Royal Sonesta Hotel New Orleans

New Orleans, Louisiana

Swimming pool
Hotel exterior
Desire Oyster Bar Dining Room
Lobby
Deluxe Room
Court yard, Royal Sonesta hotel, New Orleans
Swimming pool
Hotel exterior
Desire Oyster Bar Dining Room
Lobby
Deluxe Room
Court yard, Royal Sonesta hotel, New Orleans

The hotel

Built in traditional French Quarter style, complete with gabled windows, French doors and wrought-iron balconies, the fabulous Royal Sonesta occupies a prime spot on Bourbon Street, one of New Orleans most famous locations. As well as very comfortable rooms, there’s a fab swimming pool and fitness room. Desire Oyster Bar with French doors leading out onto Bourbon Street is a casual bistro serving delicious local dishes. There’s also the Mystick for cocktails and live entertainment from Tuesday through to Saturday, so grab a drink and stake your place for what’s sure to be a good night out. Le Booze, also overlooking Bourbon Street, is a favourite meeting place for locals and if you’re an ice-cream fan, head to Daiquiri Delight Shop for an exotic concoction! Boasting AAA 4-diamond status, you’ll enjoy the convenience of a major hotel but with all the charm the Deep South can muster!

Amenities

  • Bar
  • Swimming Pool
  • Families
  • Babysitting service
  • Room Service
  • Safety Deposit Box
  • Evening Entertainment
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Laundry Service
  • Internet Access
  • Close to City Centre
  • Restaurant

Where is it

On world-famous Bourbon Street, steps away from restaurants, antique shops and jazz clubs.

Hotel information

483 rooms on 7 floors in 1 building. All with a view of the French Quarter or courtyard, air-conditioning, flatscreen TV with cable stations, radio, coffee maker, mini-bar*, safe, hairdryer, iron and board, and bathrobes. Deluxe Rooms with 1 king-size bed or 2 queen-size beds, sleeping maimum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

Desire Oyster Bar (casual streetside bistro). The Mystick (cocktail lounge). Le Booze. Royal Café (drinks, pastries). Daiquiri Delight Shop (ice-cream parlour). Outdoor swimming pool and bar. Fitness room. Gift shop. Jewellery shop. Concierge. Babysitting service* (on request). Laundry/dry-cleaning service*. Room service available*.

Wheelchair accessible rooms available on request. Please note that these rooms are subject to availability and may be restricted to specific room categories and bedding arrangements. Rooms and facilities vary between hotels so please check at the time of booking. For more information and contact details please check out our Special Assistance page

Applies on certain dates and minimum 2-night stay applies when staying on a Saturday night.

*Denotes local charge.

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (3256)
  • Very good (1469)
  • Average (494)
  • Poor (193)
  • Terrible (186)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Needs Refreshing & proper Housekeeping

Oct 19, 2021 David N Paris, France

Very overrated, the photos must be a good ten years old. Just returned from a 4 night stay. The room we booked (not the cheapest) was musty and smelled rank, sticky balcony door, stained chair armrests etc. Saving grace was Mathew who did his best to provide us an upgrade at a reduced price (should have been free but he did what he could).… Read more
Very overrated, the photos must be a good ten years old. Just returned from a 4 night stay. The room we booked (not the cheapest) was musty and smelled rank, sticky balcony door, stained chair armrests etc. Saving grace was Mathew who did his best to provide us an upgrade at a reduced price (should have been free but he did what he could). Upgrade room could still have used a serious refresher (paint job/carpets shampooed, stained lampshade, no toiletries). Then we discovered on second day that there was no housekeeping (returning to room to find bed not made, trashcans not emptied and towels humid from the morning). When we called reception, they said there was no housekeeping per city Covid rules.... not true, other hotels (Marriott everyday) have housekeeping. Reality is Sonesta don't have the staff for regular housekeeping. After complaining, we were again saved by Mathew who scheduled a housekeeping on our third day. Hotel needs serious cleaning and paint refresh, elevators are scratched and stained, and paint is old. It's really a 3 star at best for the moment. Fortunately, 3 employees really saved our stay: Mathew at reception, April at reception and wonderful Ruth in the Desire bistro. Thank you to each one for helping with a smile. Give them a raise!! Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Wow experience on Bourbon street.

Sep 29, 2021 Adesola82 Atlanta, Georgia

Wonderful experience at this hotel. Highly boutique hotel, well decorated. Located at the center of everything on Bourbon street, French Quarter. Road was closed at night and too much of fun. Clean, fully equipped, and free WiFi. Even, too much off activity at night in hotel, wedding, Jazz show, several bars at the hotel.
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Outstanding service, excellent location

Sep 19, 2021 Sammerkblammer Raleigh

My husband and friend picked the Royal Sonesta as our hotel for a surprise trip to New Orleans. The service was excellent from the start, and we upgraded our room to a spot with a terrace overlooking the pool. The pool area was clean, and it was super quiet for our entire stay. The location is right on Bourbon St. and was super convenient to… Read more
My husband and friend picked the Royal Sonesta as our hotel for a surprise trip to New Orleans. The service was excellent from the start, and we upgraded our room to a spot with a terrace overlooking the pool. The pool area was clean, and it was super quiet for our entire stay. The location is right on Bourbon St. and was super convenient to everywhere we wanted to go. Our room had 2 queen size beds, which was amazing to have the extra space! The bar downstairs makes excellent cocktails and had a burlesque show we popped into for one night. We were unable to evacuate before Hurricane Ida and the hotel took amazing care of us. Denise, April, and Miss Ruthie are absolutely fabulous! Checking in with us multiple times, and we always saw them with a smile on their face despite the circumstances. The fact they stayed to take care of guests while their families evacuated speaks volumes to their dedication. We were so fortunate to have meals every night, charging stations, and eventually a bus to Houston. Overall, we were pleased with our stay. The hotel was very clean and took excellent care of all the guests, especially during the uncertainty of Hurricane Ida. We absolutely would stay here again on our next trip! Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating 10 year anniversary/family trip

Aug 29, 2021 Clint M Waupaca, Wisconsin

10 year anniversary/family trip. I’ve been staying at the Royal Sonesta for over 25 years, I have never been disappointed with its professionalism cleanliness and location especially. The amenities are unsurpassed in the French quarter. I have developed hundreds of great memories in and around the hotel. We highly recommend it to anyone that is… Read more
10 year anniversary/family trip. I’ve been staying at the Royal Sonesta for over 25 years, I have never been disappointed with its professionalism cleanliness and location especially. The amenities are unsurpassed in the French quarter. I have developed hundreds of great memories in and around the hotel. We highly recommend it to anyone that is not afraid to spend a little bit more to stay in the Center of it all , with the perfect amenities. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Time for room renovations!

Aug 29, 2021 alisal2017 Chicago, Illinois, Usa

I've previously stayed at the Royal Sonesta in past and have always had a lovely experience however I just got back and have to give a more updated review. A couple things due to COVID, no more daily room cleaning. This is a standard precaution with other hotels as well as they are trying to limit the amount of people going in and out of rooms… Read more
I've previously stayed at the Royal Sonesta in past and have always had a lovely experience however I just got back and have to give a more updated review. A couple things due to COVID, no more daily room cleaning. This is a standard precaution with other hotels as well as they are trying to limit the amount of people going in and out of rooms due to COVID. Totally understandable! If you need towels, toilet paper, or anything specific then you can call the front desk to request it. Unfortunately when we did call for towels, none came. Perhaps there's just not enough staff during these times? Not a big deal since ended up getting clean towels that we found in the staff room. The Lobby: clean, beautiful and classy. Lots of hand sanitizer all throughout the lobby. The guest rooms - Bathroom: needs a major face lift! One of the drawers under the sink vanity was broken. Some black mold spots on the grout in the shower. The shower water pressure was a light drip (very weak). Other than hand soap, shower gel/shampoo/conditioner, you will not have any other amenities like lotion or cotton swabs. The walls are extremely thin so you will hear everything that your neighbor is saying and our room walls vibrated when they went in and our of their room, slamming their door shut. The thin walls are not an issue unless you have inconsiderate hotel guests next door like we did. The location is great as it's right on Bourbon between Conti and Bienville so close walking distance to all the nearby restaurants and bars. The pool is lovely, charming and plays good music. There are great restaurants like Desires and Revolution that are connected to the hotel along with the famous jazz club. And yes you can access the restaurants from inside hotel by walking through the courtyard doors in the lobby. The PJ's coffee shop is on lobby level and opens early and offers good coffee and quick breakfast foods to go. And lastly shout out to the bellman who was so friendly and went out of his way to make sure we had transportation to the airport on a day when most people were trying to leave the city due to Hurricane Ida. Thank you for that Sir! With the travel industry being heavily impacted with the pandemic, there's much more competition now so I do hope that the Royal Sonesta can make some much needed upgrades/renovations to their rooms! Read less