Long gone are the days when major league baseball players gathered in the ornate lobby, but the "Pontch" has regained a touch of class lost during recent decades of deterioration. The hotel is built on the site of Fort Pontchartrain, the first European settlement in the city. Gold banisters and railings bespeak an elegance partially obscured by several renovations, but this 25-story hotel retains an authentic Motown ambience that mixes the nitty-gritty with the glittery. Rooms range from spacious to cramped, and the views can be anything from splendid, when overlooking the river, to mediocre.
• Hotel Services: minibar, restaurant, 24-hour room service, television, parking, safe deposit, bar, computer facilities, hairdresser, internet access, swimming pool, disabled access, business facilities, air conditioning, sauna, non-smoking rooms, fitness club
• Conferences: Newly-renovated business facilities include five meeting rooms with a capacity for 200 guests.