The Whitney Wyndham Hotel Rating: 3.5 Pearls

Central Business District, New Orleans, Louisiana

The Front Desk

This historic landmark, carved from the city’s earliest Whitney Bank branch, is one of four Wyndham properties in New Orleans. The hotel’s single restaurant, Lil’ Dizzy’s, occupies part of the old bank, which has kept its grand marble pillars, gold-barred teller’s windows, and an original mural (depicting, of all things, a bank robbery) painted along the back wall. Hand-numbered prints with money and banking themes frame the hotel hallways.

Beyond its history, the hotel’s big draw is its spectacular location, a block from the St. Charles streetcar and within walking distance of the French Quarter.

The 93-room Whitney Wyndham is small and unique enough to be considered a boutique property, and features are limited -- just a modest fitness room, and no business center or swimming pool.

Prices can occasionally be a little steep for what you get during peak months. About a quarter of the Whitney Wyndham’s 93 rooms are suites, so always ask about an upgrade at the front desk.

View on a Larger Map

Located in the Central Business District (CBD), the Whitney Wyndham is a block from the St. Charles streetcar line and a block from Lafayette Square, a park presenting free live music on Wednesdays during the spring. The hotel is also within easy walking distance of the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, the Insectarium, Jackson Square, Preservation Hall, and dozens of world-class restaurants, as well as exceptional shopping on Magazine Street.

Across the street from the freewheeling French Quarter, the CBD adds towering office buildings to the New Orleans skyline. Corporations, foreign consulates and the city’s convention center are located here, as is the Superdome.

The CBD began its development in the early 1800s, when the Louisiana Purchase attracted newly minted Americans to a city once dominated by the Spanish and French. As port traffic increased along the Mississippi River, warehouses and manufacturing plants were built on the CBD shore. When cargo ships became containerized, these buildings were abandoned.

The World’s Fair in 1984 sparked new interest in the CBD, and developers restored the 19th century warehouses and plants into chic condos, hotels and restaurants. The building boom has also included art galleries, the National World War II Museum, and the Southern Food and Beverage Museum.

Today, the CBD is a mellower counterpart to the French Quarter, and just as alluring. There’s plenty of foot traffic, especially closer to the river and around the St. Charles streetcar line. At night, visitors should be safe on main thoroughfares like Poydras Street, and anywhere there’s a major restaurant or hotel. A wealth of parking garages makes the CBD fairly easy to drive into, except during the week of Mardi Gras.

Canal Street is a retail center and the downriver boundary of the CBD. Canal is one of the widest streets in the country and a major thoroughfare in the New Orleans, though it’s packed with national retail and souvenir shops that aren’t worth exploring for a visitor with limited time.

• 25-minute taxi or shuttle ride from Louis Armstrong International Airport
• 3-minute walk to Lafayette Square
• 5-minute walk to Canal Street, where you can pick up streetcars to St. Charles Avenue or the New Orleans Museum of Art
• 10-minute walk to the National World War II Museum
• 10-minute walk to the Southern Food and Beverage Museum
• 15-minute walk to Jackson Square and Café du Monde
• 15-minute walk to the Superdome

The King Room

Most rooms are done in muted browns or dark florals, with tired carpeting throughout, but thoughtful touches include pillowtop mattresses and ergonomic desk chairs. The Whitney Wyndham is redecorating its rooms in 2012, replacing sofa beds and other guest room furniture.

Guest baths are basic, though sinks have granite countertops and updated fixtures, and guests are treated to waffle-weave bathrobes.

• Standard rooms run about 300 square feet. Upgrading to one of the property's 23 suites gets you 75 extra square feet, a second TV, and a sitting room with either two chairs or a sofa bed.
• Old tube TVs
• Mini-fridge
• Alarms with strobe lights for the hearing-impaired
• Free wired Internet access in guest rooms (but no Wi-Fi)
• Golden Doors Spa bath products

The Vault Meeting Room

• Small, basic fitness center
• Free Wi-Fi in the lobby
• No business center or pool
• Free newspaper in the lobby
• Restored original bank vault can be used as a meeting room or private dining room.
• View full list of amenities

Lil’ Dizzy’s has a "main branch" near the Treme neighborhood, but guests at the Whitney Wyndham can enjoy this beloved restaurant’s outpost just off the hotel lobby. Though the prices are rumored to be higher here, the Creole food is just as authentic. Try the fried chicken or the pan-fried trout sprinkled with crabmeat; the Hubig’s Pie bread pudding is also a locally-inspired treat.

Lil’ Dizzy’s sets up a breakfast buffet in front of the gold-barred teller’s window; down the hall, anyone can reserve the old bank’s vault for a private dinner. The 1890s-era vault still has its imposing steel door, and up to 10 diners can be seated inside. The dining room’s walls are framed with fascinating photos of the contents of the vault’s original safe deposit boxes.

Two blocks away, John Besh’s brasserie, Lüke, is a locals’ choice. You’ll see many of the city's beautiful people at happy hour, drinking house brews and noshing on local raw oysters.

• Lil’ Dizzy’s is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Room service is available for breakfast, but shuts down in the afternoon between lunch and dinner.