New Orleans News | Press

New Orleans' monthly Media Update covers the latest travel and tourism developments around town. Please email jhollings@neworleans.com to be added to our media mailing list.

What’s New in New Orleans Hospitality Industry – February 2020

NEW DEVELOPMENTS:

For a full list of developments, click here.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Mardi Gras season officially kicked off on Monday, January 6^th, known as Twelfth Night. Parades will continue through Mardi Gras Day on Tuesday, February 25^th. 
  • Carnival Season welcomes more than one million people to the streets of New Orleans and generates more than $1 billion in economic impact.
  • The Krewe of Rex chose the colors of Mardi Gras in 1872, with purple representing justice, gold representing power and green representing faith.
  • There are a handful of smaller walking Krewes that parade through the French Quarter and Marigny in the weeks and days leading up to Mardi Gras Day. These Krewes usually have very specific themes, such as the Krewe of Cork, who celebrate wine and food, and the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus,which is most known for their love of all things science fiction, and ‘tit Rex, which is New Orleans’ first and only microkrewe that makes floats out of shoeboxes.

• New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival recently announced their 2020 lineup. The festival celebrates its 51^st year and is set to take place over two consecutive weekends: April 23^rd-26^th and April 30^th-May 3^rd.
  • Headliners include The Who, Dead & Company, Stevie Nicks, Foo Fighters, Lizzo and many more.
• The Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium’s (LUMCON) is hosting Meet the Fleet, a free multiday public event featuring the flagship vessels of Louisiana’s scientific research fleet, May 8^th-10^th at Crescent Park.
  • The Research Vessel (R/V) Pelican and the R/V Acadiana, owned and operated by LUMCON, will be featured and open for the public tours will be given by the vessels’ crews.
  • The two vessels will form the centerpiece of the event while LUMCON scientists and education staff display hands-on activities and provide information about marine research at booths set up dockside.

For a full list of events, click here.

HOTELS:

• Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants will open a new property in New Orleans, scheduled to open in early 2020. The Kimpton Hotel Fontenot will pay homage to the city’s rich musical history and the inspirational musicians behind it.
  • The 202-room hotel is located at the corner of Poydras and Tchoupitoulas Streets in the Warehouse District and will feature a signature restaurant and bar, and a corner café.
• Local hospitality group Leblanc + Smith has added Hotel Chloë to their portfolio, a boutique-style hotel, featuring 14 rooms including a restaurant, pool, pool bar and lobby bar. Hotel Chloë will be located Uptown on Saint Charles Avenue and is expected to open Spring 2020.
   
• The Four Seasons is currently under construction in the former World Trade Center building along the Mississippi Riverfront and is expected to open in late 2020.
  • The 34-story, mixed-use development will house a 341-key hotel on the lower floors and 81 luxury condominiums on the upper floors and two restaurants, and 22,500 square feet of meeting space.
• Virgin Hotels New Orleans will open their latest lifestyle hotel in the city’s Warehouse District located at 550 Baronne Street in 2021. The project officially broke ground in May 2019. 

RESTAURANTS:

• Antoine’s Restaurant will celebrate 180 years in business with a series of special events, menus and commemorations throughout 2020. As one of New Orleans’ culinary grand dames, Antoine’s legacy and heritage of French-Creole cuisine has stood the test of time unlike any restaurant in America.
  • Antoine’s is the birthplace of the world-famous Oysters Rockefeller, the oldest family-owned restaurant in the country and the oldest business in New Orleans.
  • Under the guidance of Executive Chef Rich Lee and fifth generation CEO Rick Blount – the great great grandson of founder Antoine Alciatore – 2020 will be a year of commemorating traditional New Orleans cooking as well as its evolution.
• Broussard’s Restaurant & Courtyard, one of the original grande dame dining establishments in the French Quarter, will celebrate its 100^th anniversary throughout 2020. The revelry will begin with a special kick-off event with a 100-glass champagne toast and will continue throughout the year with specialty menus, drinks and special events.

NEW DIRECT FLIGHTS:

• Condor Airlines will return for its third season with flights to Frankfurt, Germany from May 23^rd – September 19^th, 2020.
• Air Transat began a twice weekly nonstop service to Montréal, Canada in November 2019. The flight was extended to a year-round service before the launch.
• British Airways announced a sixth frequency to London in November. The Monday-Saturday service will begin on March 29^th, 2020.  

MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS:

                Meetings (3,000 or more in attendance) includes:

• Rock N’ Roll Mardi Gras Marathon | February 8^th-9^th
  • Attendees can run through the iconic French Quarter with the option of running a full or half marathon.
  • New Orleans has a flat and fast course that is perfect for beginners and anyone looking to set a personal record.
  • Projected attendance: 20,000
• National Association of College Stores (NACS) Annual Meeting/Campus Market Expo | February 8^th-11^th
  • The Campus Market Expo provides the opportunity to connect with attendees from 500+ stores from around the country.
  • Some of the featured stores include: University of Central Arkansas Bookstore, Harvard Cooperative Society, Tulane University Bookstore, Chegg, Inc.
  • Projected attendance: 4,300
• True Value Company Spring Reunion | February 13^th-16^th
  • The True Value Spring Reunion welcomes all independent retailers for the first time.
  • There will be educational sessions, keynote speakers, giveaways and entertainment from legendary rock bands and attendee-only discounts.
  • Projected attendance: 10,000
• Society for Personality & Social Psychology (SPSP) Annual Convention | February 27^th-29^th
  • This is the leading international event for more than 3,800 social and personality psychologists.
  • The attendees include professionals from non-profit, government and private sectors.
  • Projected attendance: 3,200
• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Annual Winter National Convention | February 27^th-March 4^th
  • This conference is the place where the experts of America’s electric cooperatives can make professional connections, exchange practices, discuss current issues and create agendas for improving the industry.
  • Charles Duhigg, a New York Times bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, is a general session keynote speaker.
  • The band, Wynonna & The Big Noise, will perform at the conferences annual Entertainment Night.
  • Projected attendance: 11,000

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Media Contact
Julia Hollings
504-566-5019
jhollings@neworleans.com

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