RE: The post by bobspol140...."Hidden Charges"
They must've decided to pay for their room without using a credit card upon check in. It's customary for hotels to take a "Deposit" for phone charges if you're going to pay with cash instead of a credit card. So, it's not a 'hidden charge' in my opinion, it's more of a 'deposit' in case you want to call your friends in Hong Kong while you're at your hotel on vacation. Although, phone usage in a hotel is ALWAYS expensive any way you look at it. If you have national free long-distance on your cell phone, check your cell phone plan to see if it'll cover calls when you're OUTSIDE your calling area. It'll save you money to use your cell instead of the hotel phone. Many hotels charge a 25%-50% "surcharge" on long distance calls. Be careful when calling home from your hotel. Better yet, have your friends call you at the hotel, rather than you calling them from the hotel.

The International House is not inexpensive. But, it's just about one of the coolest places you can rest your head in town.
By no means is a trip to New Orleans going to be 'cheap', but during the summer months is much less expensive than other times of the year. Also, eating in a hotel is almost always a bit more pricey than someplease off property. Keep that in mind.

Guess you can tell I used to work in the hotel business, eh?