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Welcome to the Hotel Monteleone!
The front of the
Monteleone, a New Orleans tradiition.
As much a part of New Orleans as Jackson
Square, jazz and gumbo, the Hotel Monteleone stands tall as one of the
Cresent City's premier historic hotels.
Located on Royal Street, two blocks from Canal, it sure is royal.
Pronounced "mont e-le-own" it is a family-owned hotel that
was founded in 1886 by Antonio Monteleone, a shoemaker who had a shop
across the street and needed a place to put up his sales staff. Today
it maintains that historic feel but also mixes in modern conveniences.
 Start
with the grandfather clock from 1909 and wireless Internet in the lobby.
The Hunt Club restaurant with Monteleone's small wooden hunting boat
above the bar and Vegas-style amenities like a rooftop pool and spa.
Hugely popular with meetings and conventions – there are wireless
meeting and board rooms, in-house A/V and the Riverview banquet room
with a spectacular view of the Mississippi in a location that was once
a jazz club – the Hotel Monteleone is a destination within a desirable
destination city.
Still owned by the fourth generation of the Monteleone family, the
guest rooms range from spectacular suites – most named after authors
who stayed here, for the Monteleone is not only a historic but also
a literary landmark – to large corner rooms (called mini-suites)
to singles and doubles. Because of its historic roots, rooms are different
sizes. But they all feature a coffee maker with complimentary coffee,
a safe large enough for a laptop, plug-in Internet ($9.95 a day), marble
and granite bathrooms, plenty of plush towels, a robe, an iron and ironing
board and maids who don't start knocking on the door at sunrise, enabling
business travelers to get work done without being constantly disturbed.
The Faulkner Suite
(top), the luxurious Monteleone Suite and a standard single.
Its book background is everywhere. A display case in the lobby showcases
a writer, a "wall of fame" in a hallway to the parking garage
tells of the history and it hosts literary luncheons once a month featuring
readings by book writers ($30, with proceeds going to the New Orleans
Public Library). The famous guests include William Faulkner, Tennessee
Williams, Truman Capote, Winston Groom (Forrest Gump) and Steven
Ambrose (who was here attending a reunion of a group that eventually
led him to write Band of Brothers).
The Monteleone has two restaurants on site, the aforementioned Hunt
Room for fine dining and the more casual Le Cafe (6:30 a.m.-2
p.m, and it features a breakfast bar and for lunch a soup and salad
bar, plus menu selections).
When it comes time to play, the French
Quarter is just out the door and Bourbon Street is but
a block away (the Monteleone is between Iberville and Bienville).
 But
one doesn't even have to leave the lobby to experience one of New Orleans'
landmark lounges, the Carousel Piano Bar and Lounge. Like its
name implies, it has a carousel decor with a slowly rotating bar (once
per drink some say, if one takes 15 minutes to consume a cocktail).
It's a slow but not always smooth ride – the occasional shimmy
reminds people they are on a carousel, just enough to create a pleasant
childhood flashback. But then it's a quick focus back to the adult world.
Specialty drinks include the Goodie, a double-rum with orange and pineapple
juice and the Vieus Carre (rye, cognac and bitters). The cozy lounge
section attracts some of the area's finest musicians – especially
during JazzFest
– something that carries on a long-standing tradition. Liberace,
it seems, was the first person to tickle those ivory keyboards.
The hotel is also the host for the annual "Taste of the Cocktail"
a celebration of drink held each July. After all, this IS New Orleans.
The Hotel Montelone underwent a major renovation in November of 2004
and sustained some damage when Hurricane Katrina his in August of '05.
Today, though, the property is as impeccable as it was before the storm.
Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal Street.
600 rooms, 55 suites, 29 junior suites.. Room rates $169-399. Suites:
$350-500. Special spa, golf, Newe Year's Eve and other packages available.
(504) 533-3341. Fax: (504) 528-1019. Reservations: (800) 535-9595
Web site: www.HotelMonteleone.com
One of the Monteleone's
prime features is its rooftop pool.
PubClub's complete
city guide to New Orleans:
• Get ready for New Orleans with our Pre
Party Orientation Guide.
• To see all of the city, ride our virtual Party
Bus. It will take you on a guided tour of the city, its attractions,
restaurants and, of course, nightlife.
• Get a first-person perspective from The
Bartender; our man about town.
• Our bar guide – on and off Bourbon Street –is called
PubClubbing.
• New Orleans Bonus: Take a
New Orleans Tour aboard the St. Charles Street Car.
• There is a lot more to do in New Orleans than drink. Here's what
to do when not slamming drinks in Post
Party.
• Learn about and enjoy New Orleans' distinctive cuisine
in our dining
and restaurant guide.
• Soak up the sites of New Orleans with our
Photo
Journal.
 Step
aboard the Party Bus!
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