One of my favorite hotels in N'awlins is the Kimpton Group's Hotel Monaco
http://www.monaco-neworleans.com/
They are a chain of boutique hotels, and I've stayed at them in DC, San Fran, Chicago, and Boston -- I have never had a bad experience and they are not your average cookie cutter hotel, they're classy without being stuffy. (the hotels have wine hours in the evening, and many of the hotels have different "theme nights" where you canhave your palm read, or get a chair massage or other fun stuff.. PLus if you ask, you can get a gold fish in your room. I honestly can't say enough good things about them -- and if you join their loyalty club, you get all sorts of upgrades and stuff - the suites have incredible bathtubs.
This hotel is near everything -- it's a quick walk from the french quarter in a really cool old building...