Royal Sonesta Hotel, New Orleans

The Royal Sonesta Hotel has a history in the French Quarter. Albeit the history is not as long as other locales in New Orleans, the Royal Sonesta has been open since 1969. The site that the hotel sits on has a longer history dating to 1721. During 1721 a French military engineer Adrien de Pauger first began the city of New Orleans, providing the map of the streets and where the land would be sectioned. The land for the hotel was originally 12 lots with houses, stables, courtyards, carriageways, and gardens. A Shakespearean actor lived on one lot, and other lots were a costume shop, brewing company, winery, and vinegar factory. Most of the buildings on the previous lots were gone by the time the land was acquired for the hotel. The building of the hotel took $16 million with a jazz great, Sweet Emma, playing at the grand opening.

After its opening the Royal Sonesta included the Economy Hall, a jazz club where Fats Domino and Louis Prima performed. Due to the architecture around the hotel the architect decided the building needed to have the 1830's look that was typical of the French Quarter and Bourbon Street. The accommodations have 500 guest rooms with many encompassing French doors leading to terraces or balconies overlooking the courtyard below.

The hotel rooms take the French design inside with the wooden bed frames and wood furniture. Over some of the beds are curtains attached to the walls presenting the typical French motif. Among the 500 rooms are 25 suites. Most hotel rooms include a flat screen television, wired and wireless internet, cordless phone, and mini bar. Iron and ironing boards, hair dryer, and in room safes are also available in the rooms. There are pool and patio rooms for guests who wish to be secluded from the street. The rooms offer various sizes of beds including double beds and king sized beds in the suites. The suites offer Jacuzzi tubs, and some are also split level suites.

Royal Sonesta Hotel New Orleans has two restaurants called the Begue's. It is a four diamond establishment with French and Creole cuisine. The Sunday Champagne Brunch is quite popular. They are open only for breakfast and lunch though. From the hotel other restaurants can be reached like the Desire Oyster Bar, Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse and the Royal Cafe. The Royal Cafe is located in the lobby of the hotel providing coffee, tea, and pastries for the breakfast eaters.

The accommodations do offer business rooms for anyone needing a conference hall or private meeting area. Social events can also be booked at the hotel. The prime location of the Royal Sonesta Hotel New Orleans presents many attractions. The Audubon Zoo, Aquarium and I- Max Theater are very close, along with Harrah's New Orleans Casino. Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World presents a place to visit when one wants to see how the carnival gets underway each year. Even if visitors miss the Mardi Gras festival they can get a feel for it at Kern's World.