Omni Royal Orleans

Hotel is under extensive renovation. which it desperately needs. I was not informed and the pool and fitness center were closed with an option to walk a few blocks to another hotel. The elevator situation was a disaster.

There is a lot to unpack in my recent stay at the Omni in New Orleans. I stayed in the hotel along with my business partners to the city to spend a week in what I expected was an upscale hotel while we were in town on business, and to scout the hotel for hosting our clients in the future. To say we were extremely disappointed is an understatement. Here is a list of all the issues we encountered during our stay: - Construction everywhere - The noise and inconvenience at all hours made sleep nearly impossible and just getting around the hotel was a hassle. - Slow/unreliable Wifi, made doing any work impossible. - Elevators were constantly in and out of service, making them slow and crammed all the time. I was constantly having to take the stairs through the construction zone or I would have been late for all my meetings. - Courtyard and pool closed - Alternative at the Monteleon was too far away and far too inconvenient. - A/C was really poor in the room and the lobby, making the entire hotel uncomfortable. - There is a musty smell throughout the hotel and we actually saw staff going around spraying air freshener throughout the day. - A conference took over almost the whole hotel, and the restaurant and bar were closed for private events. I get conferences happen, but it left us feeling like 2nd class citizens. - When we checked in our hallway a very strong smell of marijuana, which wafted into our room. - Our room had a bunch of problems: it wasn't serviced unless we asked for it, chair on the deck was broken, shampoo and shower gel not refilled, dishes not taked away, and we even had to ask for toilet paper as our room only had one roll. - My business partner's room wasn't ready at checkin and yet we had to pay for his entire time there and the 11 am checkout was enforced. - Coffee in the lobby was free during the conference, then $5-$7 dollars a cup afterward. It should always be included for the prices you charge. - Worst part of all, my business partner's room had a bedbug infestation. He is contacting management for a refund, because that is ludicrous for any hotel, let alone an Omni. In spite of all the many many issues guests have to put up with, the hotel is charging full price. We spoke to a lot of other guests and the feeling was universal. The hotel needs to price rooms appropriately during construction and make it clear when people reserve for their well-deserved vacations that they won't be getting what they expect.

The location of this hotel can't be beat. What sets it apart however is the service. There was a little mistake on my bill because of of promotion with the credit card I was using, and Michelle from the Omni went our of her way to make it right. You can't go wrong with this hotel - thank you for a memorable weekend!

The staff members were hospitable and accommodating. They were trying hard to serve guests well and several went above and beyond what was expected. The hotel location was great. Those were the only positive things about our stay. We would have appreciated being informed that the hotel was going through a renovation before checking in. The beautiful pool area shown on the hotel website was one of the reasons we chose to stay there. It was unfortunately unavailable due to the remodeling. Going down the street to use the pool at another property was untenable for us. One day, I wanted to use a lobby restroom to freshen up. The only public restroom open during the renovation was on the second floor and it was locked. I had to go all the way back to our room on the sixth floor to wash my hands. It was a little dicey dodging workers using the front door of the hotel to bring in building materials and the lobby was extremely noisy on several occasions. The worst part of our stay by far was that the room was dirty and shabby. The curtain sheers were shredded. The carpet, chair, and ottoman were stained. One bedside lamp was very marred and two lampshades were damaged. The wallpaper was torn. We misunderstood that the Opt Out program was for the duration of our five-night stay and not just for the day we hung the door card. The misunderstanding was our fault but it resulted in having to chase down housekeepers for fresh towels a couple of times and our garbage cans to overflow. It might be good for the hotel to check in with guests who opt out of housekeeping services if they are staying more than three nights. Similarly, during the remodel, it would be good to put the room safe in a lower and universally assessable area. It was located at the very top of the closet. I’m 5’1” and could not reach the inside of the safe as it was too high up for me. Persons in wheelchairs or shorter in stature could not use that safe. To summarize, we were severely disappointed in our stay.

My wife and I recently stayed at the Omni Royal Orleans in the New Orleans French Quarter and would definitely stay there again. Although this is an older hotel with smaller bathrooms, this place is immaculately clean. We chose a room on the second floor that allowed us access to the interior courtyard located in our private alcove. Check in was easy and the staff friendly. Jude, the doorman, helped us secure a cab at departure, Madison, our Rib Room bartender, was awesome, and Trodell, the Rib Room restaurant manager helped us secure a table on a very busy evening. Another great about this hotel is it's location. It is a block and a half from Bourbon street and across the street from the majestic Louisiana Supreme Court building. The energy of Bourbon street, Jackson Square, and Cafe Du Monde are all within walking distance. At the same time, this hotel is a bit removed from the late night noise and "nightlife" of Bourbon street. All in all, we really enjoyed our stay and will be rebooking this hotel for next October