Lamothe House

After one night in the Hilton Garden Inn, in the warehouse district (close to the Garden District) I spent two nights at Lamothe House. They were completely different experiences and both were fine but Lamothe House was way more memorable and beautiful. The Hilton is more controlled and sterile, and it’s comfortable but lacking in character, while Lamothe is more organic. Even though I stayed in a regular room at Lamothe (no period furniture), every little walk through the hotel – the courtyard, the pool, the popcorn machine in the hallway, all felt special. The pool is lovely and kept very clean, by the way, and the plants are delightful. Sure, you may encounter a creepy-crawly in your room (or in my case, the shower) but that’s because it’s not a hermetically-sealed tomb – it’s a historical building in tune with beautiful plant life. A lot of people discuss the location, online, but it felt perfect for me as a base for exploring the French Quarter, Marigny, and Tremé. The area around Lamothe also felt safer to me than the Hilton (and more charming) although I didn’t have any trouble in either place. Esplanade Avenue is a lovely spacious street. Tip: chill down your room before bed using the a/c and then switch to the fan for the night. I’m also rating Lamothe House 4 out of 5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact, based on the following: • It’s a historical building (from 1839) that’s beautifully preserved for a good purpose. • Ceiling fans help people to avoiding running the air conditioner all night. • Some items provided for guests were thoughtful and conscious. FSC-certified toilet paper! Some of the coffee was certified organic and fair trade. I really liked the free popcorn every evening! A sustainable snack provided in paper bags – what’s better than popcorn? • Room for improvement: provide ceramic mugs for coffee and condiments in paper (good brown sugar, wooden stir sticks). This stuff makes a difference – I grew to despise the crap condiments and plastic straws in plastic bags and the plastic-wrapped disposable cups that I encountered almost everywhere.

I booked a room within one of their group properties (that no longer had a front desk).. There were some big problems, and I didn’t feel OK staying any more nights there. They were very responsive and got me into a room at Lamothe. The management was incredibly apologetic for what had happened. The new accommodations were fantastic, and the service was excellent. I want to highlight the maintenance gentleman named Mario, who helped me at the first hotel and then continue to help me at my new hotel. He was incredibly kind, friendly and helpful.. Second, I want to highlight the lady at the front desk, Carol. She was an absolute delight. She showed complete empathy, and also shared some of her story with me. I just wanted to give her a hug! If I ever returned to New Orleans, I would love to stay here again.

This hotel has everything we needed - comfortable bed, coffee maker, adequate bathroom and outdoor pool. It is a comfortable older building with cracks and personality - a lot like New Orleans itself. The staff will do whatever you request and treat everyone like family.