Historic Four-Star Hotel with Gilded Age Ambiance
With chandeliers imported from Czechoslovakia, hand-carved antiques, and cherubs on marble pedestals in the lobby, Le Pavillon Hotel in New Orleans surrounds its guests in elegance. But there’s hospitable warmth here as well. Each night at 10 p.m., the kitchen staff serves peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches, cold milk, and mugs full of hot chocolate in the lobby. This tradition started nearly 30 years ago when a traveler asked if the hotel had any late-night comfort foods that he always enjoyed with his daughter at home. The hotel met his request, and has made this homey touch available to all its guests ever since.
Le Pavillon's sales manager credits this type of service to the genuinely friendly attitude of its staff. One of the hotel’s buffet servers—known as Patty Cakes—sweetly greets every guest who enters the Crystal Room. Her charming personality even got her inserted into the upcoming film The Butler when it was filming onsite.
Built in 1907, the hotel landed on the National Register of Historic Places in the ‘90s, and for good reason. Its antique bar comes from a former Chicago hotel and dates back to 1880, and one of the hotel’s palace suites has a marble bathtub thought to have been owned by Napoleon Bonaparte. Those stepping into the hotel’s deluxe guest rooms will feel like they are entering another era, as the rooms feature hand-carved mahogany armoires, painted vignettes on the ceilings, and black marble vanities.
New Orleans: Vivid Local Color Defined by Generations-Old Culture
Le Pavillon is located in the heart of New Orleans, a short walk from the French Quarter and Bourbon Street. In the French Quarter, historical buildings with intricate wrought-iron balconies line the narrow streets. Just off Jackson Square, the legendary Café Du Monde serves beignets under heaping piles of powdered sugar, as well as cups of iced or steaming café au lait. Street musicians play on the north side of the square most evenings, and you’ll see the occasional street performer or occult spell peddler here as well.
Bourbon Street is a mecca for some, but nearby Frenchmen Street, just north of the Quarter, offers an authentic alternative. Small jazz and blues bars line the street, drawing locals with performers such as trumpeter Kermit Ruffins, known to out-of-towners for his recurring role on HBO's Treme.
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