New Orleans

The JW Marriott is my fave in New Orleans. It’s clean and in walking distance to Bourbon street, but also not right in the middle of Bourbon street. To us that was perfect. We also stayed at the Omni before and were very disappointed. Look at TripAdvisor reviews before you book.
You can also look at package deals on Expedia, which often saves money vs booking stand-alone.

You can also look at VRBO - they have so many places you can rent for anywhere from a few days to weeks.

Definitely stuff in the french quarter will be more expensive. i stayed at the best western plus st christopher and that wasn't too far from the bourbon street area or jackson square, etc and it was pretty nice actually and not expensive compared to other options that were moreso in the heart of NOLA

There are also 4 streetcar lines that run around New Orleans that are fun and affordable. You could look into places to stay near the streetcar line if you don't end up staying in the French Quarter. I went with a friend a few years ago and we just used the streetcars and ubers and walked around sightseeing a lot. I would check on Covid restrictions though before going that route.

I recommend looking into renting out a short term stay apartment via Airbnb.com

I highly recommend staying in the Garden District, within walking distance to St. Charles Ave. There is a street car on that street that takes you right to the French Quarter. It takes about 10 minutes to get to the French Quarter and it is cheap too...$2 a ride, if I remember correctly. The Garden District is clean and has lots of beautiful houses. I personally do not like to stay in the French Quarter as it's tight, more expensive and can be noisy. I recommend looking on Airbnb or VRBO were you can rent entire apartments for similar or cheaper price as a standard hotel room. Don't forget to try the beignets!