The Troubadour Hotel New Orleans, Tapestry Collection by Hilton [In-Depth Review]

I visited The Troubadour Hotel New Orleans with my family in January 2024. We stayed just a single night as a rest stop on our road trip home from Orlando to the Houston area, but spending the night at this hotel made it feel like we tacked on an extra vacation. Although we went a bit out of our way to stay here, it was absolutely worth it for the value and the great experience we had at this hotel.

Read on to see more about this stylish boutique hotel with a rooftop bar in downtown New Orleans.

Location

The Troubadour Hotel New Orleans is on Gravier Street in New Orleans’ Central Business District (CBD). Less than half a mile from Bourbon Street and just under a mile away from the French Quarter, this hotel is in a great location to enjoy some of the highlights of the Big Easy. It’s also a half mile from Caesars Superdome and a quarter mile from Tulane Medical Center.

The Troubadour Hotel New Orleans was a perfect place to stay before we set out for the French Quarter. It was particularly fitting to visit the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park and the French Quarter Visitor Center of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve the next day!

Getting There

We stopped off in New Orleans on our road trip home from Orlando. Our route was supposed to bypass New Orleans, but we couldn’t resist visiting since we were driving so close by. From Orlando, it took us about 9 hours by car to reach The Troubadour Hotel New Orleans, including a stretch on the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway, the longest continuous bridge over water in the world. The next day, it took another 6 hours to get home to the Houston area.

If you’re arriving by plane, The Troubadour Hotel New Orleans is about a 20-minute hop down I-10 by car from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY). The RTA 202 Airport Express runs to and from the airport, stopping at the New Orleans Public Library main branch just around the corner from The Troubadour Hotel New Orleans — and the one-way fare is only $1.25.

Booking

We could have stayed at a hotel much closer to our route along I-12 and I-10 to minimize our travel time, but we decided it would be more fun to stay in the heart of New Orleans to spend the morning visiting the French Quarter before we headed home.

We were spoiled for choice staying in New Orleans on a January Thursday night. Just in the Hilton portfolio, there were easily a dozen downtown-area hotels around $100 to $150 per night when we visited. I opted for The Troubadour Hotel New Orleans because it had an amazing nightly rate of $90, and it’s a boutique hotel that’s part of the Tapestry Collection. I figured we should do it in style if we were staying in New Orleans.

Cost

With taxes and fees, my total cost for the room came out to $106.51, an absolute steal. For such a low rate, I’d half expect to share my room with roaches, not stay in a downtown boutique hotel, but the bargain was real, and the hotel was lovely (with no pest sightings).

As a Hilton Honors Diamond elite member, my $30 food and beverage credit sweetened the deal. We spent $33.85 for 2 drinks at the rooftop bar, Ingenue, adding just $3.85 to my final bill after my credit. All in, I paid $110.36 for our stay, including signature cocktails at the rooftop bar. Coffee in the morning was free, too!

I couldn’t be happier with the price I paid for this stay. Room rates of about $100 or less are typical on January weeknights for this hotel. However, nightly rates depend on the day, and you should expect to pay more on weekends or on high-traffic days such as Mardi Gras when room rates are in the $300 range.

Points

Though I paid so little, I still earned points from this stay. I earned 947 base points, a 947 Diamond elite bonus, and a 1,000-point Diamond MyWay bonus. I paid for this stay with my Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card, which earns 12x points on Hilton purchases and will earn me another 1,136 points once my statement closes. That brings my total earnings for this stay to 4,030 points. We value Hilton Honors points at 0.5 cents per point, so I earned about $20 worth of points back from this stay.

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Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card

An excellent high-earning Hilton credit card that comes with perks like Hilton Honors Gold status and up to $200 in Hilton credits every year.

Welcome Offer

Earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.

165,000 points

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$825

Annual Fee

$150

APR

20.24%-29.24% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

If you’re someone who loves traveling and loves staying in Hilton hotels, adding a co-branded Hilton hotel card to your wallet is almost a no-brainer. From automatic Hilton elite status to up to $200 in Hilton credits every year, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card can be a great fit for Hilton loyalists looking to up their travel game.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 12x points per $1 at Hilton hotels
• 6x points per $1 at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations, and U.S. restaurants
• 4x points per $1 at U.S. online retail purchases

Cons

• Annual fee of $150 (rates & fees)

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Card Highlights

• Earn 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 1/8/2025.
• Get up to $200 back each year on eligible Hilton purchases after you use your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card.
• Earn 12X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio.
• Earn 6X Points for each dollar of purchases on your Card at U.S. restaurants, at U.S. supermarkets, and at U.S. gas stations.
• Earn 4X Points for each dollar on U.S. Online Retail Purchases.
• Earn 3X Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card.
• Earn a Free Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
• Enjoy complimentary Hilton Honors ™ Gold Status with your Hilton Honors American Express Surpass^® Card.
• Spend $40,000 on eligible purchases on your Card in a calendar year and you can earn Hilton Honors™ Diamond Status through the end of the next calendar year.
• Enjoy complimentary National Car Rental^® Emerald Club Executive^® status. Enrollment in the complimentary Emerald Club^® program is required. Terms apply.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
• $150 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.24%-29.24% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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Bottom Line:

If you’re doing the math, my $110 bill minus the value of my $30 credit and $20 worth of points boiled down to an actual cost closer to $60. I’m ready for another bargain trip to the Big Easy!

Checking In

We arrived in the early evening and parked in the self-parking lot across the street from the hotel. The entrance is on Gravier Street, and despite the CBD location, it never felt very busy. We had no issues walking straight from the lot to the front steps.

When I walked in, the front desk was off to the left side of the front door. It was a blue-lit room with a lobby market directly across from it.

My check-in experience was cordial and lightning-fast. I’d bet it was under a minute, though not rushed or rude — just efficient. The front desk agent thanked me for my Diamond status, confirmed I’d prepaid and wanted to use my card on file for incidentals, and then handed me my room keys. He also informed me of my $30 food and beverage credit, which was good in the hotel’s restaurant, The Listening Room, or the rooftop bar, Ingenue.

Elite Benefits

As a Hilton Honors Diamond member staying at a Tapestry Collection by Hilton hotel, my elite benefits included:

• Space-available upgrades
• 1,000 bonus points
• $15 daily food and beverage credit for me and another guest ($30 total)

The front desk agent didn’t mention an upgrade, but our room was on the 12th floor (of 17 total, counting the rooftop bar) and had an excellent view. Maybe it was the luck of the draw, maybe it was an upgrade. Either way, I didn’t need to be told about my $30 credit twice before we practically ran up to the rooftop bar to use it.

The Lobby

The lobby was fairly small but full of style, from the impressive 2-story entry with gold-toned wooden planks to the logoed spotlight on the floor and guitars on the wall.

It was a straight shot from the front door to the elevators, where 3 elevators took us to our room on the 12th floor. I’d read reviews before our stay complaining about non-working or slow elevators, but we didn’t experience any trouble getting to the hotel’s various floors.

Dramatic lighting continued into this corridor, and there was a full coffee station here in the morning. It was convenient for bringing coffee to our room and refilling on our way out the door.

Hot Tip:

This elevator coffee station had a much better brew than the K-Cups in our room.

Past the front desk and to the left of the elevators was a hallway leading to lobby restrooms. A window offered a peek into the musically-named lobby market, Penny Lane, which featured gumball decor and lots of candy.

Artistic lighting continued into the guestroom hallways.

Amenities

As a downtown boutique hotel, The Troubadour Hotel New Orleans didn’t have a pool or spa but had a fitness center and event space larger than the hotel’s small footprint would suggest.

Fitness Center

The fitness center was a large, open room available 24 hours a day and accessible by key card.

It featured a strength training station, balance balls, and a Peloton bike. Fresh towels and a TV were nearby.

A weight bench, rack, and medicine balls were on the other side.

Along the back wall was the cardio equipment: a couple of treadmills and ellipticals.

Near the door was a small glass door refrigerator containing bottled water available to guests.

Parking

Parking was the only thing that wasn’t fantastic about this hotel. The Troubadour Hotel New Orleans didn’t offer self-parking, only valet for $46 per night with in-and-out privileges.

Additional rate options were available, including a $20 added charge for late checkouts, a daily rate, and a validated restaurant rate.

We arrived with our vehicle loaded up from a road trip and were wary of leaving items in the car to tempt would-be thieves. The parking lot had signs advising us to lock our vehicle and remove or store items out of view. I wasn’t keen to embarrass myself with a valet laboriously unpacking all our junk in the trunk, so we avoided the valet option.

Instead, we parked at an independent lot directly across the street for $30. That turned out for the best, as we were parked right next to valeted cars and in direct view of the valet and well-trafficked front door, alleviating theft concerns. Later, we noticed gates to the parking lot closed and locked sometime around 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., an added security measure that meant we might not have needed to unpack everything after all.

Hot Tip:

You can self-park in the same lot as the hotel’s valet service for $30 instead of $46, but you’ll need to pay at the station instead of billing it to your room. Rates may vary depending on events and demand.

Event Space

A large event space was on the second floor, just up the stairs from the lobby. It featured a bar, extensive seating, 2 meeting rooms, and a city view. It seemed geared toward business meetings, which makes sense given the hotel’s location, but it was stylish enough for a social event.

On the second floor, the view wasn’t as impressive as on higher floors, but it was still nice, with floor-to-ceiling windows in the bar and lounge area.

Next to the bar was an additional lounge area.

Both event rooms were combined and set up for a meeting.

This floor had its own set of restrooms.

There was also an ATM just outside of the meeting rooms.

The walls featured photographs and art depicting musicians and characters.

These stairs behind the bar led down to the lobby. Elevators were next to the stairs.

Wi-Fi

I didn’t use or test the Wi-Fi, but it was free to all guests.

The Room

I booked a room with 2 queen beds, perfect for our night’s stay. The black-and-white contrasts with gold tones, art, and a great view made this a comfortable and stylish room, exactly what I’d expect from a boutique hotel. But nothing made me happier than the spacious bathroom I had not expected.

The queen-size beds were perfectly comfortable, with all-white linens and plenty of pillows. The entire wall the beds were on was lined with a wood and denim headboard, and each side of the bed had a lamp with an outlet available.

Traveling as a family of 5, we had 2 kids in a bed and a third on a cot. The space between the beds was a little too tight for our cot, so we put it near the entryway closet area with enough room.

The room had floor-to-ceiling windows with sheer and blackout curtains, so we could see the city lights or block them out entirely.

A nightstand shelf was between the beds. Each lamp had attached power outlets with regular and USB plugs.

The bathroom was to the left at the room’s entryway, and this open closet was to the right. It featured a high shelf with 2 long hooks and hangers underneath it. Below was a bench that doubled as a low shelf with a large drawer and a safe underneath. There was also an outlet available in this space.

Inside the drawer was a steamer, a more compact option for de-wrinkling clothes than an iron and ironing board.

Beyond the closet was a long desk. This space featured an artistic lamp, mirror, phone, desk chair, and TV. There was no dresser in this room, just the closet area with a single large drawer. This setup was fine for a night, but I’d probably want more storage options if we stayed longer.

At the end of the desk was an attached gold-toned shelving unit with a coffee maker, water, ice bucket, and refrigerator.

The water bottles were waiting for us here in the room rather than offered at the front desk. The Keurig coffee maker was convenient, but there was only 1 regular coffee pod. The rest were decaf or tea. With free coffee downstairs, we didn’t bother using these, though we did use the creamers because there was only powdered creamer at the elevator coffee station.

The refrigerator was a small cube with a bottle opener on the side.

In the entryway was a full-length mirror and a large sliding door for the bathroom.

The room featured a lit sign in the entryway above the mirror.

Staying downtown, I expected to encounter some noise. However, our room was primarily quiet, avoiding street noise and noise from other guests for a very restful night.

Bathroom

After spending a week in a cabin with a tiny bathroom, I practically squealed with delight when I saw this expansive bathroom with a huge walk-in shower.

The best bathroom feature was the striped-tile shower that was practically big enough to dance in.

The water was hot with good pressure, and the rainfall showerhead was perfect. There wasn’t a lot of shelf space, but we didn’t need much as the amenities were provided.

The amenities were Lockwood brand shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, all rosemary geranium scented. These worked great and smelled even better.

The bathroom was mainly lit by the globes surrounding the mirror. With gold-toned fixtures, this sink was reminiscent of a dressing room.

The counter featured ample space for the toiletries we brought and a deep sink. Amber-toned containers held tissues, cotton swabs, and soap.

Even the toilet paper was a little extra, featuring a rose shape at the start of the roll.

The View

On the 12th floor, we liked our view of downtown New Orleans, including murals. We could even see our vehicle from our room!

Food and Beverage

The Troubadour Hotel New Orleans has 2 dining options: The Listening Room restaurant next to the lobby and Ingenue, a rooftop bar.

In the morning, we found a coffee station featuring local coffee from Abita Roasting Company at the lobby elevators. This coffee was far superior to in-room K-Cups!

The Listening Room

The Listening Room is The Troubadour Hotel’s main restaurant, featuring a bar and indoor and outdoor seating. It’s open for breakfast daily from 6:30 to 11:30 a.m. and for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. most days, closing at 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

It has a separate entrance for non-guests, but guests can access the restaurant from the hotel lobby.

Neon lights, velvet chairs, and large windows overlooking the street make the restaurant’s lounge seating a comfortable spot just off the lobby.

The bar area has more traditional seating with tables and chairs.

The breakfast menu features avocado toast, a build-your-own omelet, chicken and waffles, and a New Orleans favorite: beignets.

More New Orleans classics are on the dinner menu, including oysters, gumbo, crawfish bread, red beans and rice, and étouffée. Beignets are available for dessert, too.

A blackboard leading to the restaurant offered a tempting chef’s special: a New Orleans sampler of gumbo, red beans, and crawfish étouffée.

Ingenue

With plans to hit the famed Café du Monde for beignets and café au lait in the morning, we skipped breakfast and used my $30 food and beverage credit on a nightcap at Ingenue, the hotel’s rooftop bar.

Ingenue is open Sunday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.

The entrance to Ingenue hinted at how fabulous it would be, with a leopard-print carpet and a corridor lined with feathers, greenery, and gold mirrors.

Inside, we found a full cocktail bar with plenty of seating and 2 bartenders making drinks.

The featured cocktail menu had drinks perfect for cooling down on warm New Orleans nights, including a cognac margarita.

My husband got the White Peach Lemondrop, garnished with a lemon slice and sugar on the rim, which was as sweet and lemony as it should be. I opted for the Ingenue, a gin cocktail with elderflower and lemon. When my husband got our drinks, the bartender asked if my drink was for a woman and added a flower garnish when he said yes.

We enjoyed both of these drinks. Although it wasn’t a typical hot New Orleans night on our January visit, I can imagine how refreshing these cocktails can be when the temperatures climb.

When we visited, most of the windows were closed, as it was a chilly night, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the views. We found high-top and lounge seating on the busier side of the bar.

We opted for this patio furniture couch with a couple of pink-hued tropical cushions.

The view from the rooftop bar was nice, and we could see completely around all sides of the hotel, depending on where we looked from. On one of the sides, we could see buildings already lit up for Mardi Gras.

Another angle offered views of downtown, murals, and the Caesars Superdome.

Another end of the bar was unoccupied and offered views of the Tulane Medical Center and surrounding areas.

Even on the way out, the rooftop bar elevator entrance offered a last bit of fun with this huge queen loveseat perfect for photos.

Bottom Line:

The rooftop bar was great for spending my food and beverage credit and enjoying New Orleans night views.

Service

The Troubadour Hotel didn’t have a lot of staff milling around, but staff members were available and helpful when we needed them — exactly the kind of service I prefer.

I was impressed by how efficiently and politely I was checked in, and the bartenders at the rooftop bar offered the same prompt and efficient service with drinks we enjoyed. We encountered another staff member as I took photos of the restaurant after it closed, and she warmly encouraged us to come down for breakfast.

We felt cared for by The Troubadour Hotel New Orleans staff, and our needs were met.

Final Thoughts

This delightful boutique hotel certainly enhanced our enjoyment of New Orleans, and I’m so glad we went out of our way to stay here rather than sticking to what was near the interstate.

The music-themed style, comfortable beds, roomy bathroom, and rooftop bar made this a memorable night’s stay. It was a great welcome before we set off to enjoy more of the city and head home. And with the price we paid, the value was unbeatable.

We enjoyed our stay at The Troubadour Hotel New Orleans, and I’ve tempted some friends to join me on a return trip to this hotel soon!