The Hostelz.com Review
If you're after a hostel that's not a full-on party house nor a sterile dorm, you'll find a good balance at Marquette House. The female dorms are located above the main hostel building off Carondelet Street and the male dorms are located behind in adjacent mini buildings, where there are four to six dorm beds downstairs and the same number upstairs.
Marquette House doesn't pretend it offers lots of amenities, but it does the job as a decent and generally clean hostel. The outdoor garden area with vending machines is a great bonus and an awesome area for socialising. Pay telephones and lockers inside the office area are also a plus.
The dorm rooms are generally clean and lacking in carpet, which helps rid them of the musty/stale smell you might find in other hostels. There are toilets upstairs and down in the male dorms, with a large bathroom upstairs. Cleanliness generally depends on who you have staying in the dorm, but the staff have taken all the steps necessary to rid the dorms of roaches and seem very willing to keep the dorms as tidy as possible.
Since Hurricane Katrina, everything is changing, or as the t-shirts point out "Re-New Orleans." Bad areas have become good and good areas have become bad. The great news is Marquette House was in a good area to start off with and it has remained so. The bad news is the streetcar to the Garden District is no longer running, so you'll have to catch the bus instead -- which arrives and departs until 11 p.m. in front of the Chase Bank in St. Charles Street.
There are several awesome bars located nearby, including the combined laundromat/bar Igors on St Charles Street. If you're arriving via car than you'll find plenty of free parking in front of the hostel and it's generally safe to leave your car there for several days (just take note that Carondelet Street is one-way when arriving).
The hostel office is shut between noon and 5 p.m., but access is still available. They do require a key deposit. Walk-in room rates are much more expensive than the internet rates, so you'll save a fair amount by booking online. At the time of writing, the hurricane-damaged kitchen and common areas were still under repair and no self-catering facilities or indoor common areas are available at the hostel.
Marquette House doesn't pretend it offers lots of amenities, but it does the job as a decent and generally clean hostel. The outdoor garden area with vending machines is a great bonus and an awesome area for socialising. Pay telephones and lockers inside the office area are also a plus.
The dorm rooms are generally clean and lacking in carpet, which helps rid them of the musty/stale smell you might find in other hostels. There are toilets upstairs and down in the male dorms, with a large bathroom upstairs. Cleanliness generally depends on who you have staying in the dorm, but the staff have taken all the steps necessary to rid the dorms of roaches and seem very willing to keep the dorms as tidy as possible.
Since Hurricane Katrina, everything is changing, or as the t-shirts point out "Re-New Orleans." Bad areas have become good and good areas have become bad. The great news is Marquette House was in a good area to start off with and it has remained so. The bad news is the streetcar to the Garden District is no longer running, so you'll have to catch the bus instead -- which arrives and departs until 11 p.m. in front of the Chase Bank in St. Charles Street.
There are several awesome bars located nearby, including the combined laundromat/bar Igors on St Charles Street. If you're arriving via car than you'll find plenty of free parking in front of the hostel and it's generally safe to leave your car there for several days (just take note that Carondelet Street is one-way when arriving).
The hostel office is shut between noon and 5 p.m., but access is still available. They do require a key deposit. Walk-in room rates are much more expensive than the internet rates, so you'll save a fair amount by booking online. At the time of writing, the hurricane-damaged kitchen and common areas were still under repair and no self-catering facilities or indoor common areas are available at the hostel.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
December 2006
Their Description
New Orleans Hostel - Marquette House Details
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New Orleans Hostel - Marquette House Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Very Good, easily accessible, and well connected with the NO center. I truly recommend it. — Sergio , Italian (2012-05-08) Dangerous place! Security is ephemeral here -- that is, there is a semblance of security, but it does not exist! If one of the drunken louts who lives there decides to abuse you in any way, there will be nothing done to prevent it! The only remedy, if any, will come after the fact. It is a dirty, bedbug-ridden dive. Not only that, it abuts Central City -- one of the most crime-ridden, murder-plagued neighborhoods in the country. Another thing -- when I stayed there, I somehow gained the attention of an obvious anti-semite; who heckled me every time I passed through the courtyard. Parents, beware for your children! — Anonymous , American (2012-04-09) Everything you need for a bargain price. I took a private room at the Marquette House for a week's visit to New Orleans. The room was basic but clean and had everything you need. Staff were helpful in arranging check in when my inbound flight was delayed and throughout my stay. If you're coming to New Orleans to stay in your hotel and play with the in-room amenities then you're really visiting the wrong town. I'd recommend the Marquette House wholeheartedly and definitely stay there if I visit New Orleans again. — Kate , UK (2011-12-19) No wifi They advertise that they have wifi but they do not. Some of the windows are missing glass so mosquitos come in. They dont clean often either. Good location tho. — Anonymous (2011-11-25) An excellent price hostel I've been going to New Orleans since 1996, even a year after Hurricane Katrina, Although I did went to their rooms in one of my trips, but most of my visit, to the dorms. The hospitality was great always. The rooms were always neat. the court yard is beautiful. It's located in the old side of New Orleans. The service was excellent too. I recommend this place for people who want to go to New orleans and save money on a room. When I took a room one time, it was like a holiday inn but more reasonable and very neat too, that when I took my 4 day trip. — michael mcgee , United States (2011-11-08) no lockers I agree with the last review that the kitchen is very dirty. Nobody seems to ever clean it. Also, they don't provide lockers so you have to leave your bags by your bed all day and night. — Jeff , Australia (2011-10-05) Filthy kitchen Accommodations were ok, but this place has the dirtiest kitchen I've ever seen in any hostel. Grease and grime are everywhere, the same dirty dishes were in the sink for several days, refrigerator has rancid food and smells. The microwave looks like it hasn't been cleaned in years. Just don't plan on eating here. — Anonymous , USA (2011-09-10) Functional And Full Of Character(s) While people looking for something hyper-modern or state-of-the-art will be disappointed, those looking for a convenient location, a historic building and friendly staff will be very satisfied. — Seumas , United Kingdom (2011-05-28) Great Hostel, great location I stayed at the Marquette House during Spring Break and had a great time. I stayed in an 8 bed dorm the first night, and it was roomier than most other hostel dorms I have stayed in. It was not crowded at all. The dorm also had its own bath. The 2nd night I had to move to a larger dorm, as they had some type of Spring Break group reserved for my dorm. This dorm was even more spacious, and was subdivided into several rooms with only 4 beds or so per subroom. This dorm had even more bath facilities inside. Both dorms were clean and reasonably maintained. I was given a set of clean sheets and a towel at check in. The layout of this hostel is a bit different than many I have stayed at. It's located in several buildings around a central courtyard area with direction signs on posts. It seemed more like a small village than a single hostel. The kitchen & dining area are small, but most guests (myself included) hung out in the central courtyard, which had a BBQ and picnic tables. Apparently they have private rooms in a separate building across the street. I found the staff helpful and friendly, and the location is a good one for New Orleans. Only one block from the streetcar, which I took to the French Quarter every day. Several groceries, shops, and a drugstore were nearby, and the tourist bureau's visitor center was just a few blocks away. Lots of free brochures, a map of New Orleans and the French Quarter, and restrooms there. All in all I found this hostel very convenient for my trip, and the price right. My only complaint is there no TV room, and the kitchen could be bigger. — Susan C. , Canada (2011-04-06) Marquette House Really enjoyed the hostel and great location. The staff were friendly and the gardens and dorms were really nice. I will definitely stay here again. — Anonymous , USA (2011-03-31) Fantastic. came for mardi gras. marquette house was the best decision we made. the people are great, the location is great, the atmosphere is relaxed. great for poor college students. — Dylan , USA (2011-03-15) Bedbugs and Blatant Ignorance I sincerely wanted to give this place a chance since it was so close to the parade route and not too pricey. And it wasn't bad for the first few days, I assume because I slept heavily. However, on the last night I stayed there, I woke up to something crawling on my face -- a bedbug! It was absolutely disgusting -- and we had a cover on the mattress specifically to guard against them, just in case. Upon telling the front desk worker (who was not the usual worker), and asking if he could wash the blanket and pillow I had used in replacement of theirs so as not to bring them home, he attempted to lie to me and say he didn't have the facilities to do so. When I called him on it, he said he didn't have time. I paid a total of 500 dollars to stay there for 5 nights and I think that if they don't have the decency to control for bedbugs, upon being discovered, they could accommodate those who have to suffer because of their negligence. However, since the bedbugs thing will most likely turn everyone off, I don't think there's a point in describing the rooms (although they were large and somewhat clean). — Amie , Canada (2011-03-11) Not good I just got back from the hostel and I have ringworm that I contracted while I was there. The rooms and bathrooms don't look like they have been cleaned and the beds don't have mattress pads. The neighborhood is also sketchy and not safe for a woman alone at night. I was totally unimpressed. — Leah , USA (2009-11-28) Good Value! Great location, in a calm neighbourhood right by the Garden District and not too far from French Quarter (fifteen minutes by streetcar or forty-minute walk). I ordered a single private room and ended up getting a huge six-bed room with bath, kitchen, and fridge all to myself. Not too bad! Apparently they rent them out both as single rooms and group rooms. The room had A/C which worked very well. The interior is a bit worn, of course, but I've definitely seen worse. The room was clean enough when I arrived, so I can't complain about that either. In all, I am very satisfied with my stay. My only complaint would be the Wi-Fi, which didn't work at all. — Rob , Sweden (2009-08-10) Not bad Stayed here April '08 for Jazz Fest in a private room. Staff were great, I arrived late at night but had no problems getting in. Room was fine, cleaner than most hostels. Did see one roach, but he is dead and I am not. Surprisingly, that was the only one I saw -- it's New Orleans and they leave the doors open when they clean, which is how I assume this one got in. This is not a hotel, but especially when hotels jack the prices tenfold, this is not a bad place to stay. — Jim , US (2008-11-29)