The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans — Hotel in New Orleans

I stayed at this fantastic property for a short one-night birthday trip in early September, and it was everything you would come to expect from such an iconic and prestigious hotel brand as the Ritz: quiet, comfortable, and luxurious. This hotel was immaculately clean, elegantly decorated, and centrally located, just off the busy Canal Street. Service was top-notch. Exceptionally warm, yet formal and polite. We stayed in an executive suite and dined at the hotel restaurant. While this Ritz Carlton wasn't perfect, it was close, and is a strong competitor with the city's other luxury hotels. Only a few things could have been done better or expanded. This is a detailed review. ||The Hotel:||The Ritz Carlton is located on Canal Street, a 1-2 minute walk to two streetcar stops, and walking distance to hundreds of shops and restaurants. It's one street away from Bourbon Street, and is on the edge of the Central Business District and the French Quarter. It's in a very central location, arguably the most central of any hotel in the city. While it's in a very busy area, the hotel is extremely safe and remarkably quiet. Both the valet entrance and the entrance off Canal Street have a doorman, and all guest room elevators are key card access only. ||The layout can be confusing when first arriving, but the doormen and bell staff will point you in the right direction. The main lobby, Davenport Lounge, and the M Bistro are located on the third floor. The first floor has the Spa and Fitness Center. The fourth floor has the Maison Orleans Club Lounge. You must take one set of elevators either near the valet/Canal Street entrance or near the Spa to the lobby level, then cross the lobby to find the guest rooms' set of elevators. (Maison Orleans Club guests can skip the lobby and go directly to the club lounge using the elevators behind the spa.) While this can confuse some people, I find it elevates the experience and creates a safer and quieter atmosphere around the hotel. ||The hotel is traditionally elegant, with marble floors, crystal chandeliers, old furniture, wood paneling, and an iconic New Orleans style courtyard in the center. It was immaculately cleaned, and well maintained for a building opened in 1909. The check in area is grand and smells amazing, very flowery and soapy. Check-in was fast, and the receptionist was helpful in showing us where everything was and explaining our added benefits and amenities. There's plenty of quiet places to relax, like the library, a wood paneled room full of old books and comfortable couches and armchairs, or the courtyard, full of large leafy plants and a pretty fountain. Next to the library is a small specialty shop with toiletries, a limited selection of small snacks, nice clothing, and some New Orleans and Ritz Carlton merchandise. The Davenport Lounge serves great drinks and live music from a resident jazz musician on certain nights. More on the M Bistro in the dining section. I didn't book a spa treatment, but the Spa is one of the largest in the city, and looks great. The Fitness Center is expansive, covers three rooms, and has fresh fruit, ice water, cold towels, and disposable earbuds. There's also a resistance pool and a whirlpool spa.||The only miss was the pool. It's not designed to be a leisure pool, so it's small and located in a very humid and seemingly unrenovated room off the Fitness Center. It's a shame there's not a rooftop pool like the other luxury hotels in the area. New Orleans can get very hot and humid, so an outdoor pool would be very much appreciated, and a great amenity to advertise. Some also say the hotel can be dated, and it does show in some places, particularly on the first floor. ||The Dining: ||Dining was fine. Not great, but not bad. We ate at the M Bistro for dinner and breakfast, and weren't particularly blown away. If you're staying at the hotel, it works, but it is in no way a restaurant you should go out of your way to try when in New Orleans; there are far better options. Skip this one if you aren't staying at the hotel, or if you'd like a memorable experience and top-notch food. ||The ambience is lovely at dinner, everything is dimmed, and a small lamp is placed on each table to give the restaurant a more intimate vibe. The service was friendly and attentive. This is a fine dining restaurant, so expect premium prices. You are gently encouraged to dress a little bit nicer than daily wear, but not quite formal wear. I had the Salmon, it was just ok. The oysters are tiny, but good. The wedge salad and its house dressing were delicious. It was my birthday when staying here, so they brought out a nice treat, a strawberry bread pudding, which was very appreciated, and the best thing I had that evening. ||Breakfast was better; it's usually a buffet, but the hotel was at low occupancy when we were there, so no buffet. I had a yogurt parfait, a side of breakfast potatoes, and a glass of pineapple juice. The parfait was extremely good, and the breakfast potatoes were perfectly seasoned and were a very big portion, far bigger than a normal side size. The pineapple juice was good, but it wasn't that cold when served. The NOLA breakfast (eggs, sausage, breakfast potatoes) was also good; everything was cooked well, and again was all great portions. I wish I could remember our waitress's name, as she was extremely kind and was a great start to our day. She was very attentive and a pleasure to talk to.||Other than the M Bistro or Davenport lounge, there's 24 hour room service with a nice selection, or a limited array of snacks from the specialty shop. That's where the dining ends. I would love to see a coffee shop or some other casual quick service spot, and another restaurant. The dining feels very limited here at this hotel, and what few options you have aren't worth your time. ||The Room:||We were in room 1010, an executive suite on the 10th floor. We originally booked a standard room and were upgraded, so this was highly appreciated and certainly made this a special trip. Our room was very spacious, having a full living room with a writing desk, a half bath in the foyer, a big bedroom with an extremely comfortable bed, linens, and pillows, a big closet, and a large marble clad bathroom with a separate tub, shower, and water closet. Water pressure was great and very hot, very fast. The bedroom is separated from the living room with a pair of frosted glass French doors. Our view looked across the neighboring building and towards Hotel Monteleone, plus down at the quiet courtyard below. There were tons of complementary in-room amenities standard in Ritz Carlton hotels, and the scents of the products were fabulous. The honor bar was decently priced and had very nice liquor. The minibar fridge was a bit crammed, but it's not sensorized, so you can take some items out and place your own items in. There isn't a steamer/iron or a microwave in the room.||There was another small hiccup here, as the room was immaculately cleaned, but there were signs of wear and tear. Our side table near the couch had a particularly large chip on it, and our credenza with the pull out bit with the Nespresso machine on it looked like the leather was faded. So there is some oversight from the housekeeping and maintenance team here. But other than those two places, our room was very clean and otherwise maintained nicely.||Turndown service was also very nice; a housekeeper came by while we were still in the room, and we had a lovely chat with her as she dressed the room down for bed. White and dark chocolates on either bedside table, along with glasses and water bottles, plus the breakfast menu ready to be filled out and hung on the door. Robes were placed on the dressed-down bed, right above a mat with slippers. She folded some loose clothes, replenished our Nespresso pods, towels, water bottles, and glassware, took out the trash, and all done extremely fast while also making great conversation and recommending things to do the following day. She was another mark of warm and remarkable service at this hotel.||Final Thoughts:||The Ritz Carlton is an amazing choice for any traveler wanting a more luxurious stay in New Orleans. The property is well maintained and elegant, with great service and warm hospitality. While some say this Ritz isn't up to brand standards, I would have to disagree. There are parts that missed the mark, like the dining, limited options of dining, no leisure pool, and some maintenance upkeep issues, but these only dampened the experience very minimally. Rest assured, when picking this hotel, you will be treated to great service, a comfortable room, an elegant atmosphere, a central location, a safe stay, and a memorable experience. We will...

Great breakfast, but absolutely terrible management/service and a subpar room. Click to read more:

Long story, but it begins with a move to the Courtyard Marriott suite we booked to extend our visit by a few days. The buildings are adjoined. 3 hours later the Ritz-Carlton staff had thoroughly “lost” the clothes I inadvertently left in the closet. No one new had checked in. I suspect no one in leadership could communicate with my Spanish speaking housekeeper to see where she stored or stashed my items. I spent the next 3 days being jerked around by various clueless leaders who didn’t know one another’s or staff names!

I asked Q, the assistant Director of Housekeeping, what the process was and she said it is to deliver all left behind items to the office immediately. Nothing was ever turned in. I asked if she knew who the housekeeper was on my floor. She offered that the housekeeper was a “Spanish lady” whose name she could not recall because the housekeeper had started 2 weeks prior.

Q could see the concern on my face and told me THEE Ritz-Carlton would find my clothes or pay to have them replaced. I believed her. She said she’d send the Loss Prevention person to take a report. I sat.

While waiting I made small talk with a security guard who’d worked there for over a decade. I learned that J, the disappointing manager I’d asked for help, had just started at the site a week ago. He hadn’t circled up the teams to introduce himself and like the housekeeper, or “Q’s” full name, few people knew J’s name either.

The Loss Prevention person, N, said she “believed me” in an off putting way that made me think she wouldn’t have if my multi-day ordeal hadn’t been so unique. She spoke with authority stating she would see whose room keycard had entered my room. Even if I didn’t get my clothes back for some strange reason she would get to the bottom of the mystery and report back. I asked for her direct number after she took mine promising a follow-up call. I later learned the number was not direct. Later that day I came by after shift-change to reconnect with the evening manager, J. I assumed he’d be on the case. He had no update, interest, or concern. He did offer to send more emails to people I imagine were just a room over.

My 3rd and last day staying in the adjoining Marriott, I return to see J dressed down wearing sunglasses, pushing an empty cart. It looked like he was moving into the building and keeping a low profile. He refused to look my way, so I ran over and asked “any update?”, “No, I’m not working” he responded coldly. The crew at the front desk didn’t have an update either. I left New Orleans empty handed.

I never received a call from N in Loss prevention. I called a few times but she wasn’t scheduled or available. Some time later corporate called, responding to the emailed report, to say they would not reimburse me for the clothes but they could still turn up. I called N asking if she remembered to find out which housekeeper tended to my room. She said the housekeeper indicated nothing was left behind but she could not or would not tell me who cleaned it. I don’t think N speaks Spanish either.

The Ritz-Carlton made no attempt to make this right with me and customer service email addresses bounced back.

I hope they see this and will consider hiring leaders who speak Spanish, introduce themselves to staff, and lead first with a common-sense search before composing emails. The departments felt overly and unnecessarily siloed and disconnected. Clerks, concierges, housekeepers, security, and management were unable to answer basic questions about other “departments” or even communicate with one another in real-time. This resulted in hours of my time wasted and clothes unreturned. This was not a positive Ritz-Carlton experience. I do not...

On the evening of Friday, December 13, 2024, at approximately 10:37 p.m., my friends and I were out celebrating and decided to stop by the Ritz-Carlton bar for a nightcap on our way home. As we approached the hotel’s front entrance, a gentleman (whom I believe was named “Elijah”) stood there and did not allow us to enter. He simply looked at us, offering NO WORDS or any form of communication. Unsure if we were at the wrong entrance, we decided to enter through the side door instead as others were also entering that way. We then asked two gentlemen for directions to the bar, and they kindly told us it was on the 3rd floor. After that, we had no further interaction with anyone and proceeded to the elevator. However, as we were about to get on the elevator, the same gentleman from earlier stopped the elevator doors from closing. He told us, “Come on now,” and instructed us to get off, stating that he was the manager. We were completely confused, as he didn’t offer any explanation for why we had to get off the elevator and not go to the bar. Not wanting to cause a scene, we complied with his request. Other hotel staff appeared equally puzzled by the situation and seemed unsure of why we were being treated the way we were. His attitude and lack of communication towards us was despicable. To clarify, we were not hotel guests, but we have frequented various high-end hotels and restaurants in the area as locals, and typically we are welcome, even if we were not staying at the hotel. Perhaps that’s why the manager made us get off the elevator, but it’s important to note that he NEVER provided any reasoning for his actions. The most he said to us was “Come on now” as if we were supposed to interpret what that phrase was supposed to mean. The lack of communication left us feeling completely disrespected. He could have at least explained the situation, but instead, we were treated as though we didn’t matter. My friends and I hold corporate and leadership positions, so we respect authority and understand the need for rules and protocols. However, the disrespect we experienced tonight was unacceptable. It didn’t matter that we were not hotel guests; we deserved basic respect, communication and professionalism. The way we were treated was as if we were troublemakers or criminals, and this was not the case. I had planned to bring a large group to M Bistro for a holiday dinner, but after tonight’s experience, I no longer intend to spend my money at an establishment where staff lacks basic respect and courtesy. I am deeply outraged by how we were treated. The "manager" was completely out of line and unfit for public interaction. Simply saying “come on now” is not effective communication. It would have been much more appropriate for him to say, “Pardon me, ladies, but you are unable to enter the hotel or visit the bar for [specific reason].” That would have been more understandable, and we would have gladly complied with the rules. Instead, we were left feeling belittled. I believe this situation should be addressed, but not in terms of the rules themselves—those are not the issue. The real concern is how he communicated with us. No one in a managerial position should treat others with such a lack of basic courtesy. It’s clear he may have stereotyped us, but regardless of whether we hold corporate positions or were simply strangers off the street, we still deserved an explanation and respect. What began as a pleasant evening ended on a very disappointing note. Once again, this situation absolutely needs to...