Omni Royal Orleans

Description:

• Despite being part of a chain, this is an elegant hotel that escapes feeling sterile and generic. This is only proper given that it is on the former site of the venerable 1836 St. Louis Exchange Hotel, one of the country's premier hostelries and a center of New Orleans social life until the final years of the Civil War. The original building was finally destroyed by a 1915 hurricane (it suffered no damage from Katrina), but the Omni, built in 1960, is a worthy successor, enjoying a prime location smack in the center of the Quarter. Truman Capote and William Styron have stayed here, and there is a Tennessee Williams suite. Furnishings in the guest rooms (which are quietly getting paint-and-wallpaper overhauls) have grave good taste, full of muted tones and plush furniture, with windows that let you look dreamily out over the Quarter. Suites are vast, making this a good choice for families despite the fancy appearance. Service is swift and conscientious and there are more amenities available here than in comparable properties. Altogether, an especially worthwhile choice.

  Facilities: Restaurant; 2 bars; heated outdoor pool; health club; concierge; business center; salon; barbershops; room service; massage; babysitting; emergency mending and pressing; florist; sundries shop and newsstand; complimentary shoeshine.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010

Other features:

Elegant guest rooms are equipped with umbrellas, irons, terry cloth robes and makeup mirrors. Other amenities include emergency mending and pressing, complimentary shoe shine, nightly turndown, heated outdoor pool, beauty and barber shops, and a florist. For your dining and relaxing pleasure there is the classic Rib Room or the Esplanade Lounge. La Riveria, a poolside oasis open from April-October, provides lunch and a great view of the Quarter.