10 best New Orleans hotels: Pamper yourself at these swell sleeps

After its first opening was shut down by the pandemic, this gorgeous corner building in the Warehouse District reopened May 11,2021, named for Louisiana-born Canray Fontenot, an iconic Creole fiddle player. Clean and modern throughout, the hotel features whimsical art and a mix of wood, velvet and rattan furnishings that invite a sit down. The 202 guest rooms, accented in fetching shades of blue and pink, offer city views, spacious bathrooms and in-room amenities like yoga mats, Frette linens and bathrobes. Expect dynamite dining options at the Peacock Room and Gospel Coffee and Boozy Treats café and bar. At the bar, creative beverages include boozy milkshakes and frozen drinks at Gospel and in Peacock, everything from the classics to hard-to-find spirits, with an impressive collection of rum and Madeira and an emphasis on drinks that are light and floral. The Peacock room is drop dead gorgeous, with gilded cages, feathered birds and retro wallpaper creating an opulent jewel menagerie of prints and patterns.

This uber luxe 23-story landmark hotel in the Central Business District has long been the go-to spot for celebrities, athletes and corporate thought leaders. Still fresh off its stem to stern renovation the hotel has never looked better. Rooms feature Frette linens, oversized Molton Brown bath products, personalized turndown service, plush terry robes, iHome docking stations and flat screen HD TVs. Executive chef Vlad Kogan-Ahmadyarov presides over the Grill Room with its elegant modern cuisine. The Polo Club Lounge is a sophisticated live music venue sure to impress.

This former office building in the heart of downtown has been reimagined into one of the best sleeps in town. From its West Indies--style lobby to its well appointed spacious guest rooms enriched with local artwork, the Loews makes a body feel right at home. Poydras & Peters is the restaurant and bar concept, an American brasserie offering approachable and affordable modern fare, using fresh and locally sourced ingredients which reflect the dynamic landscape of New Orleans cuisine. Accessible to everything that counts, Loews is close to sporting events, the Riverwalk and of course just a stroll to Bourbon and Royal Streets. A ballroom and lap pool round out the amenities of this stellar hotel. Families take note: Loews Loves Families is the brand's family-friendly program focusing on kids of all ages, from infants to teens.

Hotel Monteleone on Royal Street emanates European luxury with 600 sprawling rooms, and boasts one of the highest inventories of suites (55) in town. The vibe throughout is retro-European, from the guest rooms' rich fabrics and marble bathrooms to the liveried doormen, and the 16-story building's distinctive Baroque façade. With its central location in the French Quarter, a few blocks from Canal St., Jackson Square and the River Walk, the Monteleone is an ideal home base for exploring the Crescent City in style. The hotel features a heated rooftop pool,fitness center and in-room dining. Ernest Hemingway made note of the Monteleone's famous Carousel Bar, a 25-seat, slowly circumnavigating lounge that features live music and great cocktails.

Hotel Saint Vincent is a winning combination of funky design and historic detail that is impossible to resist. The hotel is housed in an 1860s red brick building originally founded as The Saint Vincent's Infant Asylum by Irish immigrant and philanthropist Margaret Haughery. The orphanage was open into the 1970s, its notable iron filigree encased front porches and courtyards eventually sheltering unwed mothers. It was later used as a hostel and fell into disrepair until local developers partnered with Austin-based MML Hospitality for a $22.2 million redo. The 75-room hotel balances high style with a passionate embrace of architectural details. The property's original grand staircase and wide sweeping corridors remain intact, with local art commissioned to pay homage to the nuns who once lived on the fourth floor. Each room is different, notable for rich textures and colors –" think deep red mohair and salmon colored velvet curtains, along with floor to ceiling windows, antiques and custom furniture from Lambert McGuire Design. The bathrooms are the best, with their pink and salmon tile DS & Durga toiletries and trippy wallpaper. Many have private verandas. The hotels two restaurants, two bars and outside pool terrace all give the sense that something wonderful and unexpected is about to happen.

Although the Roosevelt is gorgeous year-round, during the holiday season it's especially breathtaking. From early December into the New Year, the vast marble lobby becomes a winter wonderland with 44 Christmas trees, 135,572 lights, 3,328 feet of winter branches 2,200 glass ornaments, and 698 hand tied bows. Defining luxury in the city since the early 1900s, the property is a cushy retreat, with 504 well appointed rooms and suites as well as an upmarket spa. Have a drink in the iconic Sazerac Bar, take a spin on the dance floor in the Fountain Lounge and plan for some Italian cuisine at Domenica Restaurant onsite.

The Ritz-Carlton name speaks for itself, and its New Orleans location is one of the brand's landmark properties. Located on Canal Street in a historic renovation of a pair of architectural landmarks: the Kress and Maison Blanche buildings, this Ritz drips class and elegance. The 25,000 square foot European style spa is a huge draw for both locals and visitors in need of pampering. Crooner Jeremy Davenport entertains at the Davenport Lounge, accessible from M Bistro, which allows the under 21 set to hear live music while munching on top shelf seasonal comfort fare. The club lounge is VIP heaven.

Located in the city's Warehouse District at 550 Baronne Street, this stunner of a property mixes a passion for food and beverage with music and culture that sets it squarely in the crosshairs of its host city. Within an easy stroll of the French Quarter, the 238-room hotel, which also boasts two penthouse suites, marks the fourth Virgin in the US, after Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas and Nashville. Across locations, the property's named public spaces and restaurants are in common, with the Commons Club, the brand's flagship restaurant, bar and lounge and the Funny Library the coffee shop. There's also a pool, bar and lounge. The spacious rooms are fresh and bright with local art, historical detailing and Art Deco-inspired elements Award-winning executive chef Alex Harrell is putting his creative contemporary spin on the restaurant's Southern seasonal cuisine with Mediterranean influences. In typical Virgin high style, the Shag Room is a lounge popping with color and local art. Expect wow throughout, because that's just how Virgin Hotels roll.

Imagine staying with a rich friend who is touring Europe but is generous enough to give you the key to her secluded French Quarter hideaway. That's what it feels like to stay in one of the seven recently refurbished Audubon Cottages, named for former resident, John James Audubon. If it's high end, uber private and intimate digs you seek, seek no more. Each cottage is unique, and among the many notable details you might find hardwood floors, separate living areas, dining tables and/or antique furnishings. Additional perks include complimentary breakfast, free Wi-Fi and a heated saltwater pool, as well valet parking at the nearby Dauphine Orleans Hotel.

The wows kick in as soon as you walk through the doors at the Four Seasons New Orleans, the famed luxury hotel which opened in 2021 at the foot of Canal Street facing the Mississippi River. That's because the first views are of a bar, fittingly in the city that claims to have invented the cocktail. But not just any bar, the Chandelier Bar across from the front desk, with its massive overhead light as art piece, dripping 15,000 twinkling Bohemian crystals above the u-shaped marble-topped bar bracketed by louvered wooden "shutters" that evoke one of the city's most iconic architectural element. Featuring a cocktail program from Hadi Ktiri, formerly of Arnaud's and Couvant, this gorgeous space transforms the 34 story World Trade Center tower into a hospitality bonbon outfitted with 341 rooms, 92 swank residences, a spa and curvy fifth floor rooftop pool, two locally flavored restaurants, Miss River from Alon Shaya and Chemin A La Mer, a heated pool and wrap around terraces with river views that cast a spell over the whole city.