Management was very unhelpful and rude. My family has stayed here for years and enjoyed the experience, until this visit. We were told at 10:30pm the night before check in that children under the age of 12 were not allowed. This would have been O.K. had this information been provided to us at the time we booked the room. Or if it was even on their website. They were adament about their policy, even after a different employee told us that kids under 12 had stayed there the week before. We spoke with the owner who could not have been more rude or unhelpful if she tried. They didn't even try to help us make other arangements. We told her that this attitude would cost her alot of money just from our family never staying there again and she could have cared less. These people need to get out of the service industry.

This is a late review for a stay last summer. After reading a bad review, I just had to put my two cents' worth in. I think this property is wonderful.

Arriving on a sweltering July day, my husband and I were escorted in by a gentleman (a word I do not use lightly) to the "office", which looks more like a sitting room or very nice home office. Here we were seated while the check-in process occurred. We were upgraded to a suite, a pleasant surprise which we had not requested. We found our suite to be upstairs with its own private entrance and veranda within the hotel. It was not glitzy, but elegant and peaceful. The bathroom was wonderful, with a lighted makeup mirror, a jetted tub and a private covered terrace with a table and chairs and plants. The courtyard was peaceful and very New Orleans. The sitting room for guests was beautiful, quiet and cool. The honor bar was very handy, though a bit expensive. The location suited us very well, as we preferred to be a short walk from the mayhem than rather in the midst of it. All in all, it felt like being a guest in a very nice, well-run home. Though my husband and I are, I hope, presentable, we are not moneyed and do not look it. We were treated as if we did. We did not find that having booked a small room at a discounted rate resulted in being treated any differently and in fact, as previously mentioned, were upgraded to a suite with a private veranda and treated like royalty. We'll be back!

There is a great sense of place at Soniat House. You won’t find all the amenities and service of a mainstream hotel, and it’s in need of refurbishing here and there, but it feels SO authentically New Orleans. The location, in a peaceful part of the French Quarter, is also a plus. We were there during Mardi Gras, in a first floor room facing the street, and it was bearable.
Guests are greeted by white-jacketed, soft-spoken older men. I had to listen very carefully to comprehend their deep Southern drawls. You enter through a shadowy passageway, into a verdant courtyard complete with fountain. This is particularly evocative at night when it’s all lit with white pillar candles: you almost feel that a swashbuckling, gentleman pirate is on your heels.
A small sitting room is filled with antiques, with an honor bar in one corner. The Front Desk is a small study with room for one or two always-gracious staff. Our room was spacious and high-ceilinged. It was furnished more like a 19th century salon than a 21st century bedroom. Very OK with us. We relished the authenticity and didn’t mind the 14”TV and only a little bit missed a proper desk. An alcove just fit a queen bed and two narrow stands. There was a ravishing mix of traditional and modern art, and thick, lush silk draperies. On the other hand, our dated and stained bathroom needed help. If it weren’t for the city’s Katrina issues, it would have been unacceptable. However, I feel sure it’s on management’s short soon-to-be fixed list.
I loved sitting in the courtyard for breakfast, but found the offerings whimpy for the price. You’d get pretty sick of biscuits if you stayed more than a couple of days. Also, sometimes it was difficult to get the attention of staff. There was generally just one person at the desk, and that person was frequently on the phone.
We loved being there, and would stay again. Another time, we’d request an upstairs room with a traditional wrought-iron balcony.

Beware in making your reservation. My fiance and I each called separately to book a three night stay during Jazz Festival. We were told which room they had available and we booked a room for our stay. We then book our non-refundable airline reservations. The next day we received our fax confirmation that had us staying 4 nights instead of 3. I called and was informed that they had a 4 night minimum during Jazz Festival. the reservations agent had not told either of us about the minimum, nor did their fax state that there was such a minimum. I tried to rearrange our schedule, but could not. Since the hotel had not mentioned this during our multiple calls reserving the room and we had paid for non-refundable airline tickets based our our converstion with their reservation agent, I hoped that they would waive the 4th night requirement and allow us to stay the 3 nights. They apologized for the "misunderstanding", but refused. I have heard that the hotel is beautiful, but I would never stay there or recommend it to anybody due to the way we were treated.