Thomas G.
Yelp
With the addition of Expedia Rewards points, the price for a night's stay at Holiday Inn Express New Orleans - St Charles was hard to pass up; on top of the hotel being located in my preferred area of stay known as the Warehouse District. My previous trip to New Orleans was solely to run the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Marathon. Since I did not do much during that visit, I did myself a favor by booking a return which happened to be on my birthday weekend.
I arrived at the required check in time which was at 3:00 PM. All check in consisted of was a verification of my information as well as a briefing of what the hotel offers, and where things are located. I felt in good hands after the encounter with the clerk as well as seeing their enthusiastic and genuine interactions with other customers as they checked in.
My first impression of the room was "Man, this is small! My studio apartment is bigger than this!", hehe. Even though I saw light stains on the comforter and on the carpet in the room, the room did meet my cleanliness standards. The stains were not to the point of me being disgusted completely. I do realize that it is the Holiday Inn.
The room had an isolative vibe! The only window I had inside of it was inside of the bathroom, and all I saw out of that was a brick wall. Ay-ay-ay! I did love the behind the cabinet and bed lighting which added a nice touch to the room. I had no issues whatsoever sleeping in the bed. Not once did I wake up during my stay as my head was engulfed in-between the pillows. And the Wi-Fi internet was easy to connect to with no connectivity issues during my stay.
The interior whether it be in the room I had booked, or in the hallway does have gash marks and dents on the walls. However, the hotel does appear to be maintained. The elevator was not the greatest, and there was only one out of the two working in the building. There were a few times I opted out on taking it because others were utilizing it. The hallway design drove me crazy during the time of my stay. It felt like I was in a maze at times trying to locate my room, even with there being signs directing certain numbers to areas, hehe.
I was given a bracelet at check in to wear during breakfast in order to be identified as a guest which was not really a big deal; there were guests that did not have the bracelet on. I guess the hotel has had issues with non-guests visiting to eat breakfast. The breakfast itself was decent, but it was a relief to have it the morning of my departure because I checked out with something in my stomach before heading to the airport. The fitness center was okay, but it was a complete ghost town! I managed to squeeze in a workout on the stationary bike prior to checking out of the hotel. Hotel fitness centers always appear unused with decent equipment.
An event that made staying here memorable was the fact that there was a Krewe parade in buildup to Mardi Gras that circled around Lee Circle. There are plentiful sights, activities, restaurants, and shopping centers within a short radius of this hotel. Some that I experienced and had an interest in were The National WWII Museum, Seed, Lee Circle, French Quarter, Fulton Street, Harrah's, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk.
In the future, I would surely keep Holiday Inn Express New Orleans - St Charles as an option for stay because its location is within a fitting distance from attractions that have my interest.
~Blessings~
Thomas G