HURRICANE IDA UPDATE:
Fortunately, the flood protection system designed after Hurricane Katrina worked as planned for the City of New Orleans during Hurricane Ida. New Orleans is okay, resilient and open. However, our neighboring parishes have a much longer road to recovery and are hearts are with them.The best thing you can do to help our fellow Louisiana citizens is to plan, or keep, your visit this fall. Tourism is our largest economic driver, but more importantly, it is the essence of who we are and what we do.
A full list of Ida relief efforts here.
HOTELS:
Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences New Orleans opened its doors in August 2021. Located on the Riverfront at the foot of Canal Street, the hotel is the latest addition to the city’s luxury accommodations.
The 34-story, mixed use development houses a 341-key hotel on the lower floors and 81 luxury condominiums on the upper floors.
The property includes two restaurants: Miss River by Chef Alon Shaya and Chemin a La Mer by Chef Donald Link (opening Fall 2021), The Chandelier Bar, spa, roof-top pool and bar area, a cultural museum and 29,000 square feet of meeting space.
Virgin Hotels New Orleans is the latest lifestyle brand to open its doors in the Warehouse District in August 2021.
The property features 238 chambers as well as multiple dining and drinking outlets including the brand’s signature Commons Club and Funny Library Coffee Shop.
Hotel St. Vincent opened in June 2021 in the Lower Garden District. This is the latest project by designer and hotelier Liz Lambert and her partners at MML Hospitality.
The 75-room hotel honors Saint Vincent’s storied past with highly considered restoration and modern design that complement the property’s historic character.
The hotel features two restaurants: San Lorenzo, a coastal Italian menu with New Orleans inspiration, and the second outpost of Elizabeth Street Café, the perennial Austin favorite, featuring a French bakery and Vietnamese café menu.
One 11 Hotel, the first new hotel in over fifty years in the French Quarter, opened in December 2020.
Located on Iberville St., it is a chic, 83-room hotel that opened in December 2020.
Guests and locals will find reprieve from the energy of the surrounding streets in the common areas, including a sophisticated lobby bar and art gallery and a vibrant rooftop with panoramic views of the French Quarter and Mississippi River.
The Chloe, on St. Charles, is a boutique-style hotel in Uptown New Orleans that opened in 2020.
The hotel features 13-foot ceilings, original fireplaces and other historic details.
Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, located at the intersection of Poydras and Tchoupitoulas Streets in the Central Business District, is a property that pays homage to the city’s rich musical history. Originally opening briefly in March 2020, the hotel’s grand reopening was in May 2021.
The Peacock Room , the crown jewel of the Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, offers a contemporary selection of hard to come by spirits and the menu features refined regional classics as well as live music.
Higgins Hotel & Conference Center, a Curio Collection by Hilton on the campus of The National World War II Museum, opened in mid-2019. The hotel features 230 guestrooms, a second-floor conference center with more than 18,000 square feet of meeting space, plus restaurants, market and a rooftop venue with stunning views of the city.
ATTRACTIONS:
Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, opened in early 2021 and located in the Warehouse District, explores the unique history and culture of Southern Jews: how and when they arrived, which customs they held on to, and how they created new traditions alongside their neighbors in cities large and small across the South.
Liberations Pavilion at The National WWII Museum, currently under construction, will mark the final major addition to The National WWII Museum.
When complete in 2022, the Pavilion will take visitors on an inspiring journey that explores what WWII means today and the ongoing struggle for freedom and democracy.
Sazerac House offers an interactive, high-tech experience takes visitors through a journey of the history and culture of spirits in New Orleans including the world-famous Sazerac Cocktail and Sazerac’s roots, dating back to the 1850s, and includes a micro-distillery on-site.
The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden was originally conceived in 2003 but doubled in size in 2019 and has grown to include more than 90 sculptures. Occupying approximately eleven acres in City Park adjacent to the New Orleans Museum of Art, the garden design creates outdoor viewing spaces within this picturesque landscape. Admission is free.
The Louisiana Children’s Museum (LCM) has moved from its long-time home on Julia Street to City Park. The new LCM is situated on 8.5 acres and has been designed for Silver LEED certification. The museum includes five interactive exhibits including a 100-foot long mighty Mississippi water exhibit, plus indoor and outdoor environment elements, including decks, bridges, sensory and edible gardens, a floating classroom and a restored interpretive wetlands area.
LCM has partnered with local restaurant group, Dickie Brennan & Co., for the onsite full-service cafe, Acorn, which has seating for 165, with half the seating inside and half outside. There is also a kid’s culinary lab and child size booths.
NEW DEVELOPMENTS:
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport’s new, $1 billion world-class terminal complex opened in November 2019 and is the first of its kind to be built in more than a decade.
The 972,000-square-foot terminal, which completely replaced the old facility, features three concourses, 35 gates, improved passenger experience with a consolidated checkpoint for ease and efficiency going through security.
New food, beverage, news, gift and specialty retail options have been designed to appeal to locals and visitors alike. Visitors can enjoy local icons like Emeril’s, Leah’s Table, Fleurty Girl and Dirty Coast in addition to nationally recognized brands like Shake Shack, Starbucks and Panda Express. This mix of concessions provides something for everyone at all price points.
Bollinger Canopy of Peace at The National WWII Museum, currently under construction, will soon serve as a new landmark on the New Orleans skyline.
The iconic architectural structure will rise 148 feet above the center of the institution’s campus. After sundown, a state-of-the-art lighting system will transform the Canopy and its support legs into a stunning nighttime landmark for the city.
The Canopy is made possible by a generous donation from longtime WWII Museum Board of Trustees member Boysie and Joy Bellinger.
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center New Orleans (MCCNO)
The multi-modal transportation center has opened at MCCNO. This is the first completed phase of the $60+ million linear park developments along Convention Center Boulevard.
All buses, shuttles, taxis and ride-shares will now pick-up and drop-off all passengers here, improving public safety and convenience of residents, local commuters and event attendees by eliminating shuttles, taxis and ride-shares on the main roadway
The new Pedestrian Park is currently under construction along Convention Center Boulevard.
The Boulevard will be landscaped and lit with outdoor seating along the entire length of the Center connecting pedestrians from both ends of the building as well as the Transportation Center.
Full list of developments here.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
NOLA x NOLA, created by a proactive coalition of New Orleans entertainment-focused nightclubs and music venues, is a branded series of smaller live music events around the city during the previously scheduled New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, October 8th-17th, 2021.
NOLA x NOLA, designed to safely and immediately support clubs, musicians and culture bearers in a time of financial peril, could become an annual tradition, created in 2021, but lasting and growing for many years beyond.
Over 30 music venues including the Orpheum Theatre, Preservation Hall and Tipitina’s are participating. More venues are expected to take part.
Vaccination or proof of a negative COVID test is required.
5 New Orleans (P.5) will be taking place from October 23rd, 2021 – January 23rd, 2022.
The exhibition features an intergenerational group of artists from the United States, the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe, and will include both existing and newly commissioned projects.
Artists will employ diverse readings, interpretative models and various forms to create a nuanced interrogation and retelling of history that is attuned to our complex era.
Due to Hurricane Ida, P.5 will open across the city in stages from late October to mid-November. The first wave of openings will take place on October 23rd. Prospect anticipates that all projects will be live and open to the public by November 13th.
Holidays New Orleans Style is a New Orleans & Company website featuring all the events that make December in New Orleans special as well as hotel deals and restaurant options.
Holiday Festivities include caroling in Jackson Square, bonfires on the levees, and a multitude of holiday lights venues.
Queen Nefertari’s Egypt will be on display at the New Orleans Museum of Modern Art from March 18th to July 17th, 2022.
Queen Nefertari was the royal wife of Pharaoh Ramesses II and is known through a complete temple consecrated to her in Abu Simbel.
Her tomb, the largest and most richly decorated in the Valley of the Queens, was discovered in the early 20th century by a team of archaeologists led by Ernesto Schiaparelli.
230 works presented in Queen Nefertari’s Egypt will be on loan from the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy.
Mardi Gras officially kicks off Monday, January 5th, known as Twelfth Night. Parades start on Jan. 6th with two parades in the French Quarter and Uptown, each, and roll through Tuesday, March 1st, 2022.
For more information visit https://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/.
2022 Festival Calendar Highlights:
French Quarter Fest, April 21st – 24th, 2022
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, April 29th – May 8th, 2022
RESTAURANTS:
Mister Mao is a new tropical roadhouse on Tchoupitoulas in the Garden District.
Unapologetically inauthentic, Mister Mao is serving up locally sourced, global flavors through refined small plates.
John is a new restaurant opening on Decatur Street in the French Quarter.
Opening in September, St. John is owned by esteemed Chef Eric Cook.
Cook’s menu will draw influences from the melting pot of cultures that lent traditions, flavors, ingredients, and cooking styles to the city- Italian, French, African, German and Caribbean.
AIR LIFT:
Air Transat is resuming seasonal service from Montréal to New Orleans starting on Thursdays and Sundays from Nov. 4th to April 24th.
Air Canada is resuming their direct flight from Toronto in November.
MSY saw its first international flight since COVID began with Southwest’s nonstop service to Cancun on April 17th.
Spirit launched new international service to Cancun and San Pedro Sula, Honduras in July.
Alaska Airlines announced a plan to add direct flights from Portland to New Orleans starting in December and running through April 2022.
Jet Blue announced service to LaGuardia in the 1st Quarter of 2022.
American Airlines launched new daily service to Austin on May 6th.
COVID SAFETY:
Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic in 2020, New Orleans & Company has promoted the highest safety protocols and strongly encouraged visitors to follow guidelines for masking, social distancing, and vaccines for the safety of all who choose New Orleans as a city to live, work and visit.
As of September 16th, 81 percent of eligible New Orleans adults have initiated a covid vaccine (meaning they received their first of two does), which is higher than the US average of 74 percent.
5 percent of eligible New Orleans adults are now full vaccinated, which is higher than the US average of 63.3 percent.
More information on New Orleans & Company COVID safety here.
New Orleans & Company Media Contacts:
Kelly Schulz
Senior Vice President, Communications & Public Relations
kschulz@neworleans.com, 504-421-0962
Lauren Cason
Director of Marketing & Communications
lcason@neworleans.com, 504-729-7743
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