Hyatt Place New Orleans/Convention Center — Hotel in New Orleans

If you have a service dog, read this before booking at Hyatt properties.

I booked a room through Expedia, where it clearly states that service dogs are exempt from pet fees. But when I arrived, what should’ve been a simple check-in turned into a shocking violation of ADA law.

My service dog was clearly marked with a red harness and “Service Dog” labels—nothing hidden. At first, check-in went smoothly. But the room they gave me had a strong chemical smell, so I went back to the front desk and politely asked for a different room.

That’s when things took a turn.

Adrianne Nattals, the front desk staff, took my key—but instead of giving me a new one, she handed me a form demanding I agree to a $75 pet cleaning fee. I told her (several times) that my dog is a trained service animal, not a pet, and under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it’s illegal to charge fees for service dogs.

Her response? “A dog is a dog, and if you want the key you need to sign that you agree to the fee.”

I was stunned. I said I’d rather cancel my stay and get a refund so I could go somewhere that respects the law. She refused. Because I had already checked in, she said no refund—and would not give me my room key unless I signed the form. Are you kidding me?

Now I was trapped: I’d paid, I had no room, no refund, and was being forced to sign something I knew was illegal just to sleep.

I asked to speak to a manager because clearly they didn't know what they were doing was blatantly illegal. After 30 minutes of waiting at the desk, Adrianne said she spoke with the manager, Jennifer Jones—who instructed her to just “have me sign it anyway and go find her tomorrow to convince her to waive the fee”. (Seriously???)

I said absolutely not.

Then it got worse: Adrianne asked me and I quote: "are you disabled?", "what is your disability?" among the usual "what kind of service does the dog provides?

Let me be clear: that is a direct violation of federal law.

I had to answer specifics about my disability to these two people, in order to give me the key to my room.

I have been in several Hyatt Places, in fact, it is my preferred hotel to stay at.. but the Hyatt Place - New Orleans/Convention Center, now has changed my perception of the brand.

PS. The elevators barely work - certificates of operations should be displayed to the public and not "on file" The mini fridge on my room was leaking, I just didn't want to deal with your rude ignorant...

Second trip to New Orleans, but this time for a work conference at the massive Convention Center. I decided to book the Hyatt Place, partly for convenience and partly because I’m a creature of habit. The location’s next to the Mexican Consulate, which had my imagination running wild—I spent a frankly embarrassing amount of time glancing out my window hoping for a glimpse of some handsome Mexican men. Sadly, it was quiet across the street. My own personal telenovela failed to materialise!||The area itself is less touristy than the French Quarter, which was a nice change. Generally quiet. The hotel itself is a bit dated, you know, that slightly corporate feel, but everything worked perfectly. Though you do get these very specific life pro-tips from the front desk, like, "You have to hold your key card on the elevator sensor for a solid five seconds." It’s a whole ceremony.||It’s a cashless hotel, which is fine, but the ATM in the lobby has a properly punitive $5 transaction fee. I didn’t brave the complimentary breakfast—the lobby was a sea of conference-goers fuelling up—and the small selection of drinks for purchase downstairs is… ambitious. We’re talking an $11 large bottled water and a $3 Reese’s Cup. There’s a Starbucks and a Cajun Market up the street, which is a lifesaver, though still on the pricey side.||But the real win? The five-minute walk to the Convention Centre. Unbeatable. The area felt safe, and there are plenty of fancier hotels nearby if you need a change of scenery for a drink. The staff were lovely and efficient, housekeeping was spot on… all the important boxes ticked.||So, would I stay again? Absolutely. It’s like that reliable, slightly frumpy friend who gets the job done without any drama. Just maybe pack...

Our stay there started off alright. The convenience of the hotel to the streets of New Orleans was what attracted us to this particular hotel. We are a family all about left-overs so we were a little down that the room did not have a microwave, but it was one downstairs.

The reason that I gave this two stars was because of the cleaning service of the hotel. Going into the second day our room wasn't clean because the kids placed the DND sign on the door. The so on the third day (the day before check-out), we made sure that no signs were on the door and we went into the lobby to wait for them to clean the room. Apparently, they didn't reach our floor until 5:30PM (a little late for me), but when we went to the lobby they were right next door to our room. We were in the lobby until 6:45 PM and our room still was not clean. We asked the operations manger and when he checked into it, they said that we refused service (which was a lie)!!?? So, of course we were upset and they finally "cleaned" our room.

When we got to the room the only thing they did was make the bed, vacuum the floor, change our towels and give us more soap. The toilet nor shower was not cleaned, the floor was not swept, and our sheets were not changed (and we requested that they change them). We called the manager back and he pretty much told us that if the guest are staying for more than one night they just "spot clean" until the third/fourth day of the guest stay. So, even if they saw a mess (soap scum, dirty toilet) because it was our mess, they would not clean it.

Aside from that issue, the staff was nice enough and, again, the hotel is placed at a great location within a mile of the main...