Hyatt Centric French Quarter New Orleans: What to Expect

I chose to stay at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter New Orleans, mostly because the Hyatt Regency was fully booked out at the time, so there wasn’t much to evaluate. There are several other partner properties in the area but I like to cover the Hyatt branded hotels first when I visit a city.

What I didn’t realize until closer to my trip was that I would be in town during the annual French Quarter Festival. It was my first visit to New Orleans, and I found the location of this hotel to be great for being able to wander around everywhere. Yes, you’re right there next to rowdiness of Bourbon Street but kind of on the edge of it. I didn’t spend much time on Bourbon, but I did love this location.

I’ll be honest, I spent most of my time outside of the hotel, didn’t even have enough time to check out the gym. I stayed there literally to rest my head for a few hours between tours and walking around during French Quarter Fest.

There is so much electricity in the city that I had a hard time feeling restful, no fault to this hotel at all. I felt like the stay here was comfortable even though it was quite short.

What’s great about the Hyatt Centric French Quarter

Location

It’s so central to the French Quarter area that there are plenty of areas to walk to. I loved being here during French Quarter Fest, especially since many of the streets had barriers and only allowed pedestrians. I don’t imagine it would be easy to have gotten a ride, nor would it have been very fast to get one near these city blocks.

I had seen some chatter online about how loud it might be in the rooms, but I was upgraded to a courtyard/balcony room, and it faces the inside of the hotel courtyard and seems to be more protected from the sound. I never had a problem with noise, so maybe if that’s a concern to you, requesting a balcony room might be a good choice.

The Lobby

The décor and ambience of the lobby fits well with its surroundings. The bar is a comfortable place to have a drink and watch whatever game is on the screen. There are a few different areas where you could lounge around and meet up with people. A nice starting point for a fun night out.

Lobby and bar at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter in New Orleans

A few helpful tips before you stay at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter

- Getting a taxi from Louis Armstrong Airport (MSY) is a little different from some places in that you get a slip of paper from the person running the taxi rank and they assign a flat rate depending which part of the city that you’re going to.

- My taxi driver informed me that because of the French Quarter Fest, some of the roads might be closed off to traffic so he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to drop me off at the driveway of the property. He ended up being able to get me within one block and was super helpful in directing me where to go. Just keep in mind, with any parades or events like this it might impact your ability to reach certain parts of the city.

- The elevators are a little slow, not a big deal, just one of those quirks that some hotels have.

- Breakfast is probably the most underwhelming that I’ve seen for a Hyatt Centric, but that wasn’t really a problem for me. I knew that coming to New Orleans food was going to be a main event and I wasn’t going to be spending precious calories anywhere else than the list of eateries that I had saved on my phone to hit up.

- If you’re new to the city like I was, one of my favorite things that I did was to book a tour to visit Whitney Plantation to witness the historical context of the enslaved people who lived there. The caretaking of these important stories and the way they’re presented and preserved is remarkable.

The Whitney Plantation gift shop had an exceptionally curated selection of books for purchase. I came home with 3.

Is there a Globalist breakfast at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter?

Yes, there is a Globalist breakfast amenity. You’ll receive a voucher when you arrive and can use it in the café area next to the lobby. I chose not to eat there because I had an early tour, and I also knew that I’d be eating so many other meals that day.

What is the Globalist gift at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter?

I didn’t receive anything that this property. I haven’t yet figured out if the duration of my stay has anything to do with it, but it seems like there’s no real rhyme or reason to which category of Hyatt participates in this. It must be up to the discretion of management. It doesn’t bother me if I don’t get one though, the service is always great and the vouchers for drinks and meals feel like a treat already.

What is the gym like at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter?

There is a fitness center at this property but I didn’t have a chance to check it out on this stay. I was walking around so much all day. Much like when I stay at a place near Disneyland, I just know that I’m not getting a workout in at the hotel.

The only proof I had that there was in fact a fitness center at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter in New Orleans

Why stay at the Hyatt Centric French Quarter New Orleans?

The fact that Hyatt has a property that is so central and within walking distance to so many iconic parts of the city is pretty special. The property itself is one of the older feeling Hyatt Centric properties that I’ve stayed at, nothing to write home about. But it doesn’t really matter when you’re in one of the most vibrant cities in the world. You’re probably not spending much time in the hotel.