I stayed here for Jazzfest. It was not my first choice. I had initially reserved a room at a diff Hampton Inn that is closer to the French Quarter. A couple weeks before my arrival, I was informed that they could not honor my reservation becuase people who were staying to help with Hurricane work had extended their stay. As a result, Hampton unilaterally decided to switch me to their place at the Convention Center. Hampton allowed the same rate, and included dinner as well as breakfast. There was some initial confusion about this change, and I had some difficulty getting a written confirmation. However, after faxing them about the problem, I promptly got a written confirmation of all the changes.
The hotel facilities are very nice. It is a renovated warehouse, so you have a sort of "loft" feeling. The decor is lovely, and everything was very clean.
The location would be perfect for future convention goers - it is directly across the street from the convention center. The CC is cleaned up outside, though not yet opened. Location was also good for attending jazzfest, because shuttle buses left for the fairgrounds from the convention center.
As reported about other NOLA hotels at this time, they appeared to be short of staff. We were advised on check in that rooms would only be serviced every other day -- though you could call for extra towels and other supplies. Given the circumstances in NOLA, I did not think this was unreasonable. It was obvious that staff was doing a very good job of keeping all the public areas spotless.
Also could not locate any valet parking attendants when I checked in, so I did self parking which was convenient enough. There was a notice in our room that effective May 1, they were switching parking areas to a lot about a block away. I did not see that lot, so I can't say how safe or convenient that would be.
The hotel is located in the warehouse district of town. There did not appear to be much hurricane related damage in the area. However, a lot of the restaurants and clubs in the area are closed, due to lack of staff and/or lack of tourists and others. Emirils restaurant is just a couple blocks away, and other interesting places are close by.
It is a bit of a hike to the French Quarter, probably about 15-20 minutes. At present there is no complimentary shuttle from the hotel to the FQ. A cab to Bourbon Street cost about $6
Breakfast was standard Hampton fare - breads, bagels, danish, eggs and one other hot dish, fruits, juices, cereals.
There hotel also served a complimentary dinner. Check to be sure this is included in your rate. It is not included in all rates, because they would check your room number before allowing you into the area. It is a buffet that is catered by the Convention Center catering company. (Seemed to be set up for people who were doing work restoring the convention center who were staying at the hotel.) The dinners were a nice buffet. Steak and Mahi Mahi one night. Veal and Pork another night.
The staff at the hotel was very friendly and welcoming. They were very glad to have people there, and let you know how happy they were to see you.
