Review of Harrah’s New Orleans
I recently took a weekend trip to New Orleans and recieved a comped room at the Harrah’s New Orleans. This is my third time staying at the Harrah’s New Orleans I have come away impressed each time. I thought it was worth reviewing for anyone looking at options when visiting New Orleans, especially if you are a Total Rewards Diamond member from the Founderscard.
Overview
The Harrah’s in New Orleans opened it’s doors on September 21, 2006. It boasts 27 floors with 450 guest rooms. Although the hotel sits across the street from the casino, you can access it via an underground walkway. It has a a couple of different dining options on site, with many more available at the casino. It is currently the 11th rated hotel in New Orleans according to TripAdvisor.
The regular rates hover around $250-300 per night on the weekends. As I stated above my room was comped from my previous play here and in Las Vegas. I find Total Rewards pretty lax with comping rooms in Las Vegas. The properties outside of Vegas are a little more stingy with comped rooms, especially if you have not played there previously. If you are a Total Rewards member make sure to check your profile for any discounts before booking.
Shawn, who is a Diamond member from The Founders Card, was showing 15% off the rack rate when logged in. He used to get free rooms in Vegas when he first got Diamond status. That was until they realized he doesn’t ever gamble.
Location
The Harrah’s New Orleans is a 20-30 minute ride from the airport. The Uber ride will cost you around $30 each way. The hotel is located a couple of blocks off of the Mississippi River. It is also a half of a mile away from Bourbon street.
There are several restaurants a short walk away including Mannings, Fulton Alley, Ernst Cafe, and Grande Isle Restaurant & Oyster Bar. All of these restaurants are located on, or right off of, a pedestrian only walkway that connects to Fulton street and begins right outside the side door of the hotel.
Along the Mississippi, only a few blocks from the hotel, is a large outlet shopping center. The shopping center offers a total of 75 retailers and restaurants.
And, as stated above it is only a short 10 minute walk to Bourbon street. To get there you take a left on Canal and walk about 6 blocks. Bourbon street will be on your right.
Check In
We arrived at the hotel around 10:30pm local time. There was no one in front of us and 2 people working the desk in the hotel’s small check in area.
The lobby is smaller but nicely done. Off to the left side of the entry way is the doors that lead to the casino’s underground walkway, and a Ruth Chris Steakhouse.
I asked if they had any 1 bedroom suite upgrades available. They did have some available and said that it wouldn’t be a problem based on my casino play last time. I also asked for a roll away bed for the living room for my buddy, which they said would be no problem.
Room
The suite was very spacious and nicely laid out. It showed some wear and tear but that is to be expected with most casino linked properties. I found the color scheme and design to be well thought out and they had a few tie ins to the New Orleans culture.
The room was very clean with a nice layout. There living room was spacious and had everything you need, including a fridge. Someone could easily sleep on the couch if you wanted to save on the roll away bed charge as well.
The bathroom was very large and it has plenty of counter space for two people. The bathroom came with a tub and a shower, which is always a nice touch. The bed was large and very comfortable.
I have previously stayed in a standard double room and those were also nice rooms. The double room had a very similar color scheme, a nice bathroom, it was spacious, and very clean.
Amenities
This hotel comes up a little short on amenities but you are in New Orleans so I doubt you will notice much. They offer room service (extremely pricey $50 basic breakfast for 2) and Ruth Chris is open every night for dinner.
The one thing I was surprised about is that there is no pool at the hotel. With the weather in NOLA you would think that would be a must have. I was told there used to be a pool but people were leaving their kids in there while gambling etc. so it was removed. I am not sure if this is true or not, a person in the casino told me this, but it wouldn’t shock me.
There is a small exercise room for the fitness nuts out there too :).
Casino
The casino is one of the nicer ones I have been in outside of Las Vegas. It is not as grand as Vegas casinos but it is still beautiful. The casino is a good size with some New Orleans design elements mixed in.
There are another 10 or so dining options within the casino, which are easily accessible from the hotel. The one I would suggest checking out is BH Steak (formerly Besh). If you are a Diamond Member you get 4 free beverages here (up to $15 a piece). They have an awesome selection of beers and some good food. I would recommend the red fish and smoked chicken wings. If you sit at the bar make sure to ask for Patrick…you will not be disappointed by his service!
The center of the casino has a night club called Masquerade. Night clubs are not my scene and this one seems very hit or miss depending on the night. There was one cool feature inside the club, the bar has an ice rail around the bar top. I am assuming they put this in to help keep your beverage chilled. I thought it was an interesting addition.
There is also a Diamond Lounge which I did not get a chance to check out. From what I have read it has some limits on free drinks etc. which is a step down from the ones in Las Vegas.
Conclusion
The Harrahs Hotel in New Orleans is a very nice hotel with a welcoming staff. I have enjoyed staying each of my three visits. The rooms are always nice, clean, and spacious. If I was paying $250-300 per night for the room I may have a slightly different take though.
There are a lot of affordable hotels in New Orleans and a ton of point options. I would suggest staying in one of those instead unless you are able to get the room discounted or comped via Total Rewards.
It is nice to be right near the casino and all of the restaurants in the area but I don’t think it is worth the premium for most.
Some tips I would offer up to anyone visiting New Orleans. Check out Frenchman Street, especially if Burbon Street is not your scene. It is more of a locals hang out spot but it has 3-4 blocks of bars and restaurants and almost every single one has live jazz music. If you are up for an early dinner check out Aldopho’s. It is a small Italian restaurant on top of one of the bars. It is tiny and fills up quickly so get there shortly after it opens to skip the line. If you are into the Bourbon Street scene then go to The Swamp for your refills. The bar is about halfway down bourbon street. Make sure to go upstairs for your drinks where they offer 3 for 1 beers all night long (including Yuengling)!
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Can you (or anyone) clarify what you mean by “If you are a Diamond Member you get 4 free beverages here (up to $15 a piece).” Is that only at BH steak, in the casino, or in the lounge? Will be visiting soon first time as Diamond and want to take advantage!
You could use them at pretty much any bar in the casino in the past. You just had to tell the bartender that when paying. I am not sure if they still do this or not with their diamond lounge access changes etc.
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