The Big Easy regains the last and perhaps one of the most important pieces of its post-Katrina accommodations puzzle Oct. 19 with the reopening of the Hyatt Regency New Orleans.
New owner Poydras Properties Hotel Holdings has invested $275 million on redevelopment and what General Manager Michael Smith called "repositioning" as the city's premier meetings and conventions venue.
"The hotel could have been reopened for a mere $65 million," he said. "However, after conducting three comprehensive studies, we decided that additional money should be invested into the project in order to ensure the hotel is a true success in its second life cycle."
The 1,193-room hotel -- located in the central business, sports and entertainment district and mere blocks from a new medical district now under development near Loyola Avenue -- boasts more than 200,000 square feet of state-of-the-art event and meetings space.
"Our base customer will be the group business traveler," Smith said. "However, with our prime location ... and all the special amenities we have to offer, including our 25,000-square-foot pool deck, we will definitely play host to a number of leisure visitors, as well."
Accommodations include 95 suites, including five so-called "meeting planner suites" and four presidential suites.
"We designed our rooms with our guests in mind," Smith said of the "strikingly sophisticated, modern" guest units. All guestrooms offer cutting-edge technology, such as Roomlinx, which "provides guests' individual booking information directly on their TV."
Bon appetit
According to Smith, the property will offer more food and beverage options than the other hotels in the area. Offerings will include 8 Block Kitchen & Bar, a 360-seat, full-service restaurant; Vitascope Hall, a 210-seat "media/action bar" with private and semiprivate lounges; a 70-seat atrium bar; a 60-seat Starbucks; and a 300-seat specialty restaurant to be headed by a soon-to-be-announced celebrity chef.
Meanwhile, Executive Chef Eric Damidot, formerly with Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, has created custom menus for both 8 Block Kitchen & Bar and Vitascope Hall, which will also feature a raw bar and sushi bar.
Other highlights of the new Hyatt Regency include a Regency Club for guests staying in premium accommodations; the 32nd-floor, 24-hour StayFit fitness center, staffed with a "fitness concierge"; and an in-room YogaAway Program that enables guests to order complete yoga workouts from their entertainment units.
For more, see www.neworleans.hyatt.com.