New Orleans

76
CHAPTER 3 . WHERE TO STAY
3811 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA 70115. & 800/445-9308 or 504/899-
9308. Fax 504/899-8170. www.thecolumns.com. 20 units. $120–$173 double
Mon–Thurs; $160–$230 double Fri–Sun. Rates include full breakfast. AE, MC, V.
Parking available on street. Pet-friendly. Amenities: Bar; newspaper. In room: A/C,
TV, Wi-Fi, hair dryer, iron.
Hampton Inn Garden District This is a top choice for a chain
hotel, if you don’t mind being a bit out-of-the-way. (We don’t—it’s
quite nice up here on St. Charles in a grand section of town that is
generally not overly touristed but is right on the Mardi Gras parade
route.) The public areas are slightly more stylish than those found
in other chains, and there are welcome touches like free coffee in the
lobby and complimentary cheese and tea served daily from 6 to
7pm. The style does not extend to the rooms, however, which are
pretty mundane. But they’re not that bad (the bedspreads and mustard-colored
walls excepted). There are all kinds of personalityenhancing
details (decent photos for artwork, ever-so-slight Arts
and Crafts detailing on furniture, and big TVs) hidden in that bland
color scheme.
3626 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA 70115. & 800/426-7866 or 504/899-9990.
Fax 504/899-9908. www.neworleanshamptoninns.com. 100 units. $119–$179 double.
Rates include continental breakfast with hot items, free local calls, and free
incoming faxes. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Free parking. Amenities: Small outdoor lap
pool; laundry; dry cleaning. In room: A/C,TV,Wi-Fi (free), coffeemaker, hair dryer, iron.
INEXPENSIVE
Park View Guest House Built in the late 1800s as a boardinghouse
for the World Cotton Exchange, this is an inn crossed with
a B&B, which means a front desk staffed 24/7 and proper public
areas. But it’s far uptown, so if you can’t live without Bourbon Street
and bars mere steps from your hotel entrance, then this is not the
place for you. The stunning location on St. Charles (with a streetcar
stop right opposite, so it’s easy to get to and from the Quarter), with
views right across to Audubon Park, makes it well worth considering.
Still, we wish they were more careful with their decor, a mix of
antiques and sometimes truly bad modern furniture—witness no.
19, a spacious room with a balcony, claw-foot tub, and fireplace with
glazed tiles, and some godawful 1980s motel room furniture. If this
sort of aesthetic mistake bothers you as much as it does us, you are
better off with no. 9 (two antique wood beds, nice old fireplace, large
balcony, new bathroom) or no. 17 (bigger bathroom, better furniture).
Most of the rooms are spacious, and those downstairs, while
just off the public areas, are grander still. New bathrooms mean only
a few shared ones remain.