There was much to like about the Eliza Jane Hotel in New Orleans, part of the Hyatt Unbound Collection, but also a few things that really annoyed me.
Eliza Jane Hotel Review – Part Of Hyatt Unbound Collection in New Orleans
I spent one night at this hotel during my trip to NOLA and found the location and common areas a plus but was not impressed by my room or the coffee.
Booking
I booked this room for $170/night, which I found a better deal than using points. As a Category 4 hotel, a free room runs between 12,000 and 18,000 points per night (depending upon the date). I was staying during a peak night (18K/night) but even at 12,000 points per night I would have paid cash since I typically extract two cents per point in value from my World of Hyatt points.
Check-In + Room
I knew the hotel was sold out and was prepared to wait until afternoon for my room to be available, but checked in using the World of Hyatt mobile app and found my room was ready by 11:00am. The cozy lobby includes tile floors, bookshelves, and a fireplace.
This hotel has 196 rooms including 50 suites. Sadly, even as a Globalist member of the World of Hyatt program, I didn’t get one. In fact, my room was like a closet without any exterior windows. I did have a one window that looked out into the hallway (which itself was lit by a skylight). Still, it felt like a dungeon.
I asked if the hotel had any other rooms and was told that it was sold out and I was stuck. At least the bed was comfortable and I slept well (and used the second bed to lay my clothes in).
The bathroom was also small with amenities from C.O. Bigelow (which reminded me of an American Airlines Flagship Lounge…) and a shower – bathtub combo. The toilet gargled and made odd noises and had quite a weak flush.
By the door was a coffee setup with a deplorable Keurig coffee machine (sorry, the coffee is not worth drinking) as well as some tea and two water bottles. I liked the wallpaper at least…
As small as my room was, it appears there are even smaller rooms:
There were also some funky common areas in the hallway:
History
What the room lacked, the common areas (somewhat) made up for. This is a very cool hotel. This hotel was once the site of four warehouses, including a liquor, gunpowder, baking soda, and printing office for The Daily Picayune newspaper.
The hotel is named after Eliza Jane Nicholson, who ran The Daily Picayune and was the first woman publisher of a major metro newspaper. She introduced features like society pages and family columns that were unheard of at the time.
The Press Room Bar
The common areas of the hotel are impressive, particularly The Press Room, also known as The Lobby Library Bar. It’s really an attractive space with a beautiful bar area adjacent to a library area.
After the Freddies, I spent several hours here mingling with colleagues and had a great time. The bartenders were pros and as last call came at midnight, the bar was still packed.
There was also a beautiful outdoor terrace area (though it was bit hot during the day to sit outside) that complemented the indoor space.
Couvant
Couvant is a French brasserie in the hotel serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The dining room is beautiful.
Here, though, I had a problem. Breakfast was a real letdown.
The menu was limited, but that itself was not the problem. The problem was the coffee was just plain horrible. There was a beautiful La Marzocco coffee machine in the restaurant, but it was broken…and apparently it had been broken for months. As a result, no espresso-based drinks were available, just “coffee.” But this coffee tasted like brown water and was really disappointing (and of course the Keurig coffee in the room was just as bad).
I simply don’t understand how you can let your coffee machine sit broken for several weeks. Perhaps by now it is fixed, but who knows…
I ordered a Creole omelet with croissant and berries and thought it was fine, though cooked too well-done.
I did not eat lunch or dinner here, but the menu looked quite appetizing and I would consider it if I returned.
Gym
A small 24/7 ground floor gym across from the elevators offered limited equipment including a pair of strength training machines (one for total body, the other for hamstrings), free weights, two treadmills, three ellipticals, and a Peloton bike.
Location
One thing this hotel has going for it is the excellent location. Unlike the Hyatt Centric, you’re not on Canal and Bourbon Street in the heart of New Orlean’s debauchery. But you’re a short walk from it…but also a short walk from other highlights in the city. I also walked to the World War II museum and Duncan Plaza.
The street is quiet at night and traffic is limited. I’m not sure a 196-room hotel is properly classified as “boutique” (though that is what the hotel calls itself), but it never felt crowded inside or out.
CONCLUSION
I did not get a chance to visit the World War II museum (though my event was held there) and I would like to return to New Orleans. When I do, I’d still choose this hotel again over the Hyatt Regency or Hyatt Centric, though I think I’ll try the Four Seasons next time. The coffee situation was really annoying, but other than than I had a nice stay and appreciated the history and beauty of this hotel.
NO is a foodie town and the poor coffee is inexcusable. Machine broken? A bogus excuse. Once, in an AirBNB, the coffee machine broke and the owner replaced it within a few hours. So a restaurant in a major city couldn’t find one? Gimme a break.
If you want a suite … pay for it. Otherwise stop whining.
Lol. I wasn’t complaining honey.
“This hotel has 196 rooms including 50 suites. Sadly, even as a Globalist member of the World of Hyatt program, I didn’t get one.”
Then why ‘sadly’? No reason they should give you one. You noted it was sold out.
You misunderstand. The proportion of suites to rooms is very high and I am eligible for a space-available upgrade to a suite as a Globalist. I can say “sadly” I didn’t get one without “complaining” l I did not get one. Clear?
You’ve been very snarky and defensive lately. Do you need someone to talk to?
Because it’s very, very common for Hyatt Globalists to be upgraded. He was simply making a comment. In fact, I was recently in a Hyatt overseas where the top suites appeared to be sold out. Staying on points only, I was upgraded–which surprised me. It’s just a Hyatt thing. It didn’t sound snarky or whiny. Honestly, though, these responses do. I don’t get why people get their thrills from being mean to bloggers?
I stayed here in 2021 and had a similiar experience. The bar/food service was very limited due to Covid restrictions (frustrating but understandable) but it was easy to see how fun the common area bar would be in “normal times”. New Orleans is on the short list of places I really dont want a mehh breakfast/meal as a globalist benefit since the alternatives are high quality and abundant.
I had read reviews of the dark rooms prior to checking in but fortunately got upgraded so did not experience them. I think with this kind of hotel its important to manage expectations – I mightve been bummed if I hadnt known about darkish rooms, but I knew what I was getting into if I didnt get an upgrade because I’d read other reviews.
I’d also return again if rates were reasonable.
What a shame, such effort in the common areas but the rooms lack any of the character seen in the rest of the hotel. Almost like they were an after thought. “Oh, two months to opening, I guess given we are a hotel we need to quickly throw together some stuff in the tiny sleeping rooms.” Not a chance I would stay here.
I stayed at the EJ for three nights earlier this month, too. I had booked an interior suite and got essentially the same room as you. I returned to the front and even as a Globalist couldn’t get a free upgrade. I paid a modest upcharge and got a suite facing Magazine Street, which was much better (though the living room was still quite dark).
The common spaces are indeed quite impressive. I found the breakfast to be … fine. The green salad served with the (huge) omlettes was nice. The coffee was awful when I was there, too. And I didn’t touch the Keurig.
All in all I’d definitely stay there again. I liked the location just outside the French Quarter. It’s a stylish, well cared for property. Just need to ensure I have an exterior-facing room!
No reason not to book the Four Seasons when staying in New Orleans.
One reason to book Eliza Jane instead of 4 seasons is that the Eliza Jane is half the cost.
Their nightly rate is a good reason not to book the Four Seasons.
I’ll echo everyone else’s impression. The common areas looked great, but the room(s) was small, dark, and depressing. The room reminds me of a motel in a horror movie.
I also don’t think you should be able to call yourself a “boutique” hotel while having rooms with shower/tub combos. A tub shower is just the epitome of a room that was built more than a decade ago that hasn’t been properly renovated. There is no way to have an enjoyable shower when you’re standing in a bathtub.
Could not disagree more.
Room 305 definitely needed some art or design above the beds. It kind of looked like a prison cell at that angle. A problem is – though I don’t know if it is here – that lots of people don’t like sleeping underneath pictures. But something should be done here, maybe a wallpaper border. Something to break up the monotony of the wall.
That hotel looks very cool, but I hate upscale hotels that think interior views are acceptable. Frankly, I even find courtyard views to be depressing. Thankfully, I was curious and it seems like they have room categories that guarantee an exterior view.
Also, despite the relatively high suite count, most of them seem to be junior suites at best, think 400 sq ft minimum to 700 for the top suites (and many of which also only come with interior views). Also, I imagine the reason they didn’t have any upgrades available is that there doesn’t always appear to be a huge price difference between rooms and suites. I looked on a random weeknight in October and the base rooms were going for $229 while the highest level “Publisher’s Suite” was only $379, a $150 difference. If you just wanted to get into the lowest level “suites” they started at $259, with the most expensive “standard suite” going for $289. I imagine that a lot of people see the base level rooms and figure the additional cost to upgrade isn’t that much, especially since the base rooms seem positively tiny and pretty dank. Thus the hotel probably sells more “suites” than other hotels with bigger price differences between the rooms and the suites.
Looking at these photos, I kept thinking, this looks an awful lot like the Q&C Hotel (a Marriott Autograph Collection property), especially the bar and the incredibly tiny rooms with fake windows. No wonder – it’s literally the next building over, facing Magazine instead of Camp.
Is it possible that the coffee was chicory coffee? If you aren’t used to NO style coffee it can taste weird.
It wasn’t – I’ve bought chicory coffee (“French Market”) before and actually quite like it. This was a very weak and tasteless coffee.
“I think I’ll try the Four Seasons next time. ”
FYI, the Four Seasons costs about three times as much as the Eliza Jane.
Why the gripe against Keurig? Isn’t the coffee quality dependent on the quality of cups used?
I have probably stayed at this property 40+ times…Globalist w/Hyatt and found the property back in the first part of 2018. I was actually fortunate (unlike you, it sounds) to get upgraded on my first visit to their main suite. It was just stunning and what I would expect in the New Orleans feel…the walk-in shower with a bathtub in that shower was amazing). The breakfast at the attached restaurant (it should be noted that at that time, the restaurant was a separately owned entity, but as a Globalists received the free breakfast, which was essentially a minimized buffet…but amazing (REAL bacon, homemade oatmeal, fresh pastries, fresh fruit, and french pressed coffee).
So I was fortunate to travel there every other week for 2 days per trip, and everything was perfect…I got upgraded basically every time due to my status, and they’re getting to know me so well. Not always that “best room” I mentioned, but upgraded nonetheless. I understand how some people may have “issues” with the normal rooms (I’ve seen them through booking for others), but that’s N.O? It seems that many places in the city are sometimes quirky with layouts.
Anyway, let’s move to Covid and what transpired with the property…I was one of the few travelers taking a flight in the first part of April 2019 on an empty plane, trying to find an uber from the airport and decent places to stay around the US. But the Eliza Jane, this little boutique place, stayed open when most didn’t. Now that said, the restaurant closed down, the staff was minimalized to about 2-3 employees during my stay, and I was often the only guest. That said, they tried their best, they really did. Was it perfect, no, but listen, I always still felt at home. The restaurant never reopened for about a year until a new owner could come in…I’m guessing it’s not the same taste and feel? Will the hotel ever fully recover and get back to what I remember, I am not sure…I don’t travel to N.O that often for work anymore, so that relationship is gone. But here is what I can tell you. To this day, I always recommend this hotel as one of my favorite boutique hotels in the US., and if you really want to experience N.O for what it is and want to stay within a decent budget, the Eliza Jane is the place to go…