Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans

Beautiful, modern, clean and spacious rooms! Wonderful service. The blueberry muffins and croissants from our rom service breakfast were divine! The property is in an excellent location for walking to the French Quarter and even walkable to SuperDome and Smoothie King Center. The service was friendly and attentive. Concierge was especially helpful with restaurant recommendations. The gorgeous lobby bar sets the tone for the tasteful decor throughout the property. The gym, while decent sized, is a bit claustrophobic. Overall we had a fantastic stay and will be back!

We attended a Mardi Gras krewe event. The food was fabulous and abundant. The drinks were fantastic too! Thanks to Leslie for making the best old fashioneds and providing the best service. Keep it up.

I spent last week at the Four Seasons in New Orleans and cannot say enough about this property. It is in a perfect location on the river just far enough removed from the French Quarter. The rooms are beautiful and they have a fantastic gym. I worked with Sharah and she made everything easy for me from start to finish. She really made me feel like anything is possible for the entire week. She is always looking to see if I needed anything and does it with genuine pleasure. Thank you so much because these little things go a long way! Lorenzo who works by the pool was such a great guy and always ready to lend a hand. He has such a wonderful demeanor and was very nice to speak with each time I was out by the pool. So pleasant. The guys out front were always willing to help with directions and just really nice to speak to as I waited for my car to come around. Housekeeping did a great job everyday and my room was always in perfect order. Tiffany checked me in and I thank you for having my room ready upon arrival. She was so nice and even got me a super soft face mask to sleep each night. And I did give the second one to my wife!! All in all, the Four Seasons New Orleans is the only place I would choose when I am in town for all of the reasons I describe. See you next visit!!

I've encountered a few Four Seasons properties that were notably "off," for lack of a better term, but their still-quite-new New Orleans hotel is unusually so – the odd part being that it seems this way despite having had such a clearly lavish renovation. As a former professional hotel reviewer, an immediate red flag to me has always been any given Four Seasons not ranked in a city's top 20 – particularly outside of major global capitals. This is the first I've ever seen, however, that's only barely among the top FIFTY PERCENT. But now that I've seen it in person – including four separate guest rooms/suites on two separate trips – I think I get why. First, it's not like Four Seasons lacks experience in terms of massive tourist destinations: it's had a property in Vegas for 20+ years now. The difference, however, is that its Vegas hotel is a respite of sorts: only around 400 rooms ensconced inside the mammoth Mandalay Bay's 5,000 or so. In New Orleans, it's entirely a Four Seasons (including residences), and while I know better than to expect seclusion near the French Quarter, its lobby is reminiscent of Grand Central Terminal! The much more concerning problem, however – and I imagine one of the ones prompting guests to balk at its Windsor Court-level nightly rates, given that it's long been the city's best five-star property – is its location. I know it's landmarked (the former ITM tower), but it's also a fantastic example of a truly hideous, Brutalist-style edifice that's "historic" only as a remnant of a dismal period in urban architecture. (Also, describing a 1960s building as "historic" in one of the literal oldest cities in the US – now well over 300 years old – is itself a bit problematic.) It has zero exterior visual appeal, and while most of New Orleans' more modern towers aren't exactly aesthetically pleasing, it's unusual to see a Four Seasons in one that's flat-out ugly. (Its OG property in Toronto was fully Brutalist, but Four Seasons wisely unloaded it and relocated its flagship into a modern 55-story tower in the early 2010s.) But the true dealbreaker, at least for me – and a stunningly large error in judgment, considering no one appears to have considered its realities prior to choosing to retrofit the building as a five-star hotel – was opening one with a *literal* train passing directly underneath it throughout the day & night. Worse still, they blare their horns most, if not all, of the time. The noise is at least less bad on higher floors, but I could plainly hear it throughout the hotel. While the property has added white noise machines & offers earplugs & whatnot, there's only so much noise those things can suppress, and I could still audibly hear the train even with every noise-suppression means available. Aside from the too-packed lobby, I can't fault the interiors, but despite its admitted proximity to both the Quarter & CBD, I can't recommend this property except to people fortunate enough to be able to sleep through nearly any type of disturbance. A Four Seasons is very obviously supposed to be special, and most truly are. This one's not, and *absolutely* not as one of the city's priciest hotels: they should've followed the lead of Ritz-Carlton in choosing a building to revamp, which opened a New Orleans branch 25 years ago in the iconic Maison Blanche building on Canal. (To be fair, I'd argue it's been poorly managed as well – and it's long overdue for an interior revamp – but I think that's true of the entire chain versus Four Seasons.) If you want a super-deluxe five-star near the Quarter, the Windsor Court has been the best option for decades, and remains so today. If you want deluxe *and* small & secluded – but still inside the Quarter – I'd head straight to the Audubon Cottages without passing Go. (They only have seven total rooms, all of which are suites, so I'd advise booking early.) But if you want Vegas-level crowds, a notably subpar service caliber, and loud trains passing next to the lobby at all hours, this is the place for it. But I suspect most people prefer five-stars where they can actually sleep through the night without disturbance. I'd only return if the hotel's management understands that cheap white noise machines & foam earplugs are a borderline-farcical fix for its noise problem, and that physical remediation of the building – installing bona fide sound absorption measures such as triple-paned windows (which, yes, will cost many millions) – is the only true fix.

Had the most fabulous stay at the Four Seasons New Orleans during Tales of the Cocktail last month. The exterior of the building is so iconic but the moment you step inside, you're transported into a completely different environment that's incredibly luxurious and modern. The chandelier bar is stunning with fantastic cocktails and amazing bar team. The suite is spacious (greatly appreciate the massive walk-in closet) and the Four Seasons bed is just oh-so-luscious, a perfect place to rest and recover after a full day of imbibing. The service is impeccable with top-notch hospitality. Food at Miss River is fabulous - do not miss the whole fried chicken! IRD is also done properly, getting butter-fried beignet delivered in the AM is a great way to start your day. Also, do not skip the spa, the eucalyptus cold mist is essential amidst NOLA's heat and humidity.