The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel Review

I have always wanted to stay at The Roosevelt, so I decided I would treat myself during a recent visit to New Orleans. As I lay awake listening to the sound of a raucous crowd of people in front of the hotel and right outside my window, I find myself regretting that choice. For the price I paid to stay here, I could have found a better choice where I could actually achieve the main purpose of a hotel: sleep. From about 10:30 p.m. on, I have been kept awake by noise immediately in front of the hotel from a loud band and a pack of screaming guests (who by all appearances attended an event at this hotel), many of whom have blocked the roadway in front of the hotel on several occasions.

After attempting to call the front desk several times with no answer, I finally got dressed and headed downstairs only to be met with rude and unconcerned hotel staff who refused to offer any help whatsoever. The manager who I spoke with went so far as to indicate that I should expect to deal with constant noise outside my room solely because we are in New Orleans and imply I have no understanding of a city I visit frequently. I have stayed in New Orleans countless times, including at hotels right off of Bourbon Street. I have never dealt with noise like this outside my window. I have also never experienced hotel staff so unwilling to offer a solution to a situation that is obviously a problem.

The only option I was offered? That would be waiting and hoping that the crowd at some point dissipates from the hotel entrance or quiets down. It s now 12:45 a.m. and the crowd is still going. I am doubtful I ll be able to sleep much, if at all, tonight, which is unfortunate considering the already long and tiring day I have had.

Is the hotel pretty? Sure. But it is absolutely not worth the price to stay in a place that completely refuses to help its guests. My advice? Come visit the lobby at Christmas. Take nice pictures with the decor. Then go stay somewhere that actually cares about its guests, because The Roosevelt is definitely not that place.

Fantastic place to see Christmas time. Decorated to the max.

The holiday decorations are world class and should become a part of your Christmas traditions

One of the greatest hotels I've stayed at. A pleasure to interact with staff. Sazerac bar is stupendous.

The waitress was really slow to greet us. Attempted to order drinks at the bar and the bartender said the waitress would bring it over. After 15 minutes we just left.

Beautiful Christmas display in the main hall, great bar and restaurant.

Convenient location with a block away from bourbon and almost on canal St. Excellent Interiors and don't forget to try the sazarec cocktail on the bar (first American cocktail!)

Was awoken at 2:37 a.m. by a woman screaming in the next room. It spilled out into the hallway. She had come back to her room only to find 2 Hotel employees in her room!! Called the front desk immediately only to have it busy. Finally got a hold of someone at 2:56 a.m. and was told to stay in my room and that their security was working on it. NOPE won't be staying here at all. Don't stay here!!!

Great place to have a late night cocktail at the lobby.

Excellent place to stay. Close to Bourbon St as well. The conference and meeting rooms were great for the events I was at. The staff was very professional and courteous.

Staff is attentive. Rooms are very clean. Last but not least beautiful building and historic area.

The room was beautiful and spacious. We really enjoyed the roof top pool.

We went to take pictures in the holiday lights. It was beautiful.

Top notch friendly service (was worried it would be snobby). Felt completely comfortable drinking my gin fizz and snacking on excellent bar treats. Expensive, but worth it

Great Christmas lights, really nice jazz bar with excellent wine

I absolutely love this hotel!

I regularly travel to New Orleans and always try to stay here.

Get ready to step back in time from the moment you pull up to the valet. You will be greeted by a professional doorman who will have his staff take care of everything for you.

The hotel has a wonderful bar, coffee shop, and restaurant within. If you choose to go out you are within a couple minutes of Bourbon Street.

The hotel is old, and if old hotels that have been well maintained are not your thing, you might want to look elsewhere.

Right off of canal street, close to all the actions! Service was good, room was clean, and bed was comfy. Also gotta love that 65 degree AC.

Flawless. Great staff, amazing facilities, just a perfect experience

Classic, great hotel. Rooms are a bit small and in need of updating. Service is good. Holiday decorations in lobby are incredible.

It was a great place to watch my brother match for medical school!

Hit Hot Tin for amazing cocktails and view!!! Don't miss out!

Went for the omshahlom wedding. Everything was beautiful! Had a great time and a great stay

Visited the Sazarac Bar, which was beautifully decorated and had great cocktails, atmosphere, and service.

Not my first time here... there IS a value to old school, full service, opulence. Give it a try.

Today, friends and I stopped by to view the history of the Waldorf at the Sazerac. The waiters appeared less than knowledgeable about the history and reluctant to even serve us although there were only 3 other people in the bar. Although we were dressed in plain clothes, many of us are successful business owners. Never judge a book by it's cover!

An awesome place to visit. So clean and friendly staff and beautiful during Christmas.

Very nice lobby with a great speak easy style bar (The Sazerac Bar) that has a huge list of great whiskey's. The room was a decent size with nice beds. The bathroom wasn't great though with dim lighting and low water pressure.

Simply outstanding service at every level. Highly recommend

First time to New Orleans. Our stay here was great. I lived in my robe and slippers while lounging in the room. In room dining was delicious. Breakfast downstairs was outstanding. The staff was so helpful and very polite. One of the best in customer service.

Service was great here and one of the drinks I had on my trip

Great old hotel that has been updated with quality to retain the history of this hotel

Very nice place, lots of neat little places around here to visit when you stay. The elevators are very slow though I not really sure if that is a fixable issue.

The rooms are clean and the showers are nice. The room we had did not have a tub though. I am not sure if other room types do if that is something you want to have available.

There is a valet for your car if you drive here the parking structure seems decently secure.

The lobby of this hotel is beautiful. The rooms and my service experience left a lot to be desired.

I stayed here about a week and a half ago the night before a friend s wedding. Our room was very small, and we were bumped from the room we had originally reserved (from a double to a single). We ordered room service, and waited about 75 minutes for a bottle of champagne.

After checking out, I was billed an additional $50. I called the hotel and they said something ~may~ have been missing from the minibar, which we never touched. I m still waiting on a refund, because it takes 5-7 business days. I found that somewhat shocking considering they basically admitted I d been accidentally billed (and it s 2019 lol).

I was thrilled to visit this hotel as a local who often admires the decor and lobby when passing. My experience did not live up to my expectations at all. I would recommend staying elsewhere, especially for special occasions.

Beautiful hotel that captures new Orleans as soon as you walk through the door

Hotel was fabulous!! Stayed 3 nights for essence music festival July 4-6, 2014...only con was no executive lounge for HH members. ..

World class hotel. You have to see the lobby of this property for yourself to believe how beautiful it is. It's just blocks from Bourbon Street.

HISTORIC HOTEL, A BLOCK OUTSIDE OUR FRENCH QUARTERS. Visited the hotel during the Christmas Holidays. The hotel is turned into a block long, "Winter Wonderland". AWESOME!!

My office took our annual Christmas photo here last night. This place is so beautiful!

Awesome experience! Arrived to the hotel at 8 am and left our bags. By 10 am received a text saying our room was ready!! Right in the heart of downtown, two blocks away from burbon street.

The Sazerac Bar on the first floor is easily the classiest bar I've ever been in, and the bartenders are world class. I've tried to stump them, but their knowledge is too extensive!

Attentive service and terrific location...plus the Sazerac Bar!

Beautiful old world hotel right in the center of town. Have a sazerac or 3 theyre awesome!

Beautiful hotel and well appointed rooms. Had a few housekeeping issues but they were resolved. Conceirge and valet employees were very helpful.

Visited the sazerac bar for srinks and to look at the hotel christmas decorations. Everything was wonderful, and the atmosphere was fantastic.

Very nice luxury hotel. It's located very close to the French Quarter, yet separated enough for you to not be bothered with all the party noise. Top notch service all the way!
During your stay, you will enjoy luxurious robes, slippers, and linens. The bed is very comfortable, and one of the best I've had in a hotel. The romantic European atmosphere makes for a memorable visit to a fantastic city.

Downtown New Orleans right off Canal Street, beautiful lobby decorated for Christmas, hotel staff wonderful. Ate breakfast at Fountain Lounge very pricey... Food was just OK for the price.

We haven t stayed yet. We have a res for this week, Christmas week. We reserved two weeks ago. I m a lifetime Diamond with Hilton. Since then I ve called the hotel at least seven times to try and make a res for Christmas brunch.

Four times the main line rang over 20 times and no one answers. The three times someone answered they transferred me to events . First time I leave a voicemail - no answer. Second time I leave a voicemail - no answer. Yesterday I got a live events person who said sorry, we ve been booked for almost two weeks. When I said I left a voicemail two weeks ago she says, sorry we can t do anything . When I remind her I m a diamond for life and did call two weeks ago she says the restaurant is different than the hotel, your diamond status means nothing to the restaurant . I ask to speak to the manager, she says he s not in. I ask if I can leave a voicemail. Left voicemail, no response.

I called the main number yesterday and asked to speak to the GM. Informed he wasn t in and was transferred to his voicemail. Left voicemail and now waiting for response. I guess I can talk to someone when I arrive tomorrow.

Is this really a Waldorf Astoria property? My experience would indicate otherwise...

Don't stay here!! Just visit the lobby! The decor is amazing but the rooms and customer service, or lack thereof of, leave much to be desired. We booked a room months before Christmas and wanted to go all out on the room for our kids. We called and told them what we were looking for and asked for the best suite for the four of us. We had a really late arrival so we were in contact on a regular basis and thought everything was set. We get to the room and there is only places for 3 to sleep. So on Christmas my daughter had to sleep on the floor!! We asked for them to remove some furniture so we had a little more room and they refused so we had to put in the hall ourself. For the price per night that we paid we should not have to sacrifice our comfort!!!

Christmas at the Roosevelt!!! An amazing Experience....

I have stayed there twice and have dined at Domenica several times. It's a great location, nearby places even locals flock to, and the service is impeccable. They have the most incredible beds. I wanted to take the bedding and mattress home with me! Staff is always friendly.

Great conference space, guest rooms, and service. Great location too!

EDIT: The fact it took 11 months for the hotel to make any type of response really proves the point of how bad the service is.

Horrible staff that put in zero effort. For a Waldorf branded hotel, it must be at the bottom of the list. I ve stayed in several waldorfs and service is the differentiator. At the Roosevelt, they just don t care. Staff is undertrained, management doesn t get involved and doesn t return calls and frankly this hotel (while very nice) isn t worth the money when the staff could care less. They are slow, over promise and under deliver. Even as a diamond status with Hilton, there isn t even an attempt to make things right. Don t waste the money!!

I loved this hotel. The lobby is like going back in time! In addition, the room was large and clean. The only downside were the small bathrooms but everything else more than made up for it. We listened to live Jazz in the lobby bar one night which was outstanding! In addition, the bar is a must see!

Old but clean. Stayed in the luxury Suite A lot of room good room service

Great hotel with a must see lobby during the holiday season!

A bit pricey but great location and great place to visit! Will keep those place in mind for my next visit to New Orleans!

We went to see the Christmas trees and lights. It was breathtaking! It seems everyone else had the same idea it was very crowded but if you have a chance it is a must see!

Beautiful hotel, pretty small rooms but that's what you get in this area. Staff is wonderful and the location is immaculate. Do yourself a favor and stop at the Sazerac bar in the hotel... Kinda pricey but we'll worth it.

Beautiful architecture. Staff is out of this world friendly.

Not worth the price of it. Stay at a hotel near by without all the extra charges and simply walk through the lobby to see it's beautifulness, but definitely do not stay here. It is overpriced, the workers are unhelpful, unfriendly, and can't even answer questions you have about your stay. Horrible.

Ok, now let me explain myself.
1. Do you notice how everyone in a while the owner or manager will get on and reply to someone who gave them a good review. They never seem to care about the bad reviews.

2. The workers just seem highly confused and undertrained. When we went into "The Lounge" restaurant and asked the host a simple question he said "uh, I don't know. I'm new here and I'm not sure what you're talking about. Let me ask the manager." 10 minutes later he comes back with a sort of answer. When I say sort of I mean he said "well yeah sorta, I still don't understand what she meant." ...ok...so are you gonna go clarify. So he goes back over to ask again, and comes back with another sort of... Finally by the third time he says she is going to come over and talk to us. 5 minutes later instead of the manager we get 3 confused workers sort of telling us what they think they know with extremely confused looks on their faces. Finally we just walked away.

3. The ice machine didn't work. When we went downstairs I told the front desk about the ice machine on our floor not working and they said they would send someone up to fix it, but for now they can have ice brought up. I said well we are headed out for a bit, so we will get I've when we are back. An hour later we get back, try to get ice, and it's still broken. So we call down for ice that will be brought "right up" and about 45 minutes later, after we go get ice from the opposite end of the hotel, our ice shows up at the door. Now we have two ice buckets, cool. The next day the ice machine is still broken. I highly doubt the front desk ever sent anyone up at all to look at it.

4. They said that we needed to wear these wrist bands at all time because of the security. Only hotel guests are allowed inside. But the lobby was full of drunken, falling asleep, and messy party goers. They were taking up the seats in the lobby the whole time and falling asleep on the couches. The bathroom in the lobby also always had a huge line and was very messy due to this. So why are you going to hand out these wristbands and say that there is all this security, when there really isn't.

5. When we ordered room service the guy was very rude. Ok, so my bf had never ordered room service because he doesn't stay at hotel. So when the guys handed him the book, my bf had no idea what to do. I was in a towel, about to take a shower, so I didn't want to answer the door. When I realized that the guy at the door was giving my bf a rude look because he asked him "what do I do with this," meaning the book, I stepped in and took care of it. Seriously, you're going to give him a rude look instead of simply saying "all you have to do is sign it."

Top notch hotel. One of the friendliest check in service ever. Spacious room, great staff and food. Removed from the noise and congestion of the French Quarter yet just a few blocks away. Nice rooftop pool and bar as well.

The hotel really goes all out for Christmas. The lobby is perhaps one of the most decorated places in New Orleans, and the bar is worth a stop, just to take in the atmosphere. It can be very crowded, depending on the time of day though.

Beautiful rooms, nice pool, but the floors are slightly sticky

Beautiful hotel! Amazing beds, quality service and we will be back!