Fodor's Expert Review Le Méridien

This hip property includes a state-of-the-art fitness center, upscale contemporary decor inspired by the Crescent City, and a great restaurant. Guest rooms are equipped with 55-inch plasma TVs and other luxe amenities. Bathrooms feature rain showers and Cinq Mondes spa bath products. The lobby, wallpapered with a map showing the curvature of the Mississippi River, is the place to go for illy coffee and the hotel's signature éclair. To encourage guests to explore the city, each room comes with free passes to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and other cultural destinations.