My husband and I stayed here for 2 evenings on a weekend get-away to New Orleans.

The ladies at check-in were delightful and we were thrilled to be upgraded to a king suite jacuzzi room (I had booked a king suite room). As a Hilton Gold member, we also received access to the concierge lounge.

Some of the best jazz we heard all trip was playing in the elevators at the hotel - such a nice touch.

Our room was on the 9th floor and was enormous. There was a large sitting area complete with work desk, refrigerator, coffee maker, couch, side chairs, and large screen TV. The bedroom area was also large and had plenty of drawer space for both of us. The bed was very comfortable. The sleep quality was fabulous - we never heard any street noise at night.

The bathroom had a large jacuzzi with a separate shower stall. I am a sucker for jacuzzis, and found this one to be exceptionally comfortable with a unique design. It would have been nice to have a little shelf to place our shampoo in the shower stall. There was also a makeup mirror and a large sink area.

The hotel itself is 3 blocks to the French Quarter - as others have said, close enough to make for a pleasant stroll, but far enough away to avoid the "ick" factor.

Since there have been several recent reviews about a room break in happening to a hapless group from Dubai, I would like to add that there is a large safe in the room. Don't be an idiot - use the safe. Having said that, on several occassions I left money and/or expensive jewelry out in the room (for short outings, like when we went to the gym) and never had anything go missing. We also had no problem when we checked our bags with the bell man for several hours after we checked out.

The fitness room was open 24/7 and offered 2 ellipticals, 3 treadmills, and a bike, along with lots of free weights and assorted other equipment. The machines were all in excellent shape. Along with water, cups, towels, and sanitizing wipes, they also provided fresh fruit and yummy granola bars in the fitness center.

We had breakfast one day at the concierge lounge. There were lots of hot selections (omlettes, breakfast egg rolls, pancakes), along with breads, cereals, and fruits. We were able to access the refrigerator whenever we wanted for soda and water, which was a great perk.

The concierges were wonderful providing suggestions for dining. We had lunch at Mothers - I enjoyed the Ferdi and my husband gave a thumbs up to the gumbo. We we went to Mother's mid-afternoon and I would not think it would be worthwhile to wait in line during peak hours. We had dinner at Luke's, the hotel restaurant. We both enjoyed the shrimp and grits and the escargot. The creme brulee was a little bit of a disappointment - it was cold and the carmelization did not work very well. Lunch at Huck Finns was our biggest disappointment. The catfish po'boy was almost flavorless, although my husband liked his mufellata (although it was a very small sandwich). Back to Luke's for happy hour (we heard other patrons call it the best happy hour in town, and it was). The oysters were fresh and you can't beat .50/each. The draft beer and cocktails were also half-price. Dinner at the Checkered Parrot on Royal Street was actually quite good for a family oriented restaurant. My black and blue cheeseburger was done perfectly, and I got a side of rice instead of french fries. The oyster po'boy was enormous and much better than the po'boy at Huck Finns. Finally, brunch at the Palace Cafe on Canal Street was easily the highlight of the trip. The bananas foster beignets were to die for, along with the gulf fish topped with poached eggs (and a helping of fresh crab meat). The eggs benedict were also delicious.

All in all, I can't imagine staying anywhere else in New Orleans than the Hilton on St. Charles - wonderful staff and location, along with a great atmosphere.