South - No hotel rooms within 50 miles of New Orleans on 3/11/2010?

My wife is organizing a conference for her company, with 150 attendees, in New Orleans starting Saturday, 3/13. Because she did not get down there ahead of time (her trip was cancelled due to snow), she's now going down on 3/11.

However, there's some big convention in town, and they've blocked every hotel room on 3/11. The only rooms she's been able to find are in Laplace, Covington, or Slidell, or are in the short-sheet motels along Tulane Ave and Airline Highway. She's tried Amex Travel, Kayak, Hotels.com, and the hotel web sites.

We used to lived there, but never had to stay in a hotel before, so we're at a bit of a loss about what to do.

Anyone have any suggestions?

The convention that is tying up rooms is the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.

You may want to have a look at the "browse availability at a non-AAOS hotel" link on the following site:

http://www.aaos.org/education/anmeet/housing/reservations.asp

Excellent - thanks.

Edit: I clicked through on the first 10-15 hotels on their list, none have rooms for 3/11. Guess she'll be staying on the Westbank.

Having attended AAOS events before, I'd suggest she keep trying to book something. I've found that often rooms get released right at conference start time when anticipated attendees end up not coming.

Try Soniat House in Quarter.....(tiny, almost a B&B)

Excellent - thanks.

Edit: I clicked through on the first 10-15 hotels on their list, none have rooms for 3/11. Guess she'll be staying on the Westbank.


HAHAHA The WANNNK. Have fun..ill sell you my room in Baton Rouge for the night.

In reality, try Metairie.

In reality, try Metairie.

That won't work for anything decent at this time. Best advice is to hope for some cancellations, as suggested above. Buddy of mine is in the same situation and I suggested he try this:

http://www.brenthouse.com/

Not the best, but he got a room.

In reality, try Metairie.

Yeah, nothing available, at least not appropriate for a single professional woman with no rental car.

She got a room at the Sheraton through Amex Corp Travel, $350. Apparently it had been released by the convention just minutes before.

My friends who work in hospitality in NOLA say this convention blocks every room in the city (except for Eastern NO). They advise that some rooms will get returned to the general pool after the convention starts.

They advise that some rooms will get returned to the general pool after the convention starts.That can happen quite a bit with medical conventions. One year, one of y doctors was going to speak at his specialty's conference in San Francisco, but he had to cancel his travel plans when an emergency came up (he ended up making the speech via teleconference).

This year, Digestive Disease Week conicides with the second weekend of Jazzfest (1st w/e of May), and hotels are similarly full.

This year, Digestive Disease Week conicides with the second weekend of Jazzfest (1st w/e of May), and hotels are similarly full.

Not to make light of any diseases, but there is something about this juxtaposition of events that I find a tad ironic/amusing.

This year, Digestive Disease Week conicides with the second weekend of Jazzfest (1st w/e of May), and hotels are similarly full.Those doctors are no dummies; it's not at all uncommon for medical conventions to coincide with Fest. One year, we booked a great rate at the Royal Sonesta when we learned that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists was holding a conference there during Fest. Paging Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Blumie!

Those doctors are no dummies; . . . Paging Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Blumie!

You mean those doctors are no stooges! :D

Reporting live from New Orleans: the management at the JW Marriott says they've been booked solid since superbowl - they say it's like a switch was flipped. As recently as mid-January, they were expecting below-normal occupancy, but instead, they say it's the highest since the storm.

Also, FYI: there is significant road work going on all around, with lots of delays. Here's what I've found so far:
- Esplanade, closed river-bound between Burgundy and Dauphine
- Claiborne Avenue, bridge over the Industrial Canal closed both directions
- St. Charles, closed heading uptown from Pine to Short
- Nashville, closed river-bound from Claiborne and St. Charles
- Ramp closed from Causeway lake-bound to Veterans Blvd
- Carrollton, one lane (and no parking) in each direction from the I-10 to the river
- Earhart, one lane (and no turning lanes) from Howard to the Jeff parish line