New Orleans' Historical Hotel Dining Rooms: The Pontchartrain

July 10, 2012 at 5:06 PM | by JetSetCD | Comments (0)

A while back on our brother site, Jaunted, we looked into how the NYC of the 1950s gave way to the NYC of today, sadly minus $1.95 steak dinners and the "famous rooms" that used to keep hotels hopping. It's important to note, however, that the famous rooms—selling a good time with dining, drinking and dancing to live music—weren't just a Big Apple exclusive.

Recently we came across a 1960 visitor's brochure for the Mississippi Coast, in which the New Orleans version of these famous rooms is advertised. We'll be focusing on a few the rest of this week. Today, it's the Caribbean Room at The Pontchartrain Hotel. Here is a peak at the entrance to the room.

We have good news, great news and, then, bad news. First, the good news: The Pontchartrain still exists, even making it through the looting and vandalism of Hurricane Katrina. It stands, it operates and it preserves its late 1920s history as best as possible (it first opened in 1927).

The great news: even the Caribbean Room still exists, though it now functions as more of a dining room than a rollicking evening out destination. The cuisine—described in the 1960 brochure as having "Breast of Chicken Hawaiian and Crabmeat Remick"—is still Creole and the interiors are still glitzy.

Now, for the bad news: The Pontchartrain has discontinued its nightly hotel rates in favor of elderly housing and extended-stay guests. There'll be no more tourist guests, but at least the famous "Caribbean Room" hasn't lost its name and accessibility, even if diners are leaving their evening wear at home.

[Scan: HotelChatter]

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