When I've gone in the past for conferences, I've usually stayed at the Marriott on Canal St. It is your basic conference hotel and worked well for me, but nothing to really wow you with. From a lot of the posts I've seen, the JW while a little better, isn't really heads and shoulders better. If you really want to wow the wife, then I'd probably try to make the RC work. It should be the most luxurious of all the Marriott/Starwood options in that area. Depending on your age, the W French Quarter might be an option, though I've read some conflicting reviews on it.