I rolled up to my two-night stay at the Ace Hotel in New Orleans at 1 a.m. on an early Wednesday morning after a long flight from New York. A weird time for first impressions, but perhaps a more honest one than usual. The bar staff was closing things down but the guy at reception looked ready for anything—he wasn’t not dressed for a late night out.
Despite his careful hipness, though, he was nice as could be, as were all staff members I would encounter, and got me checked in and on my way promptly. I was given only a second-floor room, maybe because I booked through my credit card’s system. I didn’t mind at first, but the assignment would prove unfortunate by the next day, when cranes directly outside my window worked tirelessly and not quietly on the building across the street.
My walk through the Lobby Bar to the elevator bank confirmed that the place is indeed gorgeous. But then, in the hall outside my room I sidestepped a bag of dirty towels that would remain there for the next 24 hours. Then again, the next moment I took real joy in opening the door to my room to the greeting of soft New Orleans big band music. I left it on until I got into bed.
That whiplash of experience encapsulates the Ace Hotel, at least in New Orleans. Overlooked details breed frustration, only to be forgiven moments later by some other small delight.
The Location: A 10-minute walk from Bourbon Street in either the Central Business District or Warehouse District, depending on who you ask, the location was ideal. There were plenty of interesting shops, restaurants and bars nearby, and a streetcar went by right outside if I was looking to get to the Garden District (I walked to the French Quarter).
The Room: The Large Room was mostly a beguiling one; enormous, with a great king bed and a midcentury sofa that I drooled over, not literally. Mine was a very masculine room, rendered in deep, dark colors and clean, earthen lines. It also tended to be slightly askew (a frustration). I straightened the rug and the bedside table and that was better, but I wonder why at these prices, someone else didn’t do that before my arrival.
I would write home about the light fixtures if people did such things anymore. They were gorgeous all around, from the ceiling to the bedside to the extensively stocked wet bar (there to emphasize, in its way, the lack of complimentary bottled water in the room). On the other hand, hard to understand why you’d need a fridge as big as the very cool green Smeg one in the corner when the room contained no other facilities for preparing food. There was a record player with a robust selection of albums. I chose one only to find that the machine wasn’t at all hooked up to the power or the speakers, and figuring it out loomed as too tall a task for this gal who was just trying to have a nice time.
All this considered, the hotel’s common areas can get rowdy, and retreating from them into my room was a treat.
[review continues below photo gallery]
The Bathroom: The masculine vibe extended to the bathroom, which was dominated by its black tiles. The sink technically would qualify as located in the main room, although it was set off by thick curtains. I was bummed to find no cotton pads or Q-tips, a standard offering in hotel rooms in this class. The shower, toilet and tub shared the dark, shiny bathroom itself. It’s worth noting that while the tub was nice, the room was windowless, unlike the ones shown online, which made for a somewhat more dungeon-like bath experience than I was anticipating. (Speaking of windows, the ones in my room were floor-to-ceiling, completely different from the quaint ones shown everywhere else online.)
The Common Areas: As you’d expect in an Ace Hotel, the common areas exceled in both design and vibe. To the right of reception, the Lobby Bar served as an all-day-all-night lounge, and behind that Three Keys hosted super solid live music nightly—it struck me as a legitimate New Orleans music venue. To the other side of reception, the Josephine Estelle restaurant was another looker, although having not eaten there, I can’t speak for the food. Up on the roof, the pool was small, but serviced by a bar and restaurant. Since the hotel allows pool access to the public (for a fee), it got mighty crowded at the expected times. Back downstairs, a Stumptown Coffee is attached to the lounge, if you need a solid quick caffeine jolt in the mornings.
The gym looked small but pleasant from the outside, which is as close as I got.
Food: In the tradition of the hotel reviews I used to do for the New York Times, the only meal I ate at the Ace was a room service breakfast. It was good, but again, the details were lacking. Both my coffee and orange juice came in to-go cups. My yogurt and granola dish had way too much honey in it. I get it that the Ace brand offers a laid back version of luxury, but the to-go cups are not only a step too casual, they’re also a bad decision for the environment.
The Verdict: Considering the size of the room, the design details all around, the fabulous common areas and the all-important rooftop pool, I’m willing to overlook the drawbacks, including the myriad things askance in my room, said pool’s excessive boisterousness, and even, maybe, the unannounced construction outside my window. Staying here was way more pleasure than not. That said, for the $210 per night all in I paid during the off season, I’d generally expect all the details to be taken care of more thoroughly.
The Ace Hotel
600 Carondelet Street, New Orleans
Website
234 rooms, from $115 on weekdays in low season
The author paid $210 including tax per night for a Large Room during two weeknights in May 2018.
