The Celestine

This is one of the very worst hotels where I have ever stayed, due to the lack of professional management. Before you arrive, you receive numerous emails about how taxis may not be able to find the hotel, and the street may be closed off, and there is no elevator, When you do arrive, the door is more or less unmarked, and there is no one visible inside. You drag your luggage up and down through a courtyard to find a human being to check you in. Immediately and without warning, your credit card is charge for the whole stay, so you cannot leave after the place turns out to be a disaster. The HVAC unit in the room blows cold air in December. You are asked if you want turn down service, but when you say yes, there is no turn down. The worst thing is breakfast. When I went downstair early looking for a cup of coffee, I was told that if you wanted breakfast, you had to order before 2 am. There was supposed to be a piece of paper in the room with this information, but of course there wasn't. And even if there had been, this information should have been provided face-to-face to the guest, rather than leaving it to chance that the guest would stumble across the piece of paper. In any event, it turns out that the only choices (even if you order by 2 am) are yoghurt with berries and some bagel options. When I complained at the front desk in the morning, Ian at the front desk was dismissive, and put the blame on me for not finding the piece of paper, that was not in the room anyway. When I asked Ian to contact the manager, he said that the manager worked a 16 hour day the day before, so he would not call him. This "boutique hotel" is also expensive. I plan to call American Express to dispute the charge.

This is a little boutique hotel right off of Bourbon street. It’s not really trendy, and not super upscale, but it’s nice and a good spot to crash if you want to stay in the quarter. They have a coffee shop and bar within the confines of the hotel. Nothing to write home about, but it’s nice that it’s available. There’s plenty of other great places within a short walking distance.

Overall it is solid but not sure pictures accurately reflect the space. It’s very tight. The bar is terrific but it is very loud. They offer ear plugs but I guess for me, for the price, I seek a quieter atmosphere. It is currently 8:30 on Wednesday and the music is pumping. Last night at 1 am, the noise outside my room was equally loud. Just be forewarned- it is more a party atmosphere than a restful respite in the quarter. On both mornings, there was no coffee either. Small but important detail. Overall, I think you are better served choosing someplace else.