Clara Bow Meet New Orleans. New Orleans, Clara: The Clarion Grand Boutique Hotel
Written: Sep 04 '01 (Updated Sep 04 '01)
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Pros: Generously-sized rooms, incredibly comfortable beds, located on St. Charles Avenue
Cons: Lack of Internet connection in suites, overpriced restaurant, hit-and-miss housekeeping staff
The Bottom Line: While the exterior may blind you, the interior is a sight to behold. It’s incredibly comfortable, Art Deco-inspired hotel rooms are a welcome addition to Uptown NOLA.
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| nylawgirl's Full Review: Clarion Hotels |
Just about everyone who plans on visiting New Orleans thinks about visiting one place before any other: The French Quarter. I’ve been guilty of it. On my very first visit, I stayed at a place on St. Philip that specializes in renting apartments for vacations. However, as great as the Quarter can be (and if you’ve eaten a donut at Café du Monde or had a voodoo priestess tell your boyfriend that he should consider eating ground alligator bones to ward off those virility problems that she saw in his future, you already know), there is a great deal more to see in NOLA. However, one of the surefire ways to do that is to stay in a hotel that is not in the Quarter. Uptown New Orleans, from the Garden District to the Riverbend, has a handful of great hotels to choose from. One of those is the Clarion Grand Boutique in the lower Garden District.
It’s Not the Pointe du Lac Plantation. But, Then Again, Very Few Things Are
When the Grand Boutique first opened, it was not a welcome addition to the area. “Why?”, you may ask. Several reasons. Okay, there was really only one: the architecture. If you have any familiarity with the Garden District, you know that the area is dominated by graceful, understated architecture. Reminiscent of a time when quality mattered and residents didn’t want to pay taxes for having closets. The Grand Boutique didn’t (and doesn’t) exactly blend in with its surroundings. The exterior, especially when viewed at night, is how Art Deco would have been done if Raymond Hood had gone insane. One of the very first things you notice is that it is very, very, very bright. Neon tubing runs along the exterior of the first floor, framing the hotel’s hideously overpriced, monstrously overrated Cheesecake Factory restaurant, with a very large neon sign perched over the entrance to the hotel’s parking area. So, as you can well imagine, this was not the image that Garden District residents wanted to project. One of those residents was Anne Rice, who, I am told, had a massive campaign to rid the neighborhood of what she termed, “That monstrosity.” Alas, Anne was not successful and the Grand Boutique remains in place.
Which Way to the Clara Bow Suite? – The Rooms
Despite the grandiose nature of its exterior, the Grand Boutique is a rather intimately-sized hotel. The hotel is comprised of 44 junior suites, spread over three floors. The Art Deco flavor that greets you in the hotel’s lobby is continued when you reach your room. Highly stylized, the rooms are decorated in jewel tones, with touches of black thrown in for contrast. Featuring enormous windows, the suites are generously sized. Each room features a small sitting area with a couch, coffee table, a miniature refrigerator and a coffeemaker. In addition, there is a wall-mounted desk, complete with telephone and the requisite hotel stationery. However, if you want to use that telephone line to connect to the Internet, you’re out of luck. The hotel’s telephone lines have a block that prevents calls to your ISP. With such a feature, one would think the hotel would provide an Internet connection (with enormously overblown per minute charges, of course). Again, you are out of luck – the Grand Boutique doesn’t provide its own connection.
Despite this small snag, the rooms are lovely to look at and the beds (all rooms feature at least one king-sized bed or two double beds) are incredibly comfortable and about the size of a small island off the coast of Greece. And, speaking of small things, we come to the bathroom. The bathroom is split into two sections: there is an exterior section that includes the vanity mirror /sink combination and the room itself with a moderately-sized bathtub and shower, with wonderfully strong water pressure.
Make My Bed. Please – The Service
Deciding that our neglected environment needs a boost, the Grand Boutique offers the option of leaving a paper placard on your bed if you want fresh sheets. Great idea. Very faulty execution. During the week that I stayed at the hotel, I always had to put the placard on my bed. Why? Because the first few times that I didn’t, my bed wasn’t made. The housekeeping staff would apparently drop by, vacuum the floors, leave us some towels and then not make the bed. Housekeeping had equated not leaving the placard with not wanting your bed fixed. Whether this was simply a problem on my floor (we stayed on the second) or a general one, I suggest that you leave your green placard on the bed.
They’re Residents. That’s Why They Live There – Not Eating at the Hotel Restaurant
One of the many things that New Orleans is known for is its food. That’s why I recommend you not eat at the Grand Boutique’s Cheesecake Factory. We were warned well in advance not to eat there. Why? Well, the problem is not the food. The problem is you can eat at restaurants with a similar high quality menu at lower prices. However, what I do recommend is the fantastic Trolley Stop Café located on the corner nearest the restaurant. By no means a high-end establishment, the Trolley Stop is very casual dining at its best. We ate breakfast and lunch there practically every day and had dinner there a few times. With a diner-esque atmosphere, the restaurant has take-out, counter and eat-in service. It’s open 24 hours a day and is a favorite of the N.O. police department. Like many a fine establishment in NOLA, there is a smoking and a non-smoking area. It’s a nice gesture but it really doesn’t work. In addition to the restaurant’s central air conditioning, it also has that favorite of many a New Orleanian – the ceiling fan. And, what do ceiling fans do? Answer: They move air around, including moving air from the smoking section to the non-smoking section.
As for food recommendations, I have several. Foremost are the hamburgers. Using incredibly succulent and tender meat, all hamburgers are topped with mayonnaise (a refreshing and wonderful addition), lettuce, tomatoes and sliced red onions, with a large order of french fries on the side. A particular favorite of mine was the Mushroom and Cheese hamburger. However, when ordering, be aware that the hamburgers are cooked at one level below what you order. So, for example, if you ask for medium rare, you will get your hamburger rare. The one instance where this caused me trouble was when I ordered it medium rare and it came to me practically alive. Still, this is one instance and not emblematic of the general quality.
Another favorite is the crab cake dinner. This was one of the few times in my life where I was struck speechless by an entrée. The crab cake that you will receive is nearly the size of a dinner plate. It is fried to a crisp golden brown on the outside and filled with a copious amount of sweet crabmeat on the inside. And, in case the crab cake wasn’t enough for you, the dinner comes with a salad (sadly, made with Iceberg lettuce) and a side order of french fries.
Wrapping It Up
While the exterior of the hotel may blind you at night, the interior is a sight to behold. With incredibly comfortable, (mostly) well-equipped and pleasantly designed hotel rooms, the Grand Boutique is a welcome addition to the Uptown hotel derby.
Information
Location
2001 St. Charles Ave
New Orleans, LA 70130
(Note: If you are arriving at the hotel by taxi from Armstrong Airport (New Orleans International), guide the driver to the hotel by calling it “the Clarion on Saint Charles.” If that doesn’t ring any bells, just tell them it’s next to the Pontchartrain (pronounced: pawn-shar-tran) Hotel. Most drivers don’t know it as the Grand Boutique and others just don’t know about it at all. Additionally, the cost of a taxi is $24 for two people and $10 each for three or more. No more than that. Although it is a rare occurrence, I have been overcharged. When I was going to Tulane last fall, I went to the airport to meet my sister and drop her off at her hotel. The taxi driver then attempted to charge me $26. I told him no, that it was $24 and that it hadn’t changed since I left for the airport in a taxi two hours before. It’s rare but beware.)
Reservations
For the best rates, I recommend that you call the hotel directly at 504-558-9966. You can also book your rooms online through http://www.choicehotels.com/ires/en-US/html/ArrivalInfo?hotel=LA087 .
Rates
If you visit during Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest or other high volume tourist periods, expect to pay in the vicinity of $225 -$250. If, however, you visit during the summer, a room with a queen-size bed will run in the $115 - $150 range.
Self-Aggrandizement
Yes, People Eat at Home in New Orleans: A Hotel Alternative
http://nylawgirl.epinions.com/trvl-review-AFE-116A2ECA-39760E29-prod3
The Most Fun One Can Have While Experiencing Intellectual Torture (Tulane University Law School)
http://nylawgirl.epinions.com/content_24970301060
Recommended:
Yes
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nylawgirl
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 38
Trusted by: 129 members
About Me:
Giving my unsolicited opinion since October 1977. Being paid for it since April 2000.
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