuring out why it happened. They removed the boot for free, but when I asked for compensation for the inconvenience, the receptionist refused because there was no removal fee. Another guest's car had the same issue, and this wasn't my fault. The stay was okay, but the staff didn't feel very welcoming. They handled the immediate problems, though the customer service was lacking. I wouldn't stay here again.