The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans: Historic 1908 Beaux Arts landmark on Canal Street in the French Quarter with live jazz at Davenport Lounge and 25,000 sq ft spa

Commanding a grand position on Canal Street at the edge of the historic French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana, The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans opened in October 2000 within the landmark 1908 Beaux Arts Maison Blanche building. Holding AAA Four Diamond honors, the 527-room hotel is steeped in authentic Crescent City soul. Featuring live nightly jazz performances by resident master trumpeter Jeremy Davenport in the Davenport Lounge, farm-to-table Louisiana Creole dining at M Bistro, an expansive 25,000-square-foot luxury spa (the largest spa in New Orleans), and a tranquil lush French Quarter courtyard with a stone fountain, The Ritz-Carlton is New Orleans’ premier grand hotel.

Arrival introduces travelers to sultry Southern French Quarter hospitality: personal hosts greet guests beneath crystal chandeliers in the third-floor reception lobby with chilled sazeracs or fresh mint juleps. Day-one logistics focus on coordinating bespoke New Orleans musical, cultural, and culinary pursuits: walking directly into the French Quarter to explore historic Bourbon Street, Royal Street antique galleries, and Jackson Square (5 minutes on foot), cruising the Mississippi River on a historic paddlewheel steamboat, touring the Garden District via the historic St. Charles Avenue streetcar (stops right outside), listening to live jazz in the Davenport Lounge, indulging in Voodoo-inspired wellness at the 25,000 sq ft spa, and reserving dinner at M Bistro.

Hotel living balances vibrant New Orleans music with expansive wellness: the 25,000-square-foot Ritz-Carlton Spa features 22 treatment rooms, herbal steam rooms, saunas, and signature therapies utilizing local Louisiana sugarcane, magnolia blossom, and sea salt. Dining is exceptional: M Bistro presents refined farm-to-table Louisiana Creole gastronomy (featuring gumbo, crawfish bisque, and Gulf seafood), live jazz and craft cocktails at the Davenport Lounge, and morning beignets and café au lait in the French Quarter courtyard.

Accommodations comprise 527 rooms and luxury suites (including exclusive Maison Blanche Club Level rooms) ranging from 40 to 260 square metres. Each room features classic Southern residential decor, custom damask fabrics, private views of Canal Street or the French Quarter, plush king beds, and marble bathrooms with deep soaking tubs.

Music lovers, history buffs, and luxury travelers seeking 1908 French Quarter heritage, live Jeremy Davenport jazz, and a 25,000 sq ft spa in New Orleans should book The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans without hesitation. Travelers seeking generic suburban motels should look elsewhere. Grounded review consensus confirms legendary standing with a 4.7 out of 5 on Tripadvisor across 4,200 reviews and a 4.6 out of 5 on Google across 5,100 reviews.