Inside the Newly Reopened Hyatt Regency New Orleans

October 25, 2011 at 12:30 PM | by MsRebecca | Comments (2)

We love a new hotel opening. But what's even more exciting is a hotel reopening�especially when it's one as symbolic as this. On October 19, the Hyatt Regency New Orleans finally threw open its doors again, after a four-year top-to-toe refurbishment.

The hotel was badly damaged during Hurricane Katrina�and a highly visible sign of the storm, situated right behind the Superdome. Its return has locals beaming with pride and it couldn't come at a better time, with tourists back in force in Nola, and a slew of big events on the way, including the BCS National Championship in 2012 and the Super Bowl in 2013.

We checked in over the weekend, when the hotel was abuzz with Saints fans who filled up a large percentage of the 1,193 guest rooms. Here's our first peek at the hotel and an Executive Suite room. We'll have more on the hotel and its public spaces later this week...

Overall, we think this is a great modern spin on the massive atrium-style hotel of the '70s and '80s. The lobby and escalators that take you up past the bars and restaurant before you reach the guest room elevator banks certainly make you feel like you're in a big hotel, but not one as confusing or as maze-like as a Vegas casino.

The clear-glass elevators overlooking 8 Block restaurant make a simple morning coffee run feel like a theme park ride�fun unless you're queasy about heights. Meanwhile, the views of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome (yes, that's its new name) are mesmerizing no matter how many times you see them.

Rooms are comfortable and all-new, with great tech touches that will keep you busy and entertained if for some reason you're not drawn by all the action of the French Quarter, just a 10-minute walk away.

Rooms are available this weekend from $199 a night, for a queen, king or room with two queen beds.

[Disclaimer: MsRebecca stayed as a guest of the Hyatt Regency, while on assignment for an Australian publication, but all opinions are her own.]

Comments (2)

Return to » Inside the Newly Reopened Hyatt Regency New Orleans

As a So. California tourist who was stuck in the dank Superdome and days later smuggled out to the Hyatt, I am thrilled to see the hotel re-open. I must say that under horrific circumstances the staff at the Hyatt during Katrina and the levee failures was amazing!

Paul Harris
Author, "Diary From the Dome, Reflections on Fear and Privilege During Katrina"

Having the Hyatt Regency back really is a great advance for New Orleans. That said, there is no way anyone can walk from the hotel to the French Quarter in ten minutes. I'd bet the reporter a three night stay in the hotel that she and I couldn't leave the hotel and be in the Quarter in ten minutes. . .try 25 minutes. The location is still inconvenient for a lot of what visitors to New Orleans come to the city for--and some of the intervening blocks are rather desolate, especially after dark.

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