Outstanding Poydras location value

The Whitney is a unique hotel with the genuine ambience of New Orleans.

A great location and a noticeable lack of the cheese that is the Riverwalk/Jackson Brewery/Harrah's, etc., the Whitney is a great place to stay. The room we stayed in (416, two double beds) was spacious enough for four. The bathroom was monstrous. The only drawbacks were 1) absolutely no view, and 2) the comforters looked to be as old as the actual building. They were tattered, stringy, and just looked like they had been dragged through the Bourbon Street alleyways after Mardi Gras.

Surprisingly, however, the bed was incredibly comfortable. The staff was friendly and professional. The service was precise and timely.Without a doubt, I would recommend this hotel, especially for the price (through Hotwire).

Almost Great

OK, Let's just say the room size is a cracker box to say the least.

There is literally a one-to-two foot walk all the way around the bed and a three-foot-by-three-foot entryway. They did manage to cram in a desk with a chair and an extra chair and entertainment center/closet (that's right...there isn't even a closet). I say pull that stuff out so I can move around.

I am a By Request member, but because they had to give me one night free (I'll explain that part later), I assume that's why I didn't get upgraded as specified in their By Request information.

As a By Request member I did have coke, bottled water, and fresh fruit in my room which was nice. And robes (assuming that is standard but don't know). I also received a free breakfast coupon when I made my reservation (unfortunately it was only for a continental breakfast, and I decided I would much rather have beignets...so we passed on it).

The hotel itself is beautiful and a great location (we had no trouble walking to and all around the French Quarter (only two city blocks away). And we never walk anywhere. I loved New Orleans (first trip, so I'm sure it made me not hate the hotel for that reason). It is right on Poydras, so the traffic can be noisy, but after walking around the city all day, I was tired and it didn't bother me.

The beds were mediocre (I hate feather pillows and bed was hard...but if you like those two things, you'll love it). Again, no problem sleeping since we were tired.

Also, as others have said, parking is ridiculous. They have valet but no one is there to take your car. They tell you to park on the street and they will get it, but no one shows up and your car is there illegally. I decided to just go in and hope it didn't get towed before they moved it (it didn't luckily). Not great service if you ask me. On top of all that, we had to pay 22.50 a day for parking. Hear that's pretty standard, but who knows.

New Orleans is fablous. Did the St. Charles Trolley to see the Garden District and amazing homes (no walking...loved that part). Did Cafe Du Monde (here's a secret...don't go on Saturday...that's the worst day...at least 100 people in line...if you do have to go on Saturday, go to the to-go line, a waiter will take your order and bring it to you, then sit down...all the idiots in the table line would never even see some of the garden area tables open up...great way to beat the system :) And don't forget to eat at Muriel's on Jackson Square. Best meal I've ever had (and it's casual attire though a fancy place...who wants to wear a coat or a tie or slacks on vacation?). The Gumbo Shop, Mike Anderson's and Cafe Beignet are great as well...I don't think you can get a bad meal in that town.

Anway...lastly is the deal I got. I went on to Wyndham.com and saw they have a low rate guarantee. If you can find a lower rate on the internet and show them, you get a night free and they match the rate! I know shocking. How stupid is that. Of course you can find a lower rate. I have a feeling they will stop that policy soon, but as long as it is going on, do it. All you do is find the rate on Wyndham.com, find a lower rate on Orbitz or somewhere (use the Quick Check on this site), book on Wyndham.com, go to Orbitz and take a screen shot of the lower rate (that's for backup in case they ask to see it), go back to Wyndham and submit the request for a credit through their web match program. I got an email saying they would contact me in X# of days, and on that day they emailed me saying I would not have to pay for my first night.

What a deal. I think I got a cheaper rate for that hotel than I did in Shreveport, La the night before. Needless to say, this little deal is what got their rating higher for me. Otherwise I would have said average. But for the price (about $60 a night during prime season) you can't beat it.

Will definitely come back!

This was one of the better Wyndhams I've stayed at. I had a cheap price of $100/night. Being a ByRequest member, I got a free bottle of water, free bottle of Heineken, 2 M&M bags, super comfy bathrobe, and cucumber eye pads to use and relax in my super clean and fairly big room. The things that set this hotel apart were: the digital scale, lit magnifiying mirror. Very nice chocolate brown marble bathrooms with pulsating shower head. Very quiet location on Poydras. It was near the W, Harrah's Casino, 24/7 diner called Huey's, the St. Charles Ave.

streetcar, and the Kinkos.

Very charming small hotel

Great small property.Tons of charm.Very Helpful staff(Sarah, the By request manager, was very helpful)Very good house keeping,ok room service,GREAT location-close enough to walk to lots of attractions,but far enough away from the insanity of the quarter.Huge bathroom in my room.The room was very nicley decorated.I will definintely stay here again.

Great stay

Went for a 30th anniversary trip for 3 nites. After reading other reviews, took advantage of all suggestions: joined By Request and got 2 nights for 89 each and the 3rd night free. My husband had to make many long distance calls and there were no charges involved. Not only that, we got the free wine and cheese and crackers. It was charming and our room was very lovely and I thought had lots of personality. The bath products were a plus also. The hotel was one block from the trolley but several blocks from Canal, so be prepared for it to be about a 1/2 mile walk to the French Quarter. However, we went many other places: DDay, Magazine Street, etc, that we would have walked from wherever we stayed. I am sure there were many places we could stay and probably would have loved, but who can deny that $200 for 3 nights in a fabulous hotel in New Orleans is anything to complain about? Also, the week before New Year's is a GREAT time to go to New Orleans. Very quiet and not crowded at all.

Liked the Whitney!!!

We stayed at the Wyndham Whitney in October.It is a lovely historic bank converted into a hotel in 2000, retaining much of its original architecture (think wedding cake frosting) and charm. The front desk help was friendly and helpful with suggestions about directions and where to eat. It is within walking distance of anywhere you want to go in NO. BUT avoid the breakfast--our sausage wasalmost raw and the toast was cold--but that is our only complaint. **TIP ask for a room with a window. Our room had a frosted window that obviously faced a building behind us and it felt cell-like. We would stay here again. Very quiet and charming!

OK Stay

Took a getaway to New Orleans Sept. 5-8. Whitney had a great weekend price, so my husband and I gave it a try.

Since it's an historic bank builiding, and is located in the Central Business District, mostly businessmen stay at this hotel. On arrival, the front desk person was not very friendly at first. I guess we had on sweats and comfy clothes from our travel, so we didn't quite look the part of the "typical" business guests. However, after giving our name, receptionist realized we had a reservation and was much more pleasant from then on. Front Desk staff and Bellman were very helpful throughout the stay in assisting us with restaurant reservations, tours, getting taxis etc.

Room service - Staff does a good job. Only downside is they cleaned our room really late each day, like after 3:00 pm. We wanted to relax, shower etc. after visiting the zoo. Only to return at 2:50 pm to notice our room still not cleaned. But, they quickly got to it, and did a good job when completed.

Rooms are nice. Bathrooms really nice and large. Quiet hotel in a central location. Very close to French Quarter and St. Charles Streetcar line is right outside on the corner. Definitely a nice place to stay if you want quiet and easy access to the sights of NO.

Fantastic

My husband and I stayed at "The Whitney" August 14, 2003 thru August 17, 2003. We found a fabulous deal over the internet where you pay for 2 nights and get the 3rd night FREE. The cost was $218.00 + tax ($109.00 per night) for a King Size Parlor Suite. (Living room, bedroom & large bath). Lovely room! The location is ideal. We walked to the D-Day Museum, Harrah's Casino, Bourbon Street, The Riverwalk, The Superdome etc. etc. The staff at the hotel were courteous, thoughtful and extremely helpful. When we return to New Orleans we certainly will stay at this hotel again. Sincerely, Pat & Vic

Great Value and Location

We stayed at the Whitney on December 23-30, 2002 at an excellent rate of $79. (Keep in mind that Christmas week in New Orleans is the slowest week of the year for hotels, so bargain rates abound.)

The Whitney is a converted 1880's bank building that retains a good bit of the original architecture. It's a very attractive hotel and just opened about 3 years ago, so the decor and furnishings are all fresh and new-looking, but in keeping with the period flavor of the building.

The hotel has a great location on the border between the quiet Central Business District and the up-and-coming Warehouse District, about 5 short blocks to the edge of the French Quarter. It's very easy to walk to many attractions in the city.

The housekeeping was a little spotty (our room was missed completely one day), but otherwise service was very good. I suspect the housekeeping glitch was holiday-related. They were extremely apologetic when we mentioned it to them the next day. Desk staff were uniformly pleasant and helpful.

We had looked forward to trying out the hotel restaurant, 56 Degrees, which has a great reputation, but it was closed for lunch and dinner during our entire stay -- again, due to very low occupancy. (This is not unusual in New Orleans at Christmastime. When we stayed at the Sheraton over the holidays two years ago, many services were shut down.)

We had a remarkably horrible breakfast in the Whitney's restaurant on our last day. (Eggs not cooked to order and with weird purple/black marks, bacon nearly raw.) Mine was so bad that I sent it back, and it was removed from the bill. Service during that breakfast was also extremely slow (I waited 20 minutes for the bacon to be recooked, but never saw it again) and unenthusiastic. Hopefully it was just a case of the regular staff being on vacation or something...

Overall, I would heartily recommend this hotel, but advise approaching the breakfast with caution.

Best accomodations I've had in a while

My husband and I stayed at the Whitney Hotel in New Orleans this past Memorial Day weekend. The hotel is fabulous. The rooms are large and emmaculate. We had a great view of the city. The hotel is just a few blocks from the Riverwalk, the Aquarium of the Americas, Harrah's Casino, and the French Quarter. Canal Street (one of the famous trolley car routes through town) is just one block over. The staff is very helpful and friendly. Valet parking will cost you about $22/day. However, valet is extremely slow because the garage is some 5-6 blocks away, so be sure to call for your car at least 15 min ahead of time. This hotel has Golden Door products and a shower massage (all baths are marble). Very quiet hotel in historical Whitney bank building.

I highly recommend this hotel if you want to be within walking distance of all activities without staying in the congested, noisy French Quarter.