Hey Marissa, As you mentioned, the courtyard walls are built in such a way that they really do block out any outside noise. Some guest say it is like coming into an oasis away from the French quarter bustle. Of course the street side rooms are great for checking out the action and people watching, but those very same people can sometimes make a bit of noise, so the interior rooms are better for any super light sleepers. Any guest can just call and let us know whichever they prefer. Sounds like whichever room ya'll had was the perfect fit, and that makes us happy as well. Thanks for the nice review, Jim

Hi Shannon, Interesting that you said that the "hospitality" was impeccable. Of course "service" is always important, but that is actually different than hospitality. We believe that without hospitality, everything else, no matter how good, is still just bland and sometimes even sterile. So we are thrilled that you noted it. It was a pleasure to have ya'll with us, Jim

Hi Cree, Glad ya'll had a good time in New Orleans. I'll pass on your compliments to John. He is a foodie, and so is a great source of info and good advice for restaurants, and as you know, we love to talk food and music here in New Orleans. Also glad you snagged a free upgrade on your room, you lucky dogs...don't we all love it when that happens. Actually we try to give guest upgrades anytime it is possible. We are often full, but if not we are more than glad to do it. Hope to see ya'll over at the pool, hurricanes in hand, sometime again. Until then, Jim

Hi Lilien, We're happy that you enjoyed the Olivier House. As travelers ourselves, we know how nice it is to stay at a place that you find to be beautiful. Always great to have an experience that just makes you happy to be alive....Travel is the only thing in which you can spend money to go home richer. We sure hope you did, Jim

Hey Trish, Great to hear that you found the staff to be amazing. Our believe is that no matter how beautiful or well located a hotel is, it can never be a great hotel without a staff of people who are sincerely and authentically just nice people. So your review really pleased us, Thanks, and hope to see ya'll again sometime soon, Jim

Hi Allison, Glad that ya'll had a good time. Since you mentioned the 4 buildings, I thought you might like a little Olivier House 101 history about them. Here goes; the main part of the hotel is of course the house built by the Olivier family in 1839. The architect was the famed J.N.B. DePoully who also worked on the St. Louis Cathedral here in New Orleans on Jackson Square. The building with the secret courtyard was built in 1821, the little Creole cottage was built in 1812 and the Petite Maison was built in the late 1700's and is actually one of the oldest buildings in the entire French Quarter. Since you like classic old places, I might recommend that next time you're here that you ask the front desk if the old kitchen, stables, or carriage house is open so ya'll can look at any of those rooms. They really give one a sense of walking back in time. Thanks for your review, Jim

Hi Reade, for a man of few words, the ones you chose sure are our day. We’re happy you had a great stay and hope to see ya’ll again sometime, Jim

Hey Lorraine, It was sure a pleasure to have ya’ll with us for a few days. We are fortunate that most all of our guest are fun loving and nice people. Our job is to help guest have the best experience possible and our nice guest sure motivate us every day to want to do that. We appreciate ya’ll choosing to stay with us while you were in the Big Easy, Thanks, Jim

Hi Crystal, Glad you found the Olivier House to be nice, but we are sorry if your coffee pot didn’t work. Next time you are with us, please know that we keep extra of every item in every room, so if something is not working, just let us know and we will replace it immediately. Thanks for your review, Jim

Hi Michelle, thanks for staying with us and fir taking the time to leave a rating, Jim

Hey Chelsea, We have a lot of guest that return back to the Olivier House, but for someone as young as you are, you have racked up a pretty impressive number of stays. We sincerely appreciate it. Speaking of your age this year on your birthday, that is just about the perfect age. You're old enough to recognize your mistakes but young enough to make a few more! Thanks again for coming to visit so often, it is a pleasure to have you every time. See you soon Birthday Girl, Jim

Hey James, It has been said that jobs fill our pockets, but good travel and adventure fill our souls. We hope you went home filled to the brim. Thanks for your perfect 5 out of 5 rating of the Olivier House. Hope to see you again sometime, Jim

Hi Mark, Thanks for the perfect 5 out of 5 rating. As for not leaving any comments, no worries, we don't mind a bit. The reviews that we are wary of are the ones that begin with the sentence, " just a few words"... Thanks for staying with us and hope to see you again, Jim

Hey Joseph, nice to see that you found the Olivier House to be peaceful and quiet. I enjoyed your interesting description of the building be "of a certain age". Just for fun, here is a quick rundown of the history. The Olivier family built it in 1839 at a cost of what would be about 8 million dollars in todays money. So, one can see that they were a pretty wealthy family. Also interesting to note how much further a dollar would go in those days as it has cost more than that just to do the recent restoration that we are just finishing. Ah....the good ol' days when a dollar was still a dollar. Anyway, we are glad ya'll enjoyed the hotel and, speaking of dollars, hope that you feel you got good value for your money. Thanks for staying with us, Jim

Hi Marie, Great to see ya'll found the Olivier House charming. We think it is the most charming hotel in the city....but...we might be just a tad bit bias! As for the hotel being quiet even though it's close to Bourbon street, we hear that very often. One would think it would be noisy, but the way the courtyards walls are built it does keep the noise out very well. Of course the rooms on the street side can sometimes pick up a bit more noise so we recommend interior rooms for anyone who likes it super quiet. Anyway, glad ya'll enjoyed yourselves and we hope to see ya'll again sometime, Jim

Hi Nicole, Glad that you liked the Olivier House and had a good time. We usually get reviews stating how quiet the hotel is, so I do wish you had told us if you felt your room was too noisy, as we would have gladly moved ya'll to another room. As for the musty smell, I am a bit puzzled, except to say that all of the city can have a bit of a musty smell in the spring, it is built on a swamp, however it would be odd for a room to have that smell as the a/c system would filter out any outside odors. I do apologize if your room had any musty smell at all, and again I wish you had let us know. We are more than glad to give a guest another room for any reason they wish. We want every guest to have the best trip possible and so we are more than happy to let guest look at more than one room, if others are available, and let them choose which one they like best or to move rooms during their stay if they wish. Thanks for staying with us for a few days and hope to see ya'll again, Jim

Hi Sean, We're so happy you liked the Olivier House, and thanks you for bragging on us. Grandma always said we were just perfect...bless our little hearts! And yours for writing your nice review. It was a pleasure to have ya'll with us and we hope you come back to see us again sometime, Jim

Hi Victoria, Thanks for the 5 out of 5 rating. We're glad you felt the Olivier House merited it. Thanks for taking the time to post it, Jim

Hi Victoria, Since you mentioned the architecture of the Olivier House, I thought I'd give you a little history of it so you might enjoy it even more on your Jazz Fest visit. Room 106 behind the main courtyard were the stables, behind that, was the carriage house, and room 105 on the courtyard was the kitchen. Past the breezeway leading to the swimming pool was the "cave a vin" where wine was stored. At the time of Madame Olivier's death there were over 600 bottles stored there. The architect of the house was the famed frenchman J.N.B. DuPouilly. We like to think it was his MOST impressive building....well, of course he did also work on a "tiny" job on Jackson Square called the Saint Louis Cathedral....ok....we suppose that is a nice building also...if your into that sort of thing! Hope your next visit is even more fun than your first. Until then, Jim

Hey Cara, Your description of the Olivier House being "quirky in a lovely way" was interesting, because I think those were the same words my friend used to describe me to my future wife before he arranged a blind date for us...well, I'm sure that my wife would at least agree with you about the Olivier House. In seriousness, we are delighted that it made you feel like a part of old New Orleans. That is the very essence of good travel, and to take that home with you is priceless! So glad you had that experience and we hope that ya'll come back to see us again sometime. Until then, Jim

Hi Karl, I was intrigued by your comment saying that "all the charm and history was left in this place." You are exactly right. As you probably know we are just finishing a multi year restoration of the Olivier House. It is the most complete restoration ever done in it's nearly 200 year history. However, we were very careful not to change or "fix" anything that would take away from the authentic feel of the building. 200 years of people touching handrails, window sills, walking on hardwood floors, turning doorknobs, etc and the worn places it leaves is what gives a place it's soul and character. Newer is not always better. Certainly not when it takes away the history of a place. We did add all the modern conveniences in, but we always tried to do it it a way that is unintrusive to the original feel of the Olivier House. It was so important to us to get that right, so your review really makes our day! It was sure nice to have ya'll with us because we love sharing this classic place with people like you. That is what makes it fun for us to work here. Thanks for your nice review and hope to see ya'll around, Jim

Hi Connie, We try to only hire staff that are genuinely nice people in their everyday life. We can teach a new staff member many things, but if a person is not sincerely nice, we cannot make them so. Iron ore cannot be educated into gold and a person cannot be "taught" to be nice...well, maybe in the fake like corporate hotel kind of way, but really that is just not good enough. At least we don't think so, and we're glad you don't either. Thanks for the nice compliment which I will be sure to pass along to everyone. Thank you also for staying with us. It was our pleasure to have you, Jim

Hi Kerry, For a man of few words, the ones you chose made us happy. We're delighted you had a good time, Jim

Hi E.V., Glad you enjoyed the Olivier House. As for your pondering and perturbations concerning your inebriated return, I might suggest asking for a ground floor room on your next stay. As most of our guest return back in a sober state, this is not usually much of a concern for them. However we did have one guest get arrested recently because he had left his car at the bar and taken a bus back to the hotel. As it turned out, he was in no condition to drive that either! Glad you had a good time in New Orleans, Jim

Hi Mark, thanks for staying with us, and for taking the time to post a rating, Jim

Hi Stephen, The Olivier House is not for everyone. We are sorry to find you in that group and hope your next trip finds you in a hotel that is a better fit. Thanks for giving us a try. If you are in the French Quarter sometime in the future, no matter where you are staying, you are always welcome to stop by and get a free drink, snack, use a bathroom or just take a break on one of the courtyards. After all, you have been our guest once and so are always welcome, Jim

Hey Dawn, we thank you for the perfect 5 out of 5 rating. As for you not leaving any comments, we like to think that you were just so bedazzled by how good looking and perfect the staff here is that we just left you speechless....yea, we know, but it helps us sleep better at night. Thanks, Jim

Hi Shaida, Thank you for the 5 out of 5 rating. They say that good travel will leave you speechless, and then turn you into a story teller. We hope that has been your experience at the Olivier House. Thanks for choosing to stay with us, Jim

Hi Rebekah, I suppose your perfect 5 out of 5 rating says it all.No need for commentary. Thank, Jim

Well... Kathleen, As for you having spent 25 years staying in other New Orleans hotels....we offer our sincerest condolences and deepest sympathies for your loss of time. As we acknowledge the terrible tragedy of so many lost years of not staying at the Olivier House our thoughts and prayers are with you! As you know, in New Orleans, we are somber on the way to the cemetery, but make music, dance and are joyous on the way home. In like manner Kathleen, next time you come to the Olivier House, ask the staff to notify me. I am going to see to it that you get every perk available to make sure that your next trip to New Orleans is the best ever.... Welcome home Kathleen! All joking aside, it was a pleasure to have you with us and we are so glad you found us. We will look forward to your next stay. Remember to have the staff contact me before you arrive. Until then, Jim

Hi Cassandra. We believe that no matter how beautiful or well located a hotel is, it can never be a great hotel without a nice and helpful staff. So, your review is music to our ears. As for the city trash crew making too much noise, we apologize. They can sometimes make a bit of noise. If one is a super light sleeper, a balcony room on the inside or any inside room for that matter is a good choice since they are so very quiet at all times. Next time ya'll come, let us know if you would prefer one. We are always glad to get our guest any type room they would like. It was sincerely a pleasure to have ya'll stay with us, Jim

Hey Sherri, Thanks for the perfect rating. As for you not giving any comments, I understand how you feel. Like the time the preacher asked me to lead the church in a silent prayer...sometimes you just don't know what to say. Well, your rating says more than enough. Thanks, Jim

Hi Melanie, we're thrilled that you feel we deserve a perfect 5 out of 5 score. Thanks, Jim

Hi Max, Great to see you enjoyed the Olivier House. It has been said that travel is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer...We hope you got your money's worth and then some at the Olivier House. It was a pleasure to have ya'll with us, Jim

Hi Kevin, It has been said that to get to know New Orleans, you don't need a guide book, just a good pair of shoes. Sounds like ya'll went about it the right way. So many others have commented, as you did, that returning home to the courtyards is like coming home to an oasis in the middle of the French Quarter, where one can just chill out and relax. We're happy to hear that you enjoyed it. Thanks for staying with us while ya'll were in the Big Easy, Jim

Hi Jennifer, Glad you enjoyed your time at the Olivier House. Hope ya'll come back to see us sometime, Jim

Hi Kara, I think we would have to agree with you that the experience at the Olivier House is a one-of-a kind stay, at least in the U.S. There are hotels in Europe like the Olivier House, but not many in the U.S. In truth, it is not for everybody, nor is it intended to be. There are plenty of hotels for mass tourism, and we suppose the masses must like them or else they would not keep building them. Unfortunately, so many hotels nowadays not only fail to immerse one into local culture, they almost shield one from it. We believe the essence of good travel is to not just know what a place looks like, but to know what it feels, taste, and sounds like, and to know what it feels like to be a part of that. Then when you go home, you take a part of that with you. That is a priceless souvenir! New Orleans is not just a city, but a whole culture and one's hotel ought to feel authentic to that culture. That is what we believe....we're glad you do too. It was a pleasure to have ya'll stay with us, Jim