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Any experience with Soniat House in New Olreans?

Any experience with Soniat House in New Olreans?

Old Apr 20, 2014, 5:43 pm
  #1  
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Any experience with Soniat House in New Olreans?

I would like to book a 10 night trip to New Orleans in late Jan. (before the crowds pour into the city!) and am looking for a historic property with local charm. Preferably a small boutique inn.

Soniat House seems to fit the bill, but I'd love to get some feedback on room types and it would be even better if anyone has a specific room (by no.) that they could recommend!

Not knowing much about the property beyond what I see on their website, I'm trying to decide between a Jr. Suite and the significantly pricier Grand Suite w/ balcony... not sure if it's worth the $800/night price tag.

Any tips, suggestions, thoughts, or feedback would be really welcomed.

It's also a bit of a stretch, but I'm wondering if the hotel is partnered with any affiliates that might offer preferred rates, discounts, or added amenities? I doubt it, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

If anyone has visited or stayed at the property before, I would love to hear from you!

Last edited by OliverB; Apr 20, 2014 at 5:49 pm
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Old Apr 20, 2014, 5:48 pm
  #2  
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I'm also wondering if a balcony room is a must at the the S.H. and if they are only featured in the Grand Suites? If anyone has room photos to offer from a previous stay, it'd also be of great help!

Thanks!!
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Old Apr 20, 2014, 5:51 pm
  #3  
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I think you mean Soniat House.
See this recent thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...rse-hyatt.html
See also:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...ed-them-2.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/20728600-post17.html
jerry a. laska is offline  
Old Apr 20, 2014, 6:55 pm
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Thanks Jerry,

I did indeed mean Soniat House and corrected myself in the title!

I did a forum search prior to posting and discovered those threads you linked to, however apart from the mention of the property as suggestion, there's been no further discussion, details or reviews posted about it.

I was hoping to use this topic to focus exclusively on the Soniat House, rather than a broader discussion of NOLA properties. I will send PM's to the few members who've mentioned it in those other threads though.
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Old Jul 14, 2014, 4:30 pm
  #5  
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Just bumping this thread to see if anyone else had anything to say about this property. We're considering it for September.
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Old Jul 7, 2015, 7:34 pm
  #6  
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Hi rjque,

Did you end up booking the Soniat for September?

Despite my posting about wanting to book in Jan, we were actually planning our trip for the fall to coincide with The Ponderosa Stomp but due to conflicting plans, we had to push it back until next spring. I've already booked 10 nights in a Jr. Suite at the Soniat House for the last week of March. I initially called SLH to book directly through them since I recently signed up for the loyalty club, but that turned into a whole convoluted thing that sort of soured me on their service...

First, I really don't understand why the operate a 24-hour service line when the people who answer in the evenings are incapable of making bookings, which is what I encountered - I was told to call back in the AM and speak with a daytime rep. I'd discovered that the advertised 'club rate' through SLH was considerably higher (almost $150) than the best available rate on the Soniat House website. I called the next morning as instructed and spoke with a supervisor who acknowledged the problem and was able to adjust the price over the phone. The total still came out to be $10 higher for some reason. The supervisor that I spoke with explained that it was a glitch in their system but couldn't resolve it over the phone and asked to call me back. I questioned whether it was worth the trouble for ten bucks and she graciously offered to upgrade my club level so that I could take advantage of the potential upgrades, late check-out, continental breakfast and whatever other club amenities that I didn't otherwise qualify for. She wanted to sort out the price discrepancy for me though and she promised to call back within the hour. 5+ hours passed and I had not heard from her so I called SLH back and decided I was just going to book right then since the dates of our trip fall on the week of the Tennessee William Literary Festival and I didn't want to take any chances as inventory seemed low from what I saw on their website. I got another supervisor on the line who told me that she couldn't honor the upgrade offer of the previous person that I had spoken with and that it never should have been extended. I asked whether she would at least price match the Soniat House site and knock the unexplained ten dollar charge off and she started feeding me this line about ridiculously bureaucratic procedures for their price matching policies at which point I just got frustrated and decided I wasn't gonna waste my time nor spend $10 more to book through SLH who seem incapable themselves of making a simple reservation! I called the Soniat House directly instead and booked with the absolute kindest and sweetest woman who was so extremely helpful, describing all of their suites in detail (bed size and type, views, noise, etc) and which ones she prefers. She told me that she was reserving the only Jr Suite with a private covered terrace facing the courtyard for me. She also asked whether I had her permission to upgrade us to a Grand Suite on arrival if possible and I of course said that it would be fantastic and genuinely appreciated.

Anyway, I'm so glad that I ended up calling the Soniat House directly and speaking with this person. It was so much more pleasant than the 2 full days that I spent going back and forth with different people at SLH. I strongly recommend that you call the property directly to book and ask as many questions as needed, they're really patient and helpful!

If anyone has any recent experiences, photos, advice or suggestions and anything else to add about the Soniat, I'd still really love to hear them. The property seems really interesting in that it looks to be run as a quasi b&b-inn slash hotel, sort of like the Rittenhouse in Philadelphia, I think. I'm really not sure what to expect but I haven't been to NOLA in years and I'm really excited for our upcoming trip!

Btw, has anyone been down over the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival, and if so, how bad are the crowds? The person that I spoke with at Soniat House told me that the city gets pretty crazy and everything gets booked up quick. She offered to help with early reservations and planning. ^

Last edited by OliverB; Jul 7, 2015 at 7:42 pm
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