The 21 Best Hotels in New Orleans

"The formerly-derelict World Trade Center at the riverside end of Canal and Poydras Streets is enjoying a new, high-end lease of life thanks to a $530 million investment by The Four Seasons group. Consistently high standards are an expected hallmark of any Four Seasons property, and their New Orleans outpost is certainly no exception. Floor-to-ceiling windows grace both the city and river-view rooms, all replete with white oak fixtures and a stylish mid-century modern look. The white Carrara marble bathrooms are memorably chic, and above each bed there’s a delightful plaster wall relief of magnolia flowers. I’ll make the case that these are the smartest-dressed hotel staff in town, with their fitted blue tunics and Panama hats, while the Chandelier Bar has quickly become one of the most memorable watering holes in New Orleans—its showstopping eponymous chandelier a gleaming cascade of some 15,000 crystals." - Paul Oswell