The Sheraton New Orleans Hotel commands a 49-story tower right on Canal Street, the grand boulevard that separates the French Quarter from the downtown business district. Its 1,110 rooms feature Sheraton Sweet Sleeper beds and floor-to-ceiling windows framing the river, the Quarter, or the skyline, while the lobby atrium — home to a George Rodrigue Blue Dog installation and a grand piano — opens onto the Pelican Bar's fountain-and-ironwork courtyard. Up top, a rooftop pool and sun deck look out over the city, and the 42nd-floor Sheraton Club Lounge serves continental breakfast and evening hors d'oeuvres above it all.

The location is pure New Orleans. Cross Canal Street and you're in the French Quarter, with Bourbon Street one block away and Jackson Square, the St. Louis Cathedral, and Cafe du Monde's beignets a short walk deeper in. The historic streetcar lines roll right past the front door toward the Garden District and St. Charles Avenue's oak-lined mansions, while Frenchmen Street's live jazz, the Audubon Aquarium, and the Mississippi riverfront are all within easy reach. Louis Armstrong International Airport sits about 15 miles west, roughly a 20-minute drive.