Nearly all major hotel companies and their brothers have hung out shingles and pulled out all stops in this top tourist and convention destination, and the Ramada Inn is no exception.

The Ramada Plaza Inn stands in the very heart of the French Quarter at boisterous Bourbon and Toulouse streets at the epicenter of the city's deliciously decadent nightlife. From here, guests can stroll a block to the famous Pat O'Brien's Bar and Chris Owens burlesque club and skip across the street to the Tropical Isle, home of neon green "hand grenade" cocktails that will knock the socks off Thibodaux. Guests also are blocks from the shops and cafes of the Riverwalk Market Place, Harrah's Casino, kid friendly Aquarium of the Americas, and the shops, street performers, artisans and soothsayers of Jackson Square.

Respites at the Ramada from the Bourbon bustle include a pool in a stone courtyard, a fitness room, lobby bar and hotel shops proffering artwork, gifts and costume jewelry. For surcharges, the hotel also offers limo, Town Car, babysitting and child care services.

At the hotel, guests can dine on American cuisine, gumbo, jambalaya and other local favorites at the Bourbon Street Café and kick back in the Lobby Lounge. Of course, the French Quarter is loaded with other dining options.

The 186 guest rooms, most with balconies, come complete with bright burgundy bedspreads; paintings of flowers, classical or colonial architecture; and other amenities associated with the internationally known Ramada company.

Just 13 miles from the Louis Armstrong International Airport, the Ramada Plaza Inn has won the company's Gold Key Award of Excellence. Guests here will realize quickly that not all Ramada Inns look the same.