The Royal Sonesta New Orleans

Joe and Christian, thank y’all for being so friendly. You definitely helped make our stay easy and enjoyable. Friendly and helpful, being the first faces we are greeted with when arriving at the hotel. You two definitely understand the importance of first impressions. Thanks again. Will definitely stay here again.

The staff were all very helpful. The hotel was very clean and our room was quiet. The bed was comfortable. Joe and Christian from Valet were particularly helpful and friendly. Christian from Bellman Services went above and beyond as well. The front desk staff were efficient and welcoming. Overall, I would recommend this hotel to anyone wanting a comfortable, clean upscale hotel in New Orleans. My only negative comment is that they don’t have room service. They had pizza if you could get in touch with them. That is one of our favorite things-waking up and getting coffee or breakfast in our room. So that was disappointing. Otherwise, an excellent experience.

Very impressed with The Royal Sonesta. Beautifully detailed property, very nice room, wonderful pool & outdoor bar area, & Desire Oyster Bar has the BEST chargrilled oysters out of all the places we ate! Staff members were all very friendly, professional, & helpful.

I booked a room for one of my employees attending a conference on June 25th. My employee does not have his own credit card, only a debit card. So I called the hotel 2 days before his arrival and asked if I could use my own credit card to secure the incidentals charges and they sent me a credit card authorization form via digital signature which I completed immediately. Nevertheless, they required my employee to use his debit card at check-in to secure the incidental charges which drained his account and he has no access to any money for 3 days while attending a conference. I called the hotel and asked them to reverse the charge and put the security hold back on my credit card, but they said it would take 10 days to reverse the charge. I have 3 other employees booked at this hotel and attend this same conference each year, but we will not be returning to Royal Sonesta because they would not provide a solution to the problem they created.

Beware of the Bourbon Street Balcony Room Misrepresentation at the Royal Sonesta New Orleans Although the Royal Sonesta describes a King - Bourbon Street semi-private Balcony room on its website as follows: “This deluxe room blends traditional and contemporary styles, featuring French doors that lead onto a classic wrought-iron lace balcony overlooking Bourbon Street,” You may end up placed in a Side Street semi-private Balcony room, overlooking Conti Street. The wraparound balcony provides only a distant view of Bourbon Street at the very end of the balcony— a far cry from the direct balcony views the rooms on Bourbon Street are meant to offer. In a decade of booking Bourbon Street balcony rooms at the Royal Sonesta, this was the first time I was assigned a side street room. Historically, my French doors have always opened to a direct view of Bourbon Street, as advertised. What’s especially troubling is that the hotel’s director of the front desk stated that these side street rooms are listed as Bourbon Street balcony rooms in their system. When I quoted the verbiage on their own website, she dismissed me with, “We can go back and forth, and you can call corporate.” Furthermore, she implied that I often have issues with Bourbon Street rooms. Last year I reported a sanitation issue which she also failed to address professionally. The room was dirty. carpet had not been vacuumed, and there was mold in the shower, tub, sink, and behind the toilet. Sanitation and cleanliness are non-negotiable — they should always be the hotel’s top priority. Transparency matters. No guest enjoys being misled, especially loyal customers who have long supported the Royal Sonesta. If I had wanted a side street balcony on Conti, I would have booked one.