While we visited New Orleans last year, we made a return trip in 2022 to attend the Freddie Awards. On our previous trips, we stayed at a hotel in the French Quarter and rented an Airbnb in an adjacent neighborhood. As we were traveling solo, we were looking for a hotel and I didn’t search for long. Many attendees were staying at The Eliza Jane, so I booked a room as soon as I confirmed the trip. The hotel is a category 4 World of Hyatt property, so I was able to use my free night from the World of Hyatt card, along with 15,000 points for each additional night.
The Eliza Jane
315 Magazine Street
New Orleans, Louisiana, 70130
While not located in the French Quarter, I’d say it’s French Quarter adjacent. If you’re familiar with New Orleans, the hotel is only a two-block walk from Harrah’s (soon-to-be Caesars Palace) casino.
I didn’t know much about the place besides hearing from the Hyatt fans what a great place it was. Since there are so many fantastic places to stay in New Orleans, I had to judge if they were correct or were they wearing the Hyatt-supplied rose-colored glasses.
While Eliza Jane (I’m not going to keep typing “The” for the proper name of the hotel) might not be everyone’s cup of tea, this property falls right into our wheelhouse – reclaimed older buildings that are renovated but still manage to keep their character.
Hyatt’s Unbound Collection seems to resemble Marriott Bonvoy’s Autograph Collection. It’s a place for all of the one-of-a-kind hotels that don’t fit anywhere else. It would be a shame to try to turn this hotel into anything else except what it is, and it will never be an Andaz or a Hyatt Regency without crushing what makes it great.
As you walk into the lobby area, there’s a charm that you’ll feel. The detailed tilework with unique lighting features gave the space a warm feel, particularly as we arrived around 2 AM after our delayed flight.
I had no chance of an upgrade, with so many Hyatt Globalists staying at the hotel so we took our base room on the fourth floor, close to the main elevators.
The room was decent-sized, with the bathroom by the front door. There was a regular-sized tub/shower combo with fixtures that matched the sink.
The living/sleeping space was comfortable with an amazing king-sized bed (We’re not stans of Hyatt’s bedding yet but it’s getting close to that point). We’ll just say that we almost slept until 11 AM the following day.
There was also a comfortable seating area near the windows.
The room also included a large-sized flat-screen TV on top of a dresser.
There was no closet in the room, but a clothes rack in the corner nook included an ironing board. This was nice as we had a place to hang our clothes for the awards.
While the website says rooms have a desk, it was missing from our space, making it challenging to work from the room. We did have two large windows in the room, which let in light during the day. Apparently, some of the rooms (and even suites) lack an exterior window. That, combined with the minimal lighting fixtures in the room, does mean things can be a little dark. However, the hotel’s public spaces have plenty of natural light.
The walkway has an opening from the skylights on the 5th floor down to the first floor. Speaking of the lobby level, it has plenty of workspaces towards the back, including a large desk with power plugs, for you to get work done.
There’s also a library space with plenty of divided seating areas for conversing.
If you’re visiting during the 2-3 months of the year when it’s comfortable outside, there’s also a trendy seating area in the courtyard (which many rooms of the hotel overlooks.)
Finally, the hotel bar is also on the main level. It was much busier in the evening after the awards ceremony.
One thing about the hotel is how it appears to be several buildings that have been melded together. This does lead to the hotel having an interesting floor plan reminiscent of those found in European hotels. You can see on the map how some rooms have no external windows.
And while that map looks straightforward, it took me a while to find my way around my floor by going downstairs, upstairs, around the corner and up more stairs until going back downstairs and eventually meeting the main hallway again.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to hotels in New Orleans, you have several things to consider. If you want to stay right in the middle of everything, you can pick a hotel in the French Quarter. If you’re on business, there are mega-hotel outposts of almost every hotel chain imaginable. However, if you’re OK staying a little bit away from the hustle and bustle, it’s not hard to find some extremely interesting properties. I’d put The Eliza Jane in that category. And while it’s still a category 4 hotel, it’s a great place to use your free night certificate or redeem points.
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3 comments
I used my free night there last month! The hotel has a nice charm and feel to it and my rooms were very clean! Lack of desk was no good but I was not there for very long.
Thanks for the review. I always wonder what our hotels look like on the inside! For a very interesting experience, check out The Monteleone on Royal St in the FQ. Still family owned and on the National Register of Historic Places, it is famous for its Grandfather’s Clock and the Carousel Bar in the lobby (the bar is constructed of an actual Italian carousel that was dismantled, shipped here, and reassembled and still turns while you drink). But, the point here is this. The hotel was started by Mr. Monteleone, a shoemaker who had a shop where the Wags is on Royal today. In those days, bespoke shoes took days to weeks to make and Mr. Monteleone had the idea when a property across the street came up for sale to buy it and offer lodging to his incredibly “well heeled” (see what I did there) clients who came from all over The South to have boots and shoes made. The hotel grew from there. Quite literally it grew as the building was eventually rebuilt into the incredible corner structure now AND as the business grew further, the family acquired adjacent properties on both streets of the principal corner property. From outside they may look like separate buildings, but after staying there once to twice a year for 20 years, I can honestly say I still get lost inside as floors even change levels (ex some floors have three steps up or down in the same corridor). Sorry for the verbose comment. I just have always been fascinated with these old buildings.
Thanks for the review. I’ve been wondering about this hotel for an upcoming stay … good use of cert, although the interior view is kind of a deal breaker