Mr & Mrs Smith

International House Hotel

New Orleans, United States

Two blocks from the French Quarter in the sharply besuited corporate quarter, International House Hotel’s stately white-columned façade disquises the modern affair inside: plush, tufted seating, blonde hardwoods and pale marble. Boutique boudoirs are kitted out with custom headboards, chandelier-lit baths and rich damask fabrics.

Need to know

• Rooms 117, including four suites.
• Rates Double rooms from AU$135.94 ($129), excluding tax at 13 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional local city tax of $1.00 per room per night on check-out.
  The price shown represents the lowest nightly rate for a double room available at this hotel over the next 21 days. Any price conversions from the hotel's local currency ($129) have been conducted using today's exchange rates from xe.com.
• More details Rates exclude breakfast (US$10-US$15).
• Facilities Gym, spa and gardens. In rooms: free WiFi throughout, iPod dock, flatscreen TV, mini-fridge and Aveda bath products.
• Check-out Noon, but flexible, subject to availability and a fee of half the nightly rate. Earliest check-in, 4pm.
• Children Although the hotel welcomes families, it's not especially geared towards children. Babies are best catered for: cribs can be added to rooms free; the staff are happy to heat up food and milk.
• Also Swirling modern ceiling fans, which can be found in each room, are a welcome reprieve from the humidity. Candy, trail mix and cookies can be ordered from the front desk anytime.

Food and drink at International House Hotel

• Hotel restaurant Chef and entrepreneur Kenneth LaCour (who also owns Dakota restaurant) is behind Rambla’s flavor-packed fusion of Creole and Basque. Savoury small plates of smoked cornmeal encrusted Louisiana oysters, pork meatballs and steak frites with chimichurri and romesco sauces are must-trys. Be sure to get a bottle of French or Spanish wine from the carefully curated list. The open-plan dining room is lined with black and white photos of the city and communal tables. Exposed beams, naked lights and exposed pipes create a downtown-cool dining den.
• Dress code Keep it casual with linen legwear and easy, breezy tops.
• Top table Secluded but perfect for people-watching, the booths at the front are the prime perches.
• Last orders Breakfast is until 10am everyday; lunch is available 11.30am until 3pm everyday except Saturday and Sunday; on weekdays dinner is available until 11pm and midnight on weekends; no dinner service on Sunday. Drinks are concocted until 2am.
• Room service Breakfast is available from 7am to 9.30am everyday. Selections from Rambla’s menu including salads, sandwiches and desserts are available from 6pm to 10.30pm Monday through Thursday; and from 6pm to 11.30pm on Friday and Saturday nights.
• Hotel bar Sensual, low-lit and loungey Loa, opposite the lobby, is especially buzzy come the weekend. Add its name to your voodoo vocabulary: it means ‘divine spirits’ – apt, given the excellent array of indie-label liquors available. The smell of fresh herbs lingers in the air. Red and gold brocaded chairs and banquettes dot the lounge and tall, patinated wood candleholders add a reverential, churchy feel. Mixologist Alan Walters draws inspiration from the seasons when crafting his inventive cocktail menu. Try a Park and Fly: made with a blood orange, galangal and grapefruit-infused syrup shaken with anejo tequila and topped with sparkling wine.
  

International House Hotel 221 Camp Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130