The Roosevelt Hotel New Orleans - Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New Orleans, LA

Our Holiday visit to the Roosevelt fell short of our expectation of a Waldorf Astoria Property. Although a visually spectacular experience with a lobby that rivals just about any I have seen for the season, the service took second seat and fell quite short. Our reservations were made far in advance, this property is historically and knowingly very busy during the holidays, football, Mardi Gras, etc. With that, most, if not all properties we have patronized in the past also experience times when they are VERY busy. Fairmont, Four Seasons to name a few. Other properties kick it up a notch, take measures to ensure that customers do not suffer as a result of these "Known" busy times. Not the Roosevelt. We were supposed to have early priority check in, and did not even come close to a standard check in time. We were hours past in a shoulder to shoulder lobby of visitors taking pictures. Each passing 30 to 40 minute period we would approach to inquire, and be quickly pointed to the "Back of the Line!".. Fast Forward, our first day in NOLA was wasted on waiting for a room, until into the evening we felt forced to get a little aggressive watching others that arrived after us being handed keys. Then our room suddenly came available? Every store, restaurant, bar we entered for the week met us not with a smile and a welcome, but "You should have made reservations.", and "We are very busy and it will be an hour to get your food, drink, etc." This become the first thing we heard every time we entered a bar or restaurant here. It was not so much the delays that were disappointing, but the way in which they were handled. A simply smile, apology, maybe an offer for a drink, even a cup of coffee would have been kind. But for the first time at a property such as this, we felt like we were imposing on most of the restaurants and bars, and that the employees really didn't want to be there. This with hours of delay for room assistance, broken ice machines on our floor and the floor above and below us, and an incorrect bill at the end of it all sadly did not hold up to the level of service we had anticipated based on the price and the Waldorf name. The Positive: The rooms were very comfortable, the property was beautiful and very centrally located. Convenient and within walking distance to just about anything you want to see in NOLA.

The Roosevelt at Christmas is absolutely gorgeous! The experience was amazing and I wouldn’t hesitate to return! We enjoyed the Christmas Day brunch and the bar makes a fantastic espresso martini! It’s in an area close to all the action and fun spots!

We stayed a weekend in October for the Taylor Swift concert. Overall, the hotel is fine but I don't get Waldorf or 5 star vibes by any means. The rooms feel tired and in real need of an update. They are also quite small. It reminded me of being in NYC. The windows also desperately need to be replaced. They are so thin you can here every siren and horn all night long, even though we were on the 10th floor. The food downstairs and room service was pretty good. The beds were comfortable and the linens were decent (but not 4 Seasons quality.) Overall, on a normal weekend when the rooms are $300.00, it can make sense. When they are charging $900.00 for a concert weekend, it's laughable.

We stayed at the Roosevelt for a weekend visit to New Orleans. It’s a large historic hotel. The location is good, near bourbon Street but not on it so pretty quiet. The door crew is great! Those guys know everything. Check in and out were quick and easy. The room was HUGE. A front room with sofa, chairs, tv, mini bar, coffee station, and table and chairs setup. Lots of space for working. The bedroom was also quite spacious. Another tv, chair, and big comfortable bed. The closet had plenty of hangers and included a full size ironing board and iron. The bathroom was nice. I LOVE the Aesop toiletries. And thank you for using full size (non disposable) toiletries and having conditioner along with shampoo and bath gel. Towels were plentiful and good sized. Good shower with nice water pressure. We didn’t try the bar as it was very crowded (guessing due to holiday visitors). The lobby holiday lights and decor are pretty amazing. Overall a very nice hotel.

I booked the Roosevelt Hotel for a special Christmas stay with my family. I was delayed in travel and was unable to check in with my family due to the American Airlines "glitch" on Christmas Eve that delayed 1000s of holiday travelers. My family arrived on time to check in and was given a hard time about getting into their rooms on Christmas Eve. They were texting me and emailing me while I was on my third flight of four trying to get to New Orleans and after sending three emails to various email addresses responding to welcome messages from the hotel, they were finally allowed to check-in. When I arrived on Christmas Day after delayed travel, the reception was less than friendly with a perfunctory tone lacking genuine care feeling processed like a number - just another person staying at the hotel (cue the eye-roll from the desk agent). I was first given keys to my sister's room and then to my mother's room before having to visit the lobby for a third time to get my key after walking in on both of them and invading their privacy on Christmas morning. Though I called the front desk on Christmas Eve prior to my arrival and asked that a note be put into my reservation explaining the situation, evidently none was made as witnessed by the mix-up. When I finally got to my room, my mother could no longer access her room because her room key had been canceled, so she had to return to the lobby to get a new key. The room that was assigned to me was small and cramped with a poor view of the roof and an alley between hotel towers. The bedding was of middling quality and the bathroom shower door had soap film on it and had not been cleaned. I tried calling the hotel and was transferred and transferred again but was unable to speak with someone who could assist me. Angry, tired, and frustrated at this point, I went back to the front desk to be heard and asked for a refund for the night that I was unable to stay or a room upgrade. The request for the refund was not granted and I was told that an upgrade was not possible. In fairness, I was offered a food and beverage credit which I refused and while this was a concession, given my level of frustration, it was not acceptable. I am a hospitality veteran of 25 years and I consider myself empathetic and patient to staff at all times. Likewise, I have operated some of the finest restaurants in Boston and consider myself a seasoned traveler. I have stayed in many hotels in most major cities in the US and have not come across the level of disorganization that I experienced at The Roosevelt nor the lack of cleanliness and aesthetics of an expensive room at an expensive hotel. While I understand that rules and policies are in place for a reason (regarding my late check-in and lack of refund), during my career, I always made exceptions to make guests feel welcome and appreciated. This was a very disappointing experience for a hotel with such an esteemed reputation. To be dismissed and offered pedantic infantilization is simply unacceptable for this storied property. Christmas is hard... I get it. I worked MANY holidays in my time and always made every effort to appreciate the fact that families CHOSE to dine in my restaurant. I bent over backward to create elevated experiences, accommodate many special requests, and offer olive branches commensurate with poor experience at all times. An opportunity to make a memory, and create a lifelong guest/enthusiastic supporter of the brand was lost today. My requests were clearly and directly communicated and denied with a paltry "have a drink on us". The Roosevelt staff did not make an acceptable effort and for this reason, I am leaving a negative review. Note to leadership: One of the things that I worked hard to teach my staff is that guests can be angry, tired, or frustrated upon arrival due to experiences outside of their control. True hospitality is elevating a guest out of their bad days or weeks and delivering an experience that makes them forget their troubles during their time with you. Did I expect this of the Roosevelt on Christmas? The answer is yes. Did I receive it? The answer is a resounding NO. Buyer beware: Best spend your money elsewhere and visit the lobby to see the decorations. There are better options for special stays in the city. Oh... and if your hotel is at capacity, make sure the elevators are working. Hopefully, Capex will be utilized to resolve this issue when my money has been taken and guarded to repair the car that was not working properly.