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).
Check-in
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 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.
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
The bathroom had one sink counter and a shower cabin.
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.
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.
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.
The Press Room
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!
Amenities
Garden Courtyard
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.
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:
- Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card application
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card application (Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to the World of Hyatt program)
