Friendly Staff Balances A Poorly Maintained Hotel

Let me start by saying that you could not find a nicer more helpful staff than at the Hotel St. Helene. We stayed the weekend of January 9, 2004, and because it was such a slow weekend, we were upgraded to a suite. However, the maid service and general maintenance left something to be desired. The heat did not work properly because the air filter was caked over with several inches of gunk. The toilet handle was broken as well as the shower door. The bathtub looked as though it had not been cleaned and the carpet was bad nasty as well as the corners and next to furniture, etc. The sheets, pillows and bedspread were threadbare. Because it was a slow weekend, the continental breakfast was not offered. The published rate on this room was $365 per not - however, we only paid $150. Had we paid the $365 I would have been furious, but the friendly helpful staff helped balance this poorly maintained hotel. This hotel's website is very misleading.

Absolutely NASTY hotel ! ! !

I took a chance on it based on a Frommers review that said it was good.

It was so totally disgusting that we walked on two nights pre-paid and stayed somewhere else.

And of course all they offer is to credit your account so you can come back whenever you want. rrriiiggghhttttt...

It's litterally no exaggeration to say the average truck stop men's room is cleaner.

Huge Disappointment!

BEWARE - The advertising for this hotel is extremely misleading! What is not made remotely clear is there are two seperate buildings with two very different types of accommodations! Our room was on the third floor of the main building and could not have been worse. The room was filthy. The floors were so disgusting I refused to take my shoes off until I got into bed. The furniture was in ill repair and our phone never worked properly. The return air vent above our sink in the bathroom was completely covered with rust and mold and looked as though it would fall at any moment. During our seven day stay, the continental breakfast consisted of the same stale pastries and bad coffee. The staff spent most of their time on personal telephone calls or reading magazines but did manage to keep the incense burning to cover the wierd smell. The only halfway redeeming qualities for this place were the location and the courtyard - though I wouldn't dare swim in the funky pool!

Don't Stay Here!

This hotel was far from homey. The staff was unfriendly, slow and unwilling to attend to their guests needs. We stayed in New Orleans for five days and while we were there our hotel room was cleaned once. We never recieved any type of complimentary champagne or breakfast as promised. The carpets are filthy and the pool is nothing to be desired.

Please take my advice and stay anywhere but here.

Piece of Heaven

I stayed at the Hotel St. Helene one hot summer weekend with my brother and two step-sisters in a two bedroom suite at the very top of the hotel. This was the only suite of its kind to be found for a decent price in the Quarter and more than met our expectations. There were two bedrooms, two full baths, a rollaway bed and all rooms and an anteroom could be closed off for lots of privacy. The living room had a fireplace, fridge and dinette set. We also enjoyed the little pool, the free continental breakfast set out in the mornings in the courtyard and free wine happy hour in the evenings. Would absolutely stay here again, private access to courtyard was ticket to imagining you really lived in the Quarter, what fun! The staff was very nice, but laid back, just what you'd expect in July in the Big Easy!

Cool Place to stay in hot New Orleans!

Let just start to say that my trip would of been bombed if it was not for this hotel! When we arrived to New Orleans our reservations were overbooked at one of the name hotels in the city, so we were pretty much stranded with no accomidations. We went into the Helene and got a room. The room itself was a little modest but very nice and clean! The housekeeping staff did a wonderful job everyday and there was no dirty carpet! The front desk staff was very helpful and very knowledgeable about the city. Me and my husband saw the big easy how it should be seen. I am very happy that we stayed here and we will be back again and again.

Ste helene in april

my wife and infant son and i stayed here for 6 days. asked twice for a crib before coming and were assured that there would be one ready when we got there.....there wasnt. the service staff was friendly and upgraded us for the rest of the stay. we stayed in room 304 which was very nice although the rug needs some serious cleaning. if you walked out with wet feet from the bathroom, the bottoms of your feet were black in 2 mins. kinda scary. rug was even dirtier in the first room, 203 (bad in every way) the best part of the hotel was the location. as good as any location of any hotel in the quarter and very quiet also. we are ambivalent about staying again and would probably try something else next time. the maids,etc said there was a new "cheap" owner that wasnt interested in spending any cash on upgrading which is very apparent. (no phone table, phone perched precariously on top of the t.v.) the place has serious potential that we think isnt being realized due to bad management.

Not kid friendly

It's partly our fault, we decided to go with our kids. When we got to the hotel, a person walked with us, while we carried ALL of our own luggage to another building around the corner. We then opened a gate to a courtyard (with a regular, old fashioned key that could easily be copied) and went up 2 flights of stairs to a neat king size suite. Yes, it was a neat room, with one huge bed and 2 loveseats in the parlor. But, none of the seats pulled out, which is what we were told. The kids had nowhere to sleep. The fireplace was pretty, as was the chandelier. But we just didn't feel at ease, our safety was a concern. So we left! Maybe if we hadn't had the kids with us, we might have stayed in the neat, old, funky room -- but I doubt it. I like new, updated amenities. Call me shallow. Hope this helps you!

It was more homey than a hotel!

The Ste. Helene has clean but small rooms, which is the only reason I didn't give this place an excellent rating. When I brought my complaint to the front desk, they immediately found me another room, which I have to say was pretty fantastic. That particular room was very large, had a sleeper sofa, huge bed (hard one, but I like that), it also had a jacuzzi bath and a stand up shower. The room was furnished with antique furniture, and decorated the way you'd expect a home to be decorated.

Another thing that I really liked was that the staff is very eager to accommodate for your needs... they are also knowledgeable and gave us some good advice as to what to do and where to stay away from, and practically bent over backwards to be helpful. I think this place qualifies more as a b&b than a "hotel," so if you are interested in a b&b type place, this might be the one to go for. The prices are reasonable, and as long as I can get a suite, this is the place I'll be coming back to. The whole time we were there, we really felt like we were coming "home" at night, as opposed to going back to a hotel.

Simply the best

My wife and I stumbled upon the Ste. Helene several years ago, when we couldn't get a room at what used to be our favorite hotel in New Orleans. Since then, it has been our pleasure to stay at the Ste. Helene 5 times, and each time we enjoy it more. The location is ideal - close enough to Bourbon St., but far enough away that there is no noise. The staff is extremely friendly and accommodating. If you desire the security of knowledge of what you are going to get, and a full serivce hotel with a highly trained professional staff, the Ste. Helene might not be for you. However, if you want a true taste of the Big Easy, and a room that will be a destination of its own, with the best location in the French Quarter - this hotel is simply the best.