Ramada Conference Center New Iberia, New Iberia

The other reviews seem a bit out of date. New Iberia is my birthplace, and I lived there for the first 20 years of my life. I recall when this hotel was originally opened a few decades ago, as the first Holiday Inn in town. That was before "Express." The Holiday Inn had a restaurant, a lounge, a meeting room, and was adjacent to the main highway. The layout of the hotel was two-story buildings, with access to the rooms from exterior corridors. Some rooms faced the parking lot, the others faced the swimming pool which is surrounded by the buildings with the rooms, in a "courtyard" configuration. Over the past two or three years, the hotel has been completely renovated, refurnished and redecorated. I've stayed there just prior to the renovation when it was still a Holiday Inn (and it was satisfactory), and I just recently stayed there again, after it became a Ramada as a part of the Wyndham hotel chain, and it is remarkable. The rooms are clean and inviting, (and look just like the photos on the Ramada site). There is free wireless internet, and a cable TV selection including dozens of channels. I stayed in an interior room facing the pool--a bit farther to tote the luggage, but quieter. The service was also remarkable: extremely friendly and hospitable. About 15 to 20 minutes after I checked in, the front desk called to ask if there was anything else they could bring me or any problem I had. And the food and beverage service: OMG. They have a happy hour (actually two hours) from 5 to 7pm, with free draft beer and free finger food. Free. They have a full service lounge and restaurant on site. The "free breakfast" is not simply a bagel and a cup of coffee: it is a free, full, hot breakfast buffet. We could choose from scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, grits, hash browns, biscuits, toast, plus juices, coffee, milk. The food was served buffet-style, with seconds if you wished, and there was a wait staff on hand to assist with beverages or any special requests. I've yet to see a "free breakfast" offered by any hotel to include something like this. The food was all tasty and fresh, and there was no shortage of any item: I actually saw them put out more bacon and sausage while I was dining. I wish I had reason to return more frequently than a couple times a year. From the exterior, the architecture is reminiscent of the seventies. I don't consider that a drawback, but it might cause someone to think the rest of the hotel was also outdated. Totally wrong. Unless you plan to spend your stay sitting outside and assessing the architecture, come inside and be as amazed as I was.

You truly get what you pay for. If you are just looking for a place to lay your head for the night, this is the place for you. Let's start with the dislikes. This is a much older property and it needs some serious updates. We had to change the channel on the television by using a video game controller. The traditional remote didn't work. A staff member had to come to our room to untangle all the exposed cables on the side of the television and show us how to navigate this with the controller. The water in the shower head came out by the trickle. The corridors and stairs needed cleaning. There was a lot of cobwebs and old food that hadn't been swept. Not everything was bad. I am fair and I do have some good things to say. The location was great. The hotel was located close to the interstate and very close to restaurant options. The staff was also very kind and polite. I chose this hotel based on previous reviews. This place wasn't any better than a cheap motel.

My family and I are originally from the New Iberia area. We now reside in a different state, but travel to the area quite often. We stay at the Holiday Inn New Iberia on each trip. We feel very comfortable here, and the service is a definite plus. We enjoy relaxing by the pool and eating in the restaurant. The staff has always gone above and beyond to make sure our stay was a pleasant one. We love Holiday Inn!!