We attended a Piratecon convention in the French Quarter April 17-20, 2008. Our designated hotel was the Holiday Inn Express on Carondelet. My roomate and myself felt the hotel was a great value. The rooms were clean, and quiet, it was a quick walk to Bourbon St., so the convenience was great, since alot of our events were held on Bourbon St. or other nearby locations. The staff was courteous and very helpful. The free breakfast was a welcome bonus! and delicious. We came to N.O. a week early to enjoy the city and we surely did.! We took the Haunted History Tour, the Down South Tours which visited the cemetary,Garden District,and Katrina Disaster Areas, we also took the Ultimate Swamp Adventure Tour/Plantation Tour.. All of our tour guides obviously loved their jobs. They were all very knowledgeable and fun to talk to, and we agreed the tours were a fabulous addition to our trip! A must do is Cafe' DuMonde. we felt they had the best beniegne it town! we also loved The Bourbon House for lunch or dinner. Don't miss the Antique shops on St. Charles and take the streetcar for a fun trip thru the garden district.. There is so much to enjoy in New Orleans. I recommend taking the time to look past Bourbon St. I would love to go back in the future for further exploration!

I had been wanting to visit New Orleans and found this hotel on Hotwire. The location was terrific - we walked everywhere. The hotel is adequate although it isn't great if you are planning on spending lots of time in the room. The staff was always pleasant every time we came through the lobby and there is a concierge who gives out great maps and some dining ideas. I was concerned about our safety since it was me and my teenage daughter but we never felt unsafe. There were all kinds of people walking by all day and night and we would walk back to the hotel at 10 pm or so and always felt safe. The restaurant that is attached to the hotel is ok - there are so many better options nearby that I would use this as a last resort. We walked to the N.O. School of cooking one day for a really wonderful cooking class that was only $27 each and included 4 courses and the recipes.

with a late 4pm checkin room was not ready - told to wait at least another 45mins. Requested several days before a rollaway bed but was placed in a room that could NOT accomodate a rollaway bed. alarms going off all night - this place is a rude mess. will avoid holiday inns at all cost.

The HI Express near the French Quarter is actually located in the CBD, but an easy stroll of a block and a half to Bourbon street, the aorta of French Quarter nightlife. The location is therefore very good, close to the action, but in a quiet-ish street. Rooms aren't overly large, with a tiny bathroom, but equipped with different kinds of pillows, a TV, refrigerator and microwave.

The Hotel provides the "new and improved" hot Holiday Inn Express breakfast. The website's slogan is "it's hot, it's free, what more do you need to know", and that is exactly all you need to know. Because it ain't much.

Service is not quite up to standard: I had to wait seven hours and ask twice for housekeeping to clean my room, and got an indifferent look from the receptionist - who clearly thought to be far too good to work at a hotel reception. Such an attitude doesn't impress me much, and I find it often counterproductive.

In short: there are much nicer hotels in New Orleans, quite possibly with better rates. But in case you can find a good rate at the HI Express, and are willing to take the risk of a lack of service, then it's not a bad place to stay.