70112 Travel Guide
Design Thursdays / Hotel Design / New Orleans Hotels / Hotel Lobbies / Hotel Furniture / Hotel Openings / → All Tags
A Sparkling Saint Descends On New Orleans Later This Month
In order to accurately represent the neighborhood's unique history, Saint Hotel owner Mark Wyant supposedly spent months scouring the archives at the Library of Congress for photos of the original Audubon Building, which first opened in 1910.
But Wyant wasn't only interested in pressed tin tiles and exposed brick—the hotel's design team also wanted to go for an "ethereal" feel, especially in the ground-floor lobby, which can be accessed from two entrances on Canal Street and Burgundy Street. Once inside, sheer drapes hang delicately from 22-foot high ceilings, and broad white columns punctuate the space like pillars in a church. Add in a gold-plated chandelier, cast in the shape of a giant bell, and you can practically hear the saints singing in jubilation.
New Orleans Hotels / Hotel Openings / Hotel News / Hotel Renovations / Hotel Restaurants / Pilot Hotels / → All Tags
An American Airlines Pilot, And His Mother, Will Open Up The Saint Hotel This December
If locals were wondering when exactly the Audubon Buiding in New Orleans would officially transition into a hotel, the suspense is over. At 8am this morning, a banner was installed on the front of the building announcing the grand opening date. How's that for pomp?
The eight-story The Saint Hotel, which will open this December, is in fact owned by an American Airlines pilot. David Mark Wyant, and his mother Jana, purchased the building for $5.35 million last year, and quickly began pouring $39 million into the 101-year-old building's renovations. And, you know those pilots—always with their heads in the clouds. According to this NOLA article, the ceilings inside the 166 rooms will all be painted blue, and 21' tall Italian-crafted columns will give the lobby an "ethereal feel."
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20 Things Under $20 Every Day At The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans
Normally we have Ritz Carltons down as splurgy kinds of places rather than savers, so it’s nice to know that the New Orleans branch is reaching out to our budget hearts with its new 20 Under $20 list – 20 things you can get under their roof every day for under $20, plus a free bonus thrown in for good measure.
You won’t be finding any rooms on the list, unfortunately, but as well as the obvious stuff like a postcard (a slightly overpriced $1) or a cup of coffee (a much more reasonable $2) you will see things from sushi ($3), Jazzed Up Grits ($6), a Bloody Mary ($8), Bananas Foster ($10) and kobe beef sliders ($16).
The “free” part is Jeremy Davenport’s live jazz, which you can either catch on weekend nights or Thursday evenings from 5.30pm till 9pm. If you make this one, you’ll get a free Davenportini cocktail to boot (as you might have guessed, Mr Davenport is something of a Nola celebrity and beloved of the local ladies). Although you might have trouble getting served – the place is rammed when he plays.
Hotel Bars / New Orleans Hotels / Historic Hotels / Waldorf-Astoria Collection / → All Tags
Honor the Brave Ladies Who 'Stormed' The Sazerac at The Roosevelt New Orleans
Taken during the very first "stormin'" in 1949.
Some people go for Civil War re-enactments, some people prefer Jane Austen movies, but when it comes to historical fixes, we prefer the vintage booze that are making a comeback at hipster-frequented speakeasies across the country. That’s why we want to tell you about the upcoming “Stormin’ the Sazerac” event at the landmark Roosevelt New Orleans on Friday, September 25.
Back in the day, women were only admitted to the Sazerac Bar at the Roosevelt on one day of the year: Mardi Gras (remember, this is New Orleans). Well, 60 years ago, a group of well-to-do New Orleans ladies decided they wanted a drink, and on September 25, 1949, they stormed the bar and demanded to drink. Their gambit paid off, and ever since, women have been admitted on the same basis as men.
Hotel Openings / Waldorf-Astoria Collection / New Orleans Hotels / → All Tags
The Roosevelt New Orleans Open and Swinging
The Big Easy never really lost its swing, but it has had to significantly rebuild both literally and emotionally post-Hurricane Katrina. Nothing brings a commercial boost like an influx of out-of-towners, especially those willing to roll large and invest in a taste of The Waldorf-Astoria's opulence.
The Roosevelt New Orleans—known as The Grunewald and The Fairmont in its earlier incarnations—recently underwent a whopping $145 million restoration, making it central to the city's rebirth. Located in the French Quarter, guests really can't get any closer to the core of life in New Orleans.
Reviews are generally positive across the board, but, honestly, it's hard to imagine such a massive project backed by a name like Waldorf-Astoria falling into the "sub-par" ratings range. Praise for it's "regal" ambiance and a staff that "[epitomizes] the spirit of New Orleans charm" are common on TripAdvisor, though many of the same reviewers agree that there are still a few minor kinks to work out in terms of service, with housekeeping and check-in being noted areas of concern.
Celebrity Scoop / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / New Orleans Hotels / Jonas Brothers / → All Tags
Jonas Bros (Probably) Hit Up The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans With Us This Weekend
When we turned our road trip towards New Orleans this weekend, we were looking forward to scenes of drinking in the hotel corridors and fornication in the lifts (last time we went, we stayed at the Holiday Inn, see).
But this time we were hitting up the Ritz-Carlton, and were confronted by a crew of wildly excited, under 13-year-olds wearing identical Jonas Brothers-themed uniforms. Turns out, we decided to hit town the same night as the JoBros, who were playing on Saturday. Not only were they in town, but their tour bus had just been spotted outside the hotel, making the kiddies think they must be shacked up here.
Hotel Renovations / Hotel Openings / Hotel Opening Rates / → All Tags
The Roosevelt New Orleans Officially Re-Opens Today
The Roosevelt's lighting ceremony, in May
We just got word from a hotel rep that the famed Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans, which has been undergoing a major, major renovation and restoration (and transition to become a part of the Waldorf-Astoria Collection), is officially opening up today.
We knew the place was running a special reopening promo starting July 26th and running through September 30th ($139! Seriously, get on this) and even though the last time we checked, rezzies were only available on July 11th and beyond, we actually can make reservations for tonight — and the public is welcome to come in and walk through to check out the newly-restored property.
There will be a big grand re-opening sometime in mid-July with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and whatnot, but for now, rooms are available at $139 (the lowest we could find for July 7th, which was the first available room we could book). We gave the rezzie line a call because we were having trouble booking a room for tonight, and agent told us that either the place was totally full or it's doing what a lot of hotels are doing and requiring a few nights' minimum stay over the holiday weekend.
[Photo: The Roosevelt Blog]
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The Roosevelt New Orleans Will Re-Open at $139 in July
Though most of the renos are done, all we've got are these cartoony renderings of the interior.
Well, as they say in the South: hot damn. (Er, do they say that in the South?) The Roosevelt in New Orleans is openin' its doors once again. And the ultra-posh rooms are goin' for cheap. Well, at first, anyway.
If you'll recall, we got the real, super-detailed scoop on what was happening with this iconic New Orleans property. Cliff's Notes version: after a $145-million restoration and renovation, the 116-year-old hotel is set to be reborn as a Waldorf-Astoria Collection property (it has been closed since Hurricane Katrina). We knew the place was going to be shooting for a quiet-ish opening sometime this summer, but we weren't sure when — and then, last we heard, there was going to be some major celebration surrounding a bigger Grand Opening in the fall.
Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Hotel Amenities / New Orleans Hotels / → All Tags
Puff in Private at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans
Are we feeling a little hoighty-toighty today? Perhaps the best way to handle this is by reaching into the back of your humidor for that special cigar and heading down to the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans in order to join their new private smoking club: The Library. The rest of the hotel may be non-smoking, but The Library welcomes puffers Monday through Sunday from 5pm to midnight.
Charter memberships are still available at this, one of the city's only smoking-allowed clubs, which will spend its inaugural season conducting monthly tastings and seminars with the Spirits Sommelier, Whiskey Ambassador or the Cognac Concierge. Oh, what we'd give to have the latter on our resume.
To experience The Library at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, there are some uncharacteristically low rates circulating for May and June. Starting from $199, the glamor of a luxurious night's sleep accompanied by a long dreg from something hecho a mano can be yours, so long as you're willing to slink down to The Big Easy for it.
[Photo: Ritz-Carlton New Orleans]
Mardi Gras Hotels / Insane Hotel Packages / New Orleans Hotels / → All Tags
Pre-Game for Mardi Gras with Harry Connick Jr.
Still on the fence about your Mardi Gras plans? Perhaps Harry Connick Jr. can change your mind.
That’s right, your favorite ‘90s crooner has teamed up with the Ritz-Carlton in New Orleans to offer the “Lundi Gras Ride of a Lifetime” package, which gives two guests the chance to ride with the New Orleans native in his Krewe of Orpheus during the parade held the day before Mardi Gras: Monday, Feb. 23. (You know, because “lundi” means Monday in French.)
Package guests get bedecked in theme-appropriate costumes and outfitted with throws or beads, plus access to a videographer who will document the 12-hour day and night. Plus, a limo will be at your whim for 48 hours, so you don’t have to try to catch a cab in the middle of Mardi Gras. And, of course, the package also covers a two-night stay in the Ritz-Carlton Suite, which has “sweeping views” of the French Quarter and Canal Street.
If you didn’t know that Harry Connick Jr. had his own krewe, well, we didn’t either, but apparently he founded it back in 1993. And since many of the krewes are old men’s clubs, this is one of those ways anyone can buy their way into the storied tradition.
All that for just $25,000. Gulp. For that price, Harry better throw in an in-suite serenade of “It Had to Be You.” And maybe give a quick tutorial on how to achieve those signature snazzy ’dos.
[Photo: Krewe of Orpheus]
New Orleans Hotels / Hotel Renovations / Waldorf-Astoria Collection / → All Tags
A Closer Look at Plans For The Roosevelt New Orleans
We just got some brand new renderings of the plans for the post $135-million-renovation Roosevelt New Orleans, which is slated to make its debut this summer. If you'll recall, we sat down with Tod Chambers, the new GM of the iconic property, earlier this winter to discuss plans for the hotel — which was known as the Grunewald in 1893, The Roosevelt in 1923 and was most recently known flagged as a Fairmont. It's set re-open as a Waldorf=Astoria Collection hotel and is hoping to both reclaim its position as a local hotspot and re-emerge as a NOLA destination.
Some of the hotels biggest bragging points are its public spaces; most notably, the legendary Sazerac Bar, the classic Blue Room supper club, and the massive, ornate lobby. We know the spaces aren't going to be exactly on point with these artistic renderings, but these images, after the jump, should give you a pretty good idea of the old-school luxury vibe of the interiors.
Interviews / New Orleans Hotels / Waldorf-Astoria Collection / → All Tags
The Re-Opening of The Roosevelt New Orleans
A HotelChatter Exclusive
In mid-2009, the historic old-school luxury Roosevelt New Orleans — which originally opened as the Grunewald in 1893, was rebranded as The Roosevelt in 1923 and was most recently known flagged as a Fairmont — will reopen as part of the Waldorf-Astoria Collection of Hotels, welcoming guests for the first time since its closing in 2005 due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
Since the storm, the 505-room hotel has undergone a $135-million renovation that makes the project one of the largest private investments in downtown New Orleans since the storm — mostly restoring the orginal architectural grandeur and classic luxe details of the old hotel while incorporating modern amenities and technology.
We had the opportunity to sit down with Tod Chambers, the new General Manager of the Roosevelt New Orleans, to get a sense of what we might be able to expect from the property — and to give him a chance to tell us why it's so special to the city of New Orleans.
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