GE TO OPEN NEW TECHNOLOGY CENTER IN NEW ORLEANS
February 20th, 2012 City of New Orleans announces new information technology jobs…
City of New Orleans Press Release
February 17, 2012
NORWALK, Conn. – February 17, 2012 – GE (NYSE: GE) today announced that it will open the GE Capital Technology Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The center is expected to grow to 300 information technology professionals over the next three years, and focus on developing innovative new software, processes and technologies to drive excellence for its financial services business, GE Capital. This commitment builds on the GE Works event held earlier this week in
Washington, DC, where the Company announced 400 new Aviation jobs in the U.S. and a number of programs to promote economic growth in the U.S.
“New Orleans has many of the things we need to build a center – a great location, talent, and an attractive business environment,” Brackett Denniston, GE’s senior vice president and general counsel, said. “These are high value, skilled jobs that will help us effectively respond to increasing demand in our financial services business, and better support GE Capital’s future growth by developing and deploying innovative technologies to make our businesses even more productive and competitive.”
“Information technology is a critical part of how we compete in the marketplace and support our key stakeholders,” said Martha Poulter, vice president and chief information officer (CIO) for GE Capital. “The New Orleans Technology Center, a first for GE Capital, will be a valuable asset for the business, giving us more capabilities and new talent to win.”
While hiring for the center will not begin until 2Q, interested candidates can go to www.ge.com/careers/ge_capital_technology_center.html for the latest information.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said, “Our unparalleled quality of life, New Orleans’ rapidly growing technology sector and our commitment to build the best economy of the future, right here in Louisiana, attracted GE Capital and brought this project to our state. With today’s announcement, Louisiana is continuing to prove our mettle in the software development world, the information sector and the corporate world. The bottom line is that we will not rest until
Louisiana is known as a major hub of corporate headquarters and software and technology centers of excellence.”
“I’m really pleased to have worked side-by-side with folks at GE and state officials for several months to make these jobs a reality,” U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-LA) said. “Today’s decision by GE is further confirmation of the growth potential for the tech sector in Louisiana and a testament to the facilities and talent available in the region. These are good jobs that will be filled by a ready and capable workforce, and they’ll be a significant boon to our local economy.”
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said, “GE’s decision to bring 300 new, high-tech jobs to New Orleans is a major coup for our city. GE is an international business leader, and this announcement is a decisive show of confidence in our city’s business climate. I look forward to having a community partner here like GE that is rooted in renewing and strengthening our country’s global competitiveness through innovation and manufacturing. This project adds to the momentum we have seen locally and is a product of the unmatched coordination and partnership between the city, the state, and local economic development agencies and private businesses including GNO, Inc., the New Orleans Business Alliance, and Ochsner.”
“The leadership demonstrated by Mayor Mitch Landrieu proved to GE that New Orleans has the talented IT workforce needed to make this new technology center successful,” said U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA). “This investment will help with recruitment efforts with high tech firms, build our IT workforce and help raise New Orleans’ profile as an IT corridor. It will further highlight our work in the aerospace sector and position our region for continued growth in the digital media and movie industries. I am proud to be a part of the team that brought this center to New Orleans.”
This center, which is expected to open in mid-2012, is just one of several examples of GE investing in America and creating jobs.
Today’s announcement in New Orleans is part of a three-year trend of GE investing in technology centers in important American cities, similar to New Orleans, across the country. In Detroit, GE opened the Advanced Manufacturing and Software Technology Center that employs roughly 800 information technologists and will bring 1,100 jobs to Michigan by 2013. In Richmond, Virginia, GE opened the Information Security Technology Center that will house 200 hi-tech IT security professionals. In San Ramon, California, GE’s Global Software Center will hire 400 software professionals focused on increasing the pace of innovation, collaboration and commercialization of new technologies.
In 2011 alone, GE announced the creation of over 8,000 new U.S. jobs and today’s commitment brings total new U.S. job announcements since 2009 to over 13,500. GE’s ongoing job creation, including previously announced plans to build 16 U.S. factories, will provide sustained U.S. job growth in 2012 and beyond.
Earlier in the week, GE announced plans to invest in a number of additional job creation projects and economic development programs:
• Launching pilot programs with partners to improve healthcare delivery in Louisville, KY, and Erie, PA, to achieve better health at lower costs in each community. This follows a successful program in Cincinnati that has resulted in significantly lower costs for both local employers and providers while improving access and maintaining quality care.
• Hiring 5,000 U.S. veterans over the next five years and sponsoring a “Hire our Heroes” partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to help veterans integrate into the civilian workforce and match them to jobs.
• Opening several manufacturing skill-building centers called “GE Garages” to spark interest in skills for jobs and partnering with GOOD/Corps on the What Works Project, a new interactive platform to highlight what works by inviting the public to submit stories, images or video depictions of what is currently driving American competitiveness. The project will award up to $10,000 each week through November to selected non-profit organizations that support American jobs and skills training.
• Doubling the number of GE engineering interns to more than 5,000 as part of an initiative proposed by the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness to add 10,000 more engineering graduates a year in the U.S.
For the latest about GE’s job creation in the US, please go to:
http://www.gereports.com/ges-american-jobs-map-over-10000-new-jobs-announced-since-2009/
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Downtown hotels nearly filled to the brim
February 17th, 2012Last year, hotels were giddy with excitement as thousands of students, lured by warmer weather and the freedom of spring break, descended on New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras. Read the rest of this entry »
Rating on-time performance at Armstrong Airport
February 16th, 2012“Nationwide, nearly 84 percent of flights were on time in December, 85.4 percent of all flights in New Orleans…”
February 15, 2012
By Christian Moises,New Editor
Nearly 85.4 percent of all flights at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport were on time in December, according to U.S. Department of Transportation figures released Tuesday.
Breaking down the 15 percent of flights that arrived or departed late in December: 5.6 percent were because of air carrier delays; 4.4 percent were attributed to in-flight issues; 3.85 percent were held up by the national aviation system; 0.3 percent were slowed by weather; and only 0.14 percent were cancelled or diverted.
A flight is considered delays after 15 minutes of not departing or arriving.
Here’s how airlines serving Armstrong measured up:
– AirTran Airways, 90.2 percent;
– Southwest, 87.2 percent;
– Delta, 86.6 percent;
– Mesa Airlines, 85.5 percent;
– US Airways, 84.9 percent;
– SkyWest Airlines, 84.85 percent;
– United, 84.1 percent;
– Continental, 83.5 percent;
– American, 82.5 percent;
– American Eagle, 76.7 percent.
– JetBlue, 74.8 percent; and
– Frontier, 64.5 percent .
Nationwide, nearly 84 percent of flights were on time in December. Of the 16 percent that arrived or departed late: 4.5 percent were because of air carrier delays; 5.2 percent were attributed to in-flight issues; 4.7 percent were held up by the national aviation system; 0.9 percent were cancelled or diverted; and 0.3 percent were slowed by weather.
New Hotel openings lead to renovations
February 16th, 2012Two hotels complete renovations making them more competitive with the new hotels…
2/15/2012
By Richard Webster, Staff Writer
The Windsor Court Hotel, the city’s only four-star rated property, has completed a multimillion dollar renovation that general manager David Teich believes could push the establishment to five-star territory.
The Berger Co., which purchased the hotel from Orient-Express Hotels in 2009, invested more than $25 million in the renovation which includes a new pool, spa, and craft cocktail bar in the lobby.
All of the public spaces were redone, from the Club Level Lounge to the Grill Room, the Polo Club Lounge and Le Salon. And all 316 guest rooms and suites were completely gutted and redesigned at a cost of $50,000 per room.
It had been 13 years since the Windsor Court underwent such an extensive renovation and given the arrival of new hotels such as the Roosevelt and the return of the Hyatt, it was important for them to keep their competitive advantage, Teich said.
In addition to the Windsor Court’s facelift, the Bourbon Orleans Hotel has completed a $17 million renovation of its 218 luxury guestrooms and 28 balcony suites. The renovation began in August and includes new carpeting, wall colors and coverings, interior plantation shutters and furnishings.
The refurbished bathrooms have extra counter space, black granite surfaces, and large black tile and glass enclosed shower areas. Other in-room amenities include complimentary wireless Internet access, hard-wired Internet access, 42-inch flat screen televisions and ergonomic Herman Miller-designed desk chairs.
The room renovations complete major property upgrades including a repainting of all exterior balconies and window frames, and the addition of an enlarged, glass-fronted fitness center on the hotel’s second floor.
Bourbon Orleans Hotel Completes Multimillion-Dollar Renovation
February 13th, 2012New bedding and in-room amenities part of the renovations…
HotelBusiness.com
2/10/2012
NEW ORLEANS—The Bourbon Orleans Hotel has completed a multimillion-dollar renovation affecting all of the hotel’s 218 luxury guestrooms and 28 balcony suites. The renovation began in August, restoring the iconic French Quarter hotel’s accommodations.
The guestroom upgrades include a new bedding package, new carpeting, refreshed wall colors and coverings, interior plantation shutters and new furnishings. The refurbished bathrooms feature granite countertops and glass-enclosed showers. Other in-room amenities include complimentary wireless Internet, hard-wired Internet, in-room coffee and bottled water service and 42-in., flat-screen TVs.
Major property upgrades include repainting of all exterior balconies and window frames and the addition of an enlarged, glass-fronted fitness center on the hotel’s second floor, which is free to guests.
Mardi Gras parades will pause for 2013 Super Bowl
February 7th, 2012“Krewes have been alerted of the move in dates for 2013″
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
By Jaquetta White, The Times-Picayune
New Orleanians may still be polishing off holiday leftovers when the first parade of the Mardi Gras season rolls on the city streets next year. With the 2013 Super Bowl in New Orleans falling on what would be the first big parade weekend, the Carnival kickoff will start one week earlier.
View full sizeGrant Therkildsen, The Times-PicayuneThe Krewe of Slidellians Mardi Gras parade, with the theme ‘Anything Goes, rolls down Ponchartrain Boulevard on Saturday. There will be a nine-day gap between parading weekends next year, to allow the city to focus on Super Bowl XLVII.
As was the case for Mardi Gras 2002 after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, the 2013 parade season will be cut in two, with the first week of Carnival beginning Jan. 25 instead of Feb. 1. That will be followed by a nine-day break in parading as city officials, the tourism industry and police turn their attention to Super Bowl XLVII.
The Super Bowl will be Feb. 3, and Mardi Gras falls on Feb. 12 in 2013.
The parade season will pick up again after the big game. Traditionally, the official Carnival season consists of 12 consecutive days that culminate on Fat Tuesday.
“While it’s not an ideal situation, it’s still very good for the city,” said Sonny Borey, chairman of the Mayor’s Mardi Gras Advisory Committee. “Hopefully, we’ve informed (Carnival krewes) early enough that they can schedule their balls and get the rooms they need for their guests.”
Krewe captains were alerted to the change about a month ago, said Wayne Lee, captain of the Krewe of Carrollton. The switch affects at least eight New Orleans krewes that parade Uptown and on the West Bank. It is not known whether parades in suburban parishes will follow the split schedule.
The Krewe of Carrollton was scheduled to roll on Feb. 3, the same Sunday as the Super Bowl, with the organization’s ball set to take place Friday, Feb. 1. Instead, Carrollton will parade one week earlier on Jan. 27 and celebrate with a ball on Jan. 25, Lee said.
View full sizeMardi Gras parades moving in 2013 due to Super Bowl XLVIIThe change hasn’t had much effect on the krewe’s plans, Lee said, because the year-in-advance notice meant that the organization could book the same hotel for its ball, and out-of-town members don’t have to scramble to change travel plans. Lee said he’s relieved a decision wasn’t made to try to cram all parades into one weekend instead.
The only downside to parading on the earlier weekend, Lee said, is that it moves the Mardi Gras celebration that much closer to the holidays.
“That hurts a little bit,” Lee said. “You try to give people a little time. We won’t have enough time to get the excitement built up. You’re going from Christmas to New Year’s to Mardi Gras.”
This isn’t the first time the Carnival parade season has been sliced in two. The precedent was set the last time New Orleans hosted the Super Bowl.
Coincidentally, that game also was played on Feb. 3. Super Bowl XXXVI initially was scheduled for Jan. 27, 2002, the week before parade season. But the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, caused the NFL to skip a weekend of games, and the league asked to change the date of the Super Bowl so that it could still play a full schedule that season. The new date put the game on the first weekend of Mardi Gras.
But, the NFL didn’t reconfirm that New Orleans would be hosting the Super Bowl and that the big game would occur one week later than planned until mid-October 2001, leaving only three months for planning, said Jay Cicero, president and chief executive officer of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and executive director of the Super Bowl XLVII host committee.
“There was a real hardship last time,” Hardy said. “It wasn’t expected.”
As a result, some krewes had to scale back in size. The 11 krewes forced to change their schedules that year received financial compensation from the NFL. The details of the settlement were confidential, but the krewes had asked for $550,000, or $50,000 per krewe. The NFL also paid the National Automobile Dealers Association $7.5 million that year to move its meeting to the Super Bowl’s original slot.
The 2013 rescheduling isn’t expected to have the same effect because the affected Carnival krewes have been given greater notice.
“It’s been planned since we won the bid,” Cicero said. “The Convention Center is completely on hold and has been since 2009. All the hotels are completely on hold for the NFL and have been since 2009.”
Countdown Begins
February 7th, 2012Tuesday, February 7, 2012
By: Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune
Indianapolis — The New York Giants weren’t the only winners at Super Bowl XLVI. The city of Indianapolis won big, too.
On Monday, as the Giants were planning today’s victory parade in the Big Apple, Indy officials put a bow on what was by all accounts the cleanest, most efficient, visitor-friendly Super Bowl in league history.
Things couldn’t have gone much better for the fine folks in the Circle City.
Jeff Roberson / The Associated PressFootball fans crowd the streets Sunday at Super Bowl Village in Indianapolis, which had 1.105 million visitors over the weekend for Super Bowl XLVI.
Mother Nature offered a week of unseasonably warm sunny days. The city’s compact downtown grid, which is roughly the size of the French Quarter, kept all the events safe and within walking distance of each other. And thanks to the army of friendly volunteers on every street corner, crime was almost nonexistent.
Only about 50 arrests for minor violations were reported Sunday, city officials said Monday. No homicides occurred during the 10-day event schedule.
That’s impressive, considering the crowd sizes. Indy officials said the Super Bowl Village had 1.105 million visitors and the NFL Experience registered a record 265,039 visitors. A total of 10,429 people rode the wildly popular 800-foot zip line along Capitol Avenue.
Not everything was perfect. While the city’s small downtown grid was friendly for pedestrians, it created a traffic-gridlock nightmare. The city’s limited downtown hotel capacity of 6,000 hotel rooms forced many folks to lodge outside downtown. And don’t get me started on the limited restaurant scene.
“The people were fantastic and genuinely happy that everyone was in town,” said Jay Cicero, the CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and the executive director of the Super Bowl XLVII host committee. “I think they had prepared themselves for the worst of circumstances in terms of the weather Ñ and when the weather turned out great, they were poised to take full advantage of it. It was a spectacle. Their downtown infrastructure was strained but I think their hospitality was so overwhelming, people didn’t mind.”
The New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee now has its work cut out for it to live up XLVI’s standards. Expectations were already high for New Orleans’ first Super Bowl in 11 years. Indy’s success has only raised the bar.
There was plenty to learn for the 50 or so New Orleans Super Bowl staffers who descended upon the Circle City last week to evaluate the event. In addition to the entire host committee, representatives from the Convention & Visitors Bureau, NOPD, City Hall, EMS and the Superdome were on hand to monitor the operation.
They left impressed but confident. In fact, some in the New Orleans contingent sounded downright cocky as they surveyed the madhouse at the Super Bowl XLVI media headquarters.
“They’ve done a great job, but as nice as this is, this is not New Orleans, OK?” said James Carville, co-chairman of the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee. “The people are very nice. It’s efficient, and it’s got a Midwestern friendliness. Those are things that you expect in this state. É But if they think this is a great job, then hold on horses, it’s been too long since 2002.”
In the decade since New Orleans last hosted the event, the Super Bowl landscape has changed dramatically. The event has grown exponentially. Competition is fiercer than ever. And the city of New Orleans has experienced, as Carville called it, “that engineering failure” in 2005.
New Orleans officials seem to understand this. Cicero said the committee isn’t taking for granted that New Orleans has already hosted the Super Bowl nine times. City officials know there’s a lot on the line.
New Orleans can’t simply hose down the French Quarter, roll out a few brass bands and think everything is going to be dandy.
“I think it’s really important that we show our city off in the best possible way,” Carville said. “And I think that you’re going to see people come together and try to do that. We know how to handle these things.”
The biggest mistake New Orleans can make is to try to duplicate the Indy Super Bowl. This unique American city needs to maintain its distinct charm and eccentricity. The zip line is fun and all Ñ but it’s not New Orleans.
“I believe that New Orleans the city is going to be the star,” Carville said. “I look at us as this great, plump gorgeous oyster. You might want to put a little bit of your favorite sauce on it. But not too much. The oyster is enough. That’s our philosophy.”
Carville is right about one thing. America still loves us. That was evident at the Super Bowl XLVI media center last week, where lines snaked daily from the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee’s booth to partake in the daily free servings of gumbo, jambalaya and king cake.
Indeed, in New Orleans, we’ve always had the hard parts down. Culture. Entertainment. Ambience. Aesthetics. We’ve got all of it.
It’s the simple stuff that somehow bedevils us. Like cleaning up the place. Or fixing the streets. Or having clean cabs with, say, credit-card service and operable seat belts.
All of these things need to be in line, along with scheduled improvements to Louis Armstrong International Airport. We’ve got a year to get it done.
“We’re going to raise the bar and bring the heat next year,” New Orleans Super Bowl host committee point man Rod West said Friday night.
New Orleans officials are confident Super Bowl XLVII is going to be a huge success.
As Mardi Gras, the Final Four and Jazz Fest beckon, New Orleans is on the clock.
It’s also on the spot.
New Orleans airport to choose consultant today
February 1st, 2012January 31, 2012
By Michelle Krupa, The Times-Picayune
New Orleans officials Wednesday are slated to choose the first of five consultants whose work would serve as a blueprint for overhauling oft-derided Louis Armstrong International Airport, which Mayor Mitch Landrieu last summer said he plans to transform into a “world-class” airport. Airport officials and top Landrieu aides in August suggested two plans that could satisfy the mayor’s wish: expanding the existing airfield by adding new terminals to the west, or constructing a new main terminal on airport-owned property between the current airport and Interstate 10, adjacent to dense Kenner neighborhoods.
View full sizeTimes-Picayune archiveUnder one scenario, the Louis Armstrong International Airport terminal would be converted into a cargo station.
Though both alternatives remain on the table, city and airport officials seem to be leaning toward the second option.
During an hourlong presentation Tuesday to the City Council’s airport committee, Aviation Director Iftikhar Ahmad rolled out a sophisticated presentation that showed a new passenger terminal along Veterans Memorial Boulevard.
A short animated video took viewers on a simulated flight down the Mississippi River, through downtown New Orleans and into Metairie, and showed the current terminal converted into a cargo station.
Besides highlighting rail and highway access to the site, the video featured arrows indicating the potential movement of goods from the stretch of river nearest the airport to the converted terminal — apparently through residential areas.
Though Ahmad emphasized the clip aimed to offer only one of many options industry experts might suggest, he said after the meeting that increasing cargo traffic could generate revenue to finance the construction of passenger facilities.
“If we could do intermodal, we could attract some more business here,” he said. “There are hundreds of millions of tons of goods coming to the Port of New Orleans. Can I take 1 million tons and send it out through aviation?
“I bet I would make more money than Gary LaGrange,” Ahmed said, referring to the port president. “And federal law … mandates that I must spend that money at that airport, and what that creates is opportunities.”
Landrieu’s top aide, Andy Kopplin, last summer touted a new terminal as the more affordable choice because construction would occur outside the existing flight security zone. He also noted the potential lucrative reuse of the current terminal, possibly as a cargo transit hub.
Airport officials today are expected to choose from among four firms competing to serve as project manager for a broad analysis of the two options, which were laid out in the airport’s long-term strategic plan long before Landrieu expressed his support.
The management firm would oversee other consultants that would handle architectural design, environmental assessment, land-use and development and a financial feasibility study, Ahmad told council members.
Together, the contracts are expected to cost $7.5 million and to all be awarded by May, he said, adding that completion of the work is hard to peg because environmental evaluations could delay the planning process from six to 18 months.
Ahmad has estimated that a new airport, or a significantly renovated one, could cost more than $1 billion, with financing coming from a patchwork of federal money, local airline fees and other sources — but almost certainly not a local fee or tax that would affect residents who don’t use the airport.
While supporting the concept of an improved Louis Armstrong International, Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell emphasized that airport officials must figure out how to pay for the project themselves.
“The public has reached a saturation point on government asking for money,” she said.
Aviation Board Chairman Nolan Rollins sounded a similar theme. In soliciting firms to analyze the options, he said a key question the board wants answered is, “How do we make sure these costs aren’t passed on to the general public?”
Hotel industry looks for deal pace to pick up
January 30th, 2012...development is still a soft spot as tight credit conditions have limited new-hotel builds…
Fri Jan 27, 2012
By Karen Jacobs Thomson Reuters – reuters.com
(Reuters) – Hotel companies and real estate firms are optimistic that deal transactions will pick up this year despite concerns about Europe’s economy and challenges in obtaining debt financing.
While a business-led economic recovery has helped lift U.S. hotel occupancy rates, development is still a soft spot as tight credit conditions have limited new-hotel builds. Still, there is a growing sense that the hotel sector has momentum and performance will continue to improve.
“People are expecting 2012 to be a pretty positive year, with solid performance by the industry in terms of the demand for hotel accommodations and the ability to get deals done,” Arthur de Haast, chairman of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, said at this week’s Americas Lodging Investment Summit.
The hotel investment services firm has forecast that hotel deals in the Americas this year will at least match the 2011 level in value of an estimated $15 billion.
U.S. hotel deal activity picked up in the first half of 2011 but calmed in the latter part of the year as debt woes in Europe began dominating the headlines.
While Europe is still a risk, attendees at the three-day hotel conference said a continued recovery marked by rising room rates would make the sector attractive for investment.
“There’s a lot of money on the sidelines waiting to pounce and find opportunities,” said Christian Charre, president and chief executive of the Charre Group, a Florida-based hotel brokerage and consulting firm.
FOREIGN MONEY
Private equity funds that have capital will be in a good position to make acquisitions, some said. Real estate investment trusts were active buyers in the first half of 2011 but are expected to be quieter this year as their share prices suffered in the latter part of 2011.
“The mix of the investors probably will change,” said Sri Sambamurthy, co-founder of real estate firm West Point Partners in New York. He said Middle Eastern, European and Asian investors especially find the U.S. market to be extremely attractive now.
“The U.S. is still considered very safe, the dollar has performed extraordinarily well,” Sambamurthy added.
Hotel companies said they were looking to make acquisitions in a bid to expand their reach.
“No question that we’ll be active in the marketplace in 2012,” said Paul Whetsell, president and chief executive of Loews Hotels, which owns and/or operates 18 hotels. The unit of Loews Corp has committed more than $500 million to acquiring hotels or developing new properties.
Whetsell said Loews is looking for 4-star or higher-rated hotels in major cities where it does not have a presence such as Boston, Washington, San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as smaller markets like Charlotte, North Carolina, and Baltimore, Maryland.
Choice Hotels International, which franchises hotels focused mainly at the mid-tier and economy market segments under brands such as Comfort Inn and Econo Lodge, said it is in the hunt to acquire a value-oriented, full-service upscale brand that would help attract more business customers.
“We clearly would be a very aggressive purchaser of brands that come up,” Choice Chief Executive Steve Joyce said in an interview.
(Editing by Gary Hill)
New Orleans in great shape for a great Mardi Gras
January 30th, 2012
The New Orleans hospitality industry is geared up to treat visitors to a great carnival season.
Hotels in the city are ready for the influx as more and more of them are reopening, rehabbing, or starting out brand new.
Jennifer Day-Sully, with the Convention and Visitors Bureau, says accommodations are better than ever.
“The city is offering an extremely fresh hotel stock…lovely new renovations across the city…some new hotels.”
The New Orleans Hyatt Regency has gone through a $275 million renovation, with almost 2,000 all-new guest rooms available for the Hyatt’s first Carnival since Katrina.
The stock of French Quarter hotels now includes the fully renovated Hotel Mazarin, formerly the Saint Louis, on Bienville.
The Saint is a new hotel, poised to take advantage of its Mardi Gras proximity on Canal Street with 166 rooms.
Hotel Modern, newly opened on Lee Circle, is also a prime parade spot, with viewing stands located in front of the hotel directly on St. Charles Avenue.
The Monteleone’s Carousel Bar has expanded its seating area with windows now offering a view of Royal Street.
“Hotels across the city are really digging in and making sure that their properties look amazing,” says Sully.
And, hotel occupancy rates already look like there’ll be quite a Carnival crowd here to enjoy them.
“It’s looking like we’re in the high 80’s to low 90’s for all of the days,” Sully says.
She says the new airport concourse will offer visitors a much improved first impression of New Orleans.
She also says the transportation system is improving, and the hospitality industry has gotten very positive feedback from tourists regarding the taxicab situation.
The city’s newest form of transportation is also proving to be a big hit.
“We’ve gotten lots of feedback from our clients and our visitors that they really enjoy the pedicabs.”
