The Eliza Jane, the Hotel Review

Last December, we spent a few nights in New Orleans. This vibrant, historic city attracts many tourists yearly, and we decided to visit it right before Christmas. We hoped to combine exploring New Orleans’ attractions with diving into the Christmas spirit with festively decorated streets.

When looking for a place to stay, we quickly checked the Hyatt map of hotels in New Orleans so that we could book our stay on points. It appeared there are five Hyatt properties in the city, representing 5 Hyatt brands (or collections) – Hyatt House, Hyatt Place, Hyatt Centric, Hyatt Regency, and The Eliza Jane from the Unbound Collection. After some consideration, we decided upon the latter. Located on the Magazine Street, this boutique hotel is only a few minutes from the famous French Quarter.

Booking

The Eliza Jane is a Category 4 Hyatt hotel from the Unbound Collection that officially opened in 2018. We booked a Standard Room using only 12,000 Hyatt Points per night (for the off-peak nights). If you check the points Calendar on the Hyatt website, the Standard Night is 15k Hyatt Points, and peak nights are 18k Hyatt Points per night.

💡Good to Know

Since The Eliza Jane is a Category 4 Hyatt Hotel, you can redeem your Category 1-4 Free Night Certificate Award (which we did).

Here you can learn more about different ways of earning a Category 1-4 Free Night Certificate Award and redeeming it.

Check-in

The lobby of The Eliza Jane Hotel
The lobby of The Eliza Jane Hotel

Upon arrival, we were immediately greeted by the valet attendant, who took care of our luggage.

When you enter the hotel, you notice a stylishly decorated lobby that transforms into an open-concept lounge and bar area. Interestingly, this building used to be a bitters factory and a printing house. The hotel takes its name after Eliza Jane Nicholson – the first female editor of a major American newspaper; hence there are a lot of details with printing and publishing themes around the property.

The lobby of The Eliza Jane Hotel
The lobby of The Eliza Jane Hotel

The check-in concierge was incredibly friendly and helpful. Not only was he able to upgrade us to a Standard Suite, but he also confirmed whether we wanted a late 4 pm checkout and explained to us the complimentary breakfast credit at the restaurant onsite.

💡Good to Know

It’s worth noting that out of 196 rooms The Eliza Jane has, 50 of them are suites, so you have a bigger chance of getting a suite upgrade.

Unfortunately, we can not say the same about the checkout experience. We understand that it was the morning of Christmas Eve, and no one wanted to be at work that day, but the hotel had only one person behind the lobby counter who would grab his things and leave while people waited for him. He did not seem accommodating, and we were glad that this was not the day of our arrival.

Parking

The hotel had Valet parking for $45 plus tax overnight fee. The fee was waived for us as Globalists.

Globalist upgrade

We got upgraded to a 450 sq. ft. Two Queen Beds Interior Suite (a Standard Suite). The suite featured a bedroom with two Queen beds, a living room with a sleeper sofa, and a dining set. The only unusual thing about the room (which the concierge warned us about at check-in) was that the suite did not have windows. Well, technically, since it was the top floor, there was one tiny window in the bedroom, which was better than nothing 🤷🏻‍♀️.

We were not entirely sure how we felt about it; of course, we would have appreciated a view and some natural light, but the lack of windows did not bother us that much.

Two Queen Beds Interior Suite at The Eliza Jane
Two Queen Beds Interior Suite at The Eliza Jane
Two Queen Beds Interior Suite at The Eliza Jane
Two Queen Beds Interior Suite at The Eliza Jane

Nevertheless, it was a bigger space than a Standard Room, and we definitely needed it for our family of four. Zoe actually claimed the living room to herself (as we set up her crib there) and called it her room for the rest of the stay.

We loved that the room was quiet despite being just a short walk away from the French Quarter.

Bathroom

Bathroom at The Eliza Jane

The bathroom had one sink counter and a shower cabin.

Bathroom at The Eliza Jane
Bathroom at The Eliza Jane

Dining

The Eliza Jane had an onsite restaurant called Couvant that served breakfast, dinner, and a weekend brunch.

Couvant

Breakfast

💡Good to Know

At The Eliza Jane, you get a $25 per adult and $15 per kid daily credit towards Globalist complimentary breakfast.

Breakfast menu at Couvant
Breakfast menu at Couvant

We could not say that we liked the breakfast options here, although we tried everything from the menu. The girls were not impressed either, even with desserts.

Dinner, on the other hand, was a much better experience, and we really enjoyed it.

Pain Perdu at Couvant restaurant
Pain Perdu at Couvant restaurant
Croque Madame at Couvant restaurant
Croque Madame at Couvant restaurant

Dinner

Couvant offers a $88 5-course prix fixe menu, as well as the regular menu for dinner and we tried both options. We recommend trying the preset menu, as it allows you to try more dishes with smaller servings.

💡Good to Know

Couvant does not have a kid’s menu; there was only 1 item from the dinner menu that we could order for the girls – a roasted half chicken, which they happily devoured.

Roasted Heritage Chicken at Couvant
Roasted Heritage Chicken at Couvant
Butternut Squash Velouté at Couvant
Butternut Squash Velouté at Couvant
Fois Gras at Couvant
Fois Gras at Couvant

The Press Room

The Press Room at The Eliza Jane
The Press Room at The Eliza Jane

The Press Room is an open-concept and living-room style bar dedicated to Eliza Jane and The Daily Picayune newspaper. This area was absolutely gorgeous, cozy and stylish at the same time.

The brilliance of the floor plan was that the bar itself was right across from the lobby library lounge with the fireplace, where the girls could enjoy their favorite tv shows while parents had a moment for themselves at the bar.

The Press Room served cocktails and small bites. Small bites included a few appetizers and a gruyere cheeseburger, which was surprisingly really good!

Menu at The Press Room
Menu at The Press Room
Tête de Cochon at The Press Room
Tête de Cochon at The Press Room

Amenities

Garden Courtyard

Courtyard at The Eliza Jane
Courtyard at The Eliza Jane

The Courtyard was located in the center of the hotel and seemed like a very charming area with lounge chairs, lush green plants, and a fountain. Unfortunately, the weather did not permit us to enjoy this beautiful outdoor area, as the temperatures dropped to 20F while we were there.

Courtyard at The Eliza Jane
Courtyard at The Eliza Jane
Courtyard at The Eliza Jane
Courtyard at The Eliza Jane

24-hour fitness center

The Eliza Jane had a 24-hour fitness center that featured a Peloton bike, treadmills, weights, and ellipticals.

Area Attractions

When visiting New Orleans, you can’t miss exploring the French Quarter. Luckily, The Eliza Jane was within a short walking distance of the famous neighborhood.

You can read more about the things to do in New Orleans here.

On Points With Kids Summary

We paid 36,000 Hyatt Points and redeemed a Free Night Certificate Award for four nights at The Eliza Jane. The cash rate for four nights was $1,958.53 ($489.63 per night on average, including taxes and fees), which equals 4.08 cents per point, an outstanding value!

You can apply for the following credit cards to earn Hyatt points that can be redeemed at The Eliza Jane:

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