Hotwire Hotel: Safety in New Orleans

[doctorsquared]

I am taking my staff to a New Orleans convention at the Convention Center. I assume there will be a free shuttle from the convention center to the popular hotels. What are considered to be safe areas? My staff would like to be in the French Quarter or where the nightlife is. I would like to be near the convention center. Could I save money be getting a hotel downtown or in the "Garden" area? What areas are unsafe for a business traveler? I am planning to take my wife kids and staff. What zones should I look at. The prices are extremely high for 10/31-11/3.

Thanks

:D

[AaronJB]

Good evening. :)

What would be your desired budget/star rating per night, how many rooms do you need and how many will be in each room (adults/children)? Downtown is generally less expensive than the French Quarter.

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[swag]

Halloween is always busy in New Orleans, and that's also Voodoo Fest weekend.

[doctorsquared]

I will need three rooms for 1) two adults and two children, 2 additional rooms for 5 total adults. The five adults are all the same sex so they could stay in a special large room for 5.

My budget is open but it has to be less than my special rate (not announced yet) through my professional society. Under $200 would be acceptable but even saving $50 would mean saving about $750. At our last trip in Orlando we stayed at the Radisson 3* in Orlando for $40++ a night but they threw us in the Metropolitan 1* for the first 3 nights. It looks real expensive but we would like to stay within the downtown area to make commuting to the convention center easy.

The staff would like to stay where the party is, so that they can drink and have a short walk to their hotel room.

[doctorsquared]

My special housing has been announced. It will be available May 1st. It is possible that the hotels will be sold out before they go on sale due to preorders. There are 40 hotels listed near the convention center, french quarter and downtown. They all have a free shuttle to the meeting. Nearly all hotels have a parking fee of about $30. The three cheapest hotels are:

Holiday Inn Superdome 150

Hampton Inn near French Quarter 180. with breakfast.

Hampton Inn convention center 199. with breakfast.

I think holiday inn is far away. I think the hampton Inn downtown near French Quarter should be reserved as a backup. (free cancellation before 10/1/13.) I can see if prices drop in the summer. Is it safe to walk from the French Quarter to Downtown?

[thereuare]

Is it safe to walk from the French Quarter to Downtown?

New Orleans is a city and you should use caution just as you would in most other cities.

Generally it's safe to walk between the Downtown zone and the French Quarter, especially during the day, but at nite time if you're not a 'city' person or feel uncomfortable you should take a taxi to be on the safe side. As well, when you do walk, try to stay on main streets and streets that have heavy foot traffic so that you're not the only person in sight. This is good advice for any city... not just New Orleans.

Given your bedding requires of 5rooms/7adults/2children i don't think PRICELINE, which only guarantees double occupancy, is a viable option... keep an eye on HOTWIRE and search for 5rooms/7adults/2children to see if anything within your desired zone, star rating, and budget comes into play.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Keep us updated on your progress and let us know if/how we can be of further help along the way.

[doctorsquared]

Thanks for your help. I will keep an eye on Hotwire for drops in price and reserve on May 1st through my special rates and then look for price drops.

[doctorsquared]

I have reserved directly a cancelable reservation at Comfort Inn for $152 in the Central Business District 10/30/13 - 11/4/13. I will continue to watch Hotwire as the date gets closer. If I don't reopen the thread then we have chosen to remain at the Comfort Inn. It should be okay for our purposes. It should be quieter than the French Quarter and not as expensive as right next to the convention center.

[thereuare]

Please note from our Support Page that we are an affiliate of the Comfort Inn as well as most other major hotel chains and online booking agencies, please check for and use the links there for your future hotel direct purchases... and the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board for your bidding, searches, and travel purchases thru each of these services as well.

[doctorsquared]

We stayed at the Comfort Inn as per my reservation.

[thereuare]

Thank you for closing this thread with your decision.

Please remember our Support Page and our MAPS and HOTELS.com site for your future regular rate purchases.

Hope you enjoyed your stay.