THE W: CONVENIENCE, COMFORT IN THE FRENCH QUARTET.

Byline: - Eric Noland

NEW ORLEANS -- Amid the narrow streets and intimate confines of New Orleans' French Quarter, a4 gargantuan hotel would be as out of place as a temperance league chapter. Best that the modern hotel towers are confined to Canal and Poydras streets downtown.

In here, it's much more appropriate to settle into lodgings with a boutique sensibility, and the W Hotel-French Quarter fills the bill nicely. It is a 98-room establishment built around a pleasant, leafy courtyard, yet is large enough to support its own restaurant.

Convenience and comfort are among the hotel's best attributes. It is on Chartres Street (it's the former Hotel de la Poste), and many of New Orleans' tourist offerings are within easy walking distance: Jackson Square and other sites in the quarter, the Mississippi River, even the restaurants and museums of the Warehouse and Central Business districts.

In our room we appreciated a spacious shower lined with slate, high-end linens, Bliss spa toiletries and windows that opened. The tech-dependent will also appreciate the complimentary WiFi throughout the property.

That includes the courtyard. It's called the Living Room, and is furnished to resemble an outdoor one. Comfortable lounging furniture, interior-lit blocks for coffee tables, lanterns in the trees and a Spanish-style fountain with torch lights combine to make this a popular gathering spot.

The restaurant on the premises, Bacco, is operated by Ralph Brennan of the famous New Orleans restaurant family, and serves Italian fare with local influences.

Convenience comes with a price, however. The French Quarter can be one noisy place once the sun goes down, particularly on weekends.

Some members of the staff were extremely helpful -- especially for such tasks as printing out boarding passes the day before our departure (there is no business center).

But in some respects this W has a self-service feel to it. When I sought a phone book, I was told that there was not a single one on the premises, ``But we can look up whatever you need on the Internet.'' The convenient location of the W easily trumped these shortcomings, however. The chain also has a hotel downtown on Poydras Street.

The W Hotel-French Quarter is at 316 Chartres St. Published room rates from $299. www.whotels.com; [phone]. Rates at the W Hotel New Orleans on Poydras Street from $259.