First time in New Orleans - picking a Marriott, redeeming
 

Don't beat this newbie up. :) This is my first time redeeming hotel points for a free room! I've got the airline part down pretty good - 2 round trip tickets on Southwest from SAN to MSY during the busy thanksgiving travel season for just $22 in taxes and fees and 30,000 RR points. :)

I'm going to New Orleans for Thanksgiving, no family, just 4 days and 5 nights of leisure and fun away from it all with my partner. I'm figuring out which Marriott Hotel to stay at, and I have more questions then answers. I mean, the real me, wants to go big and stay at The Saint. I like those boutique, non-corporate looking places, but it's 140,000 points and I only have 82,000. Ahh.. 1st world problems. :) I could have him apply for a Marriott card or Ritz card and try to rush the spend in and combine points... BUT, we're technically not legally married, even though we live together and own a house together, so would Marriott allow us to combine points?

Alternatively, if my Chase UR points post before we travel I can book the hotel now and then transfer the points in when they post... But it seems to me like using a UR point for Marriott with such a low point value is a waste of the point.. Maybe not if it's creating a dream vacation, I just think I'd rather use those to stay in Hawaii or somewhere extravagant in Europe.

Lastly, there's always the option of staying outside of town for a few of the nights and only staying in the French Quarter area for some of the nights we are there. We aren't big partiers so it's not like we need to be able to stumble back to our hotel room drunk after reveling in the French Quarter. :) However, if we do that then we miss out on the 5th night free when redeeming awards.. but we can stay in a lovely little Courtyard in Materie for just 80,000 points. Then I could use my free cat4 certificate too, BUT it's a wash since the 5th night is free anyway I would negate that using the certificate.

What to do? Do we really want to be in downtown New Orleans the entire time anyway, or are there things to explore outside of the city that would make it worthwhile to stay in a lower category property? Or should I just double down and go for broke and do it? :)

I would stay in the New Orleans. You might want to take 1 day to visit plantations or swamps, but besides that, you'll want to be in the city, and not dealing with driving or long cab rides.

Two other ideas to consider.

The Courtyard Iberville is a cat6, so 120K for the 5th night free. It's located on the same city block as the Saint, around the back. I hate Courtyards, but this one is very atypical and non-corporate. It's an older building, and feels that way (in a good way). All (or most?) of the rooms are suites, with a separate sitting area and bedroom. And 20K fewer points to transfer in.

Or go even cheaper with the Residence Inn Downtown, cat5, 100K. Again, it's non-typical for the brand, as it's in several converted warehouse buildings. It's been a while since I stayed there. A bit off the beaten path, maybe a 10-20 minute walk to the French Quarter, but the points price can't be beat.

I don't really have an answer to your question, but wanted to suggest you check out the New Orleans family thread as there might be information there. Also to say that since it's a 3-day holiday in the US this weekend you might not get an answer until early next week.

Edited to add: looks like swag has some good advice!

Cheers.

did you see this thread?

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...d-threads.html

Go for broke and stay near the French Quarter.

Question: Will you have a car while you are there? If so, the Metairie location could possibly work as it has free parking. Metairie is otherwise a rather plain location (especially by New Orleans standards). Parking will be very expensive at the in-town locations. If you don't have a car, staying close in can make sense.

What to do outside the French Quarter? You can drive up the River Road and tour several old plantations. I found the art museum at City Park much better than expected. Since New Orleans is just above the water table, the cemeteries are all above-ground crypts and some of them offer tours. There are some excellent restaurants scattered around the city, but I should caution you that some neighborhoods can get pretty dicey at night.

To be perfectly honest, if this is your first trip I would stay intown and not get a car. There should be plenty to keep you amused while you are there and you could rent a car for a day trip to one (or more) of the above locations should you get the urge. One of the Canal St. properties would give you equally good access to the French Quarter and the Warehouse District, where there are some incredibly good restaurants.

Have fun! Laissez le bon temps rouler!

Regarding where to stay: I would not advise staying in Metairie. It's a little too far away from things. At minimum, you'll need a car (and that means fighting traffic and looking/paying for parking) or plan to spend a fortune on taxis.

Regarding UR points: save them for Hawaii or Europe. Or consider transferring to Hyatt where at least you'll get some decent value. Personally, though, I would not use them for New Orleans. It's a great, fun, vibrant city... but it doesn't offer upscale or boutique properties to justify using points the way I like to use points. I prefer to use points to book elaborate, luxury experiences that I couldn't otherwise afford. New Orleans is generally very affordable.

If you're looking for boutique on the level of The Saint for half the price, consider International House if Marriott properties are too pricey.

I would save my points on this trip and low ball bid a 4* in the French Quarter on Priceline. I would start at $70 per night.

Just a guess, but it looks like you might get the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel over those dates. Just a guess. If you do Priceline make sure you specify 4*-5* and make it specific to the French Quarter.

Taxis from the airport are fixed price the the French Quarter. Don't miss Pat O's. Enjoy your trip! ^

You guys rock on here, I love all the helpful posts to my question. After some careful consideration, I did decide that points would be a waste. When I saw that I could book a Marriott in Paris for the same number or points, or even the brand spanking new Marriott Courtyard in Manhattan next to central park, the light bulb went off in my head.. Waste of points, save them for something more extravagant.

That is also Bayou Classic weekend (which you may or may not already know). Attendance for the game/events that weekend have been declining so you might be able to get some good hotel rates. In the past I would have advised you to stay in the FQ for that weekend because traffic/parking/lines would be brutal and eat up a good chunk of your time. A lot depends on what you're into but you can easily get away with seeing New Orleans and not staying in the French quarter, but if the attendance trend continues on it's current pattern, the t/p/l shouldn't be too bad.

I was about to mention this. If you have a car, be aware that driving around the FQ will probably be a major pain on that Friday and Saturday. One of the teams usually stays at a Canal Street hotel. (The other usually is at the Hilton Riverside.) Even with the decreased attendance, I'd be wary about trying to get in/out, especially during Friday evening hours and the Saturday until the game.

(I'm speaking from experience. From some reason, I found myself stuck on Canal one Friday night before the Bayou Classic. Cars and busses were double- and triple-parked, and it must have taken me 30 minutes to drive from N. Peters to I-10.)