Review: J.W. Marriott New Orleans

New Orleans, a hodge-podge of a city full of music, food, and it's own culture. I had a couple-night stay at the JW Marriott last weekend for a special occasion.

A little back story on this, we were supposed to stay at the Renaissance pere Marquette, but there had been significant flooding in the New Orleans area and the hotel was flooded. We were re-accommodated at the Marriott - New Orleans, and after learning that the Renaissance would not budge on the hotel re-accommodation we cancelled our reservation and booked the JW Marriott.

The hotel has two entrances, a main entrance on Common Street where valet parking is located, and a foot traffic entrance on Canal Street. We arrived late after a celebration dinner and entered the lobby off of Common Street.

JW Marriott Lobby

We had informed the hotel about our special occasion, and upon entering our room, my jaw dropped. We had been assigned a one-bedroom bi-level suite.

The room included a living-area with floor to ceiling windows. The downstairs was large enough to host our family for a couple of glasses of champagne before dinner.

The room felt very comfortable and the color tones lended themselves to relaxation.

The bedroom itself was about as large as a normal hotel room, and outlets were conveniently located on the bedside tables.

The executive lounge at the JW Marriott was one of the best lounges I've seen. It's located on the first floor and encompasses two stories.

The lounge had appetizers in the evenings and a continental breakfast with a few hot items in the morning. The upstairs included a pool table and classic board games, as well as a variety of book choices. Again, as was the theme of this hotel, the lounge had a very relaxing and calming atmosphere.

The pool and the gym were adequate, my favorite part of the gym was the refrigerated towels to cool you down.

All in all, the JW Marriott has become my go-to hotel in New Orleans. It is an oasis of relaxation in an otherwise bustling city. I truly appreciate the hotel management for upgrading us to a suite, and certainly wasn't expecting it.