Crowne Plaza Hotel Astor-New Orleans

With its wrought-iron balconies and high-flying flags, the facade melds perfectly into the streets of New Orleans. Guests are greeted in a classically elegant lobby with high ceilings and marble floors, where rich-colored velvet seating complements cream and white walls. Given the central location, guests are often out and about in the city, but many also gather for oysters and cocktails at Dickie Brennan's Bourbon House. The busy traffic of Canal Street and streetcars clanging by are consistent reminders that this is city central -- so, too, are the homeless people walking and sleeping near the hotel entrance. Still, this hotel feels like a safe, surprisingly quiet oasis in the thick of the urban scene.

While many downtown hotels claim to be near the action, this hotel is actually right in the thick of it: all of the partying, shops, and restaurants of the famed French Quarter are within a half-mile. Situated at the end of Bourbon Street (so not quite in the noisiest part) and on Canal Street, this hotel is within walking distance of just about everything tourist-worthy in the New Orleans area, including Harrah's casino and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Immediate neighbors include a couple of tourist shops and fast food, with drugstores nearby as well. On the Bourbon Street side of the property there are strip clubs, restaurants, and bars.

The somewhat generic but clean and reasonably sized rooms in this hotel are minimally furnished with stained-wood desks and dressers. Colors are muted, save for a rich-hued chair or couch and metallic gold headboards. Modern amenities include flat-screen TVs and coffeemakers (some rooms have Keurig coffeemakers with K-Cups). The Standard Room bathrooms are small and not well lit, with cramped tubs, but there are nice toiletries available for guest use. Each of the approximately 700 guest rooms also has Crowne Plaza Sleep Advantage bedding along with super-cushy pillows, though beds get mixed reviews overall. Though some rooms have no views and literally face a brick wall, there are other rooms available with balconies for awesome viewing of Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street festivities.

The 24-hour fitness center is a good size, though a little drab. Wi-Fi is only free for IHG Rewards Club members, and is otherwise pricey -- guests may join online at no cost, but unfortunately the connection can be rather slow. The attached restaurant and oyster bar, Dickie Brennan's Bourbon House, has an entrance through the hotel as well as outside. Lit by faux gas lamps, the restaurant has elegant high ceilings and tall windows, and serves Louisiana cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is also 24-hour room service available. For business travelers, there is a well-equipped business center, and lovely ballrooms and meeting rooms available for events of up to 800 people. Parking is valet only, as is typical of almost all hotels in downtown NOLA. The pool is small and oftentimes crowded, and has a handicapped lift.