Johanna Jainchill
New Orleans, 10 years later
After Hurricane Katrina, many wondered if New Orleans could be rebuilt. A decade later, the city has been reconstructed, reborn and revitalized. Read More
Michael Smith might be looking forward to the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina more than anyone else in New Orleans, because once the date passes, the city, and Smith, can finally put the storm behind them.
Smith was, unquestionably but quietly, one of the city's most important figures during both the immediate aftermath of the storm and the city's rebuilding efforts.
As general manager of the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, Smith found himself coordinating what became the city's ground zero during the three months after the storm until the hotel, itself badly damaged by the storm, closed its doors on Dec. 15, 2005, not to open again for six years.
The Hyatt exterior, damaged by Katrina, left, and post-Katrina renovation.
The city's mayor at the time of the storm, Ray Nagin, lived in the hotel during the aftermath. Homeland Security, the National Guard and scores of journalists were also based there. And when tens of thousands of refugees were evacuated from the adjacent Superdome, which was attached by a bridge to the Hyatt, they walked through the hotel to get to the buses that would take them out of the city.
Smith coordinated all of it.
A Hyatt guestroom destroyed by Katrina, left, and a renovated guestroom.
But he doesn't want to talk about that. Far more than a hotel GM, Smith is one of the city's business leaders. He works closely with the mayor on economic development projects. Instead of talking about the 10th anniversary of Katrina, he is already thinking about the city's 300th anniversary celebrations in 2018, for which he is part of the planning committee.
And rather than discuss the Hyatt's role in the aftermath of the storm, Smith wants to talk about the phenomenal success the hotel has enjoyed since reopening in 2011 after a $285 million renovation, a 40% increase in revenue since 2004, and the new Hyatt House being built adjacent to it.
The Hyatt pool after the storm, left, and after renovation.
"I thought it was my calling to come back," he said of his return to New Orleans to rebuild and open the hotel after a short diversion to Washington right after the storm. "But I couldn't imagine it would be like this."
He said, "The murder rate is at a 40-year low. The city is cleaner, more vibrant and more diverse. It has a downtown like never before. We are developing the waterfront, the airport.
"This renaissance will be told in the annals of New Orleans' history. It will stand the test of time."