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 – August 2019

NEW DEVELOPMENTS:

• We look forward to several new developments this year, including a new airport, cocktail museum, children’s museum and more. For a full list of developments, click here.

• Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is on track to open the new 972,000 square-foot facility this fall.   
  • This new, world-class terminal complex will completely replace the current facility.
  • The $1 billion project includes in-line baggage screening, a consolidated security checkpoint to three concourses and 35 gates, a 2,200-car parking garage and more concessions options located down the concourse center aisles. 
  • Food and beverage concessions and news, gift and specialty treat retail concessions will feature a mix of local brands representative of Louisiana and New Orleans as well as national brands that appeal to both the local and visiting passengers, including Shake Shack, Mondo, Leah’s Kitchen and Midway Pizza.
  • The new facility is expected to increase the airport’s economic impact by approximately 20% in the next five years and will support 64,000 jobs and $6.4 billion in local spending.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• 15^th annual COOLinary New Orleans Restaurant Month will take place throughout the entire month of August, offering discounted menus from more than 100 restaurants across the city.
  • Participating restaurants will offer special two-course lunch menus for $20 or less, three-course dinner menus for $39 or less and three-course brunch menus for $39 or less.
  • See all participating restaurants here.
• The 6^th annual New Orleans Museum Month returns for the entire month of August encouraging locals to join a museum this summer.
  • With one museum membership, visitors gain complimentary access to all 18 participating museums for free all month long.
  • See all participating museums here.
• ​Stay & Play, formerly known as ‘Be A Tourist in Your Own Hometown’, will take place throughout the months of August and September encouraging locals to take advantage of all the city has to offer during the slower months.
  • More than 60 deals will be offered this year, including discounted rates at hotels, attractions, tours, dining options and more.
  • To see the full list of this year’s deals, click here.
• The 19^th annual Satchmo SummerFest is set to take place, August 2^nd-4^th, at the Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint.
  • The festival is considered the only traditional jazz festival in New Orleans and celebrates the music and legacy of Louis ‘Satchmo’ Armstrong.
• The 25^th annual Hancock Whitney White Linen Night, presented by the Contemporary Arts Center, will take place throughout the Arts/Warehouse District, August 3^rd.
  • This free event invites patrons of the arts to dress in white linen and browse more than 20 local galleries and museums on Julia Street.
  • There will be live music, art installations, special giveaways, food and cocktails and much more.
• The 25^th annual Red Dress Run will paint the French Quarter red on August 10^th.
  • Both men and women will don red dresses and race throughout the French Quarter to support more than 100 local charities.
• The 18^th annual Dirty Linen Night invites art enthusiasts, August 10^th, to put on their dirty linens from the previous weekend and stroll throughout the art galleries along Royal Street to admire the art and sample food and cocktails from several local restaurants.
• San Fermin in Nueva Orleans will host the 13^th annual New Orleans “Running of the Bulls” downtown, August 23^rd-25^th. The event was originally supposed to take place in July but was postponed due to impending weather conditions. 
  • The Big Easy Rollergirls and various other roller derby leagues act as bulls on Saturday’s “bull run”, chasing participants throughout the city’s Central Business District.
• The 48^th annual Southern Decadence events will take over the French Quarter, August 29^th-September 2^nd, for a weekend of LGBT parties, concerts, parades and revelry.
  • New Orleans is a major destination for LGBT travelers, affirming the history of diversity, tolerance and inclusiveness in welcoming all.

For a full list of events, click here.

HOTELS:

• HI New Orleans, the latest development from Hosteling International, officially opened at 1028 Canal Street last month. The state-of-the-art hostel features 24 private rooms, 122 dorm beds, a large common space and an onsite café, TaCreole, which serves Louisiana-inspired tacos, wine, beer and sake, and will be open by the end of the summer.
   
• The French Ministry of Culture included The Degas House in the Maisons des Illustres, a prestigious French designation which recognizes the famous museum and bed and breakfast as a French landmark.
  • The Maisons des Illustres honors homes for their historical value and for the people who lived in them. Their network includes the homes of writers, musicians and composers, actors, scientists, designers and world leaders.
     
• 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. 
   
• Local hospitality group Leblanc + Smith has added Hotel Chloë to their portfolio, a boutique-style hotel, featuring 15 rooms including four suites, a restaurant, a pool, pool bar and lobby bar. Hotel Chloë will be located Uptown on Saint Charles Avenue and is expected to open Winter 2019.

RESTAURANTS/BARS:

• The Tales of the Cocktail Foundation presented two New Orleans establishments with awards at their 13^th annual Spirited Awards which took place during the conference in late July. The Spirited Awards is one of the most prestigious and coveted honors in the in the industry since its creation in 2007.
  • Compére Lapin, which is situated inside The Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery, received the award of “Best American Hotel Bar” and the beloved French Quarter landmark, The Napoleon House, received the “Timeless American Award”.
• Coquette’s co-chefs Kristen Essig and Michael Stoltzfus are opening a new restaurant, Thalia, in the Lower Garden District in the coming weeks. The 37-seat restaurant will be an establishment for the neighborhood and will have a focus on community and sustainability.

​OPEN:

• The famous Café du Monde officially opened a new café in City Park at the end of July in the former Morning Call location.
  • The new location will be open daily serving beignets and café au lait from 6 a.m. to midnight and to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
• Palm & Pine recently opened on N. Rampart in early July by chef couple Amarys and Jordan Herndon. The menu reflects cuisine from the southern states, the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America.

NEW DIRECT FLIGHTS:

• Sun Country Airlines announced a new nonstop service from Providence, R.I. to New Orleans beginning on September 6^th, 2019. The flight will be offered three times per week.
• Spirit Airlines announced a new daily nonstop service to Nashville, Tenn. beginning on October 10^th, 2019.
• Allegiant Air announced a new seasonal service to Grand Rapids, Mich. with twice weekly flights beginning on October 3^rd, 2019.
• Frontier Airlines announced new seasonal weekly flights to Cincinnati beginning on November 15^th, 2019.
• Air Transat announced a new nonstop service to Montréal, Canada beginning in November 2019. The flight will be offered twice weekly.

MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS:

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

• Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA) LA Foodservice Expo | August 3^rd-5^th
  • The LA Foodservice Expo is the largest food expo in the southern region of the United States.
  • Presentation topics at this year’s expo will include “How to Build a High Functioning Restaurant Management Team” and “How to Price a Profitable Catering Proposal.”
  • The expo will host the 16^th annual Great American Seafood Cook-Off where chefs from around the country will battle to be named the King or Queen of American Seafood.
  • Projected attendance: 12,000
• Fraternal Order of Police Grand Lodge (FOP) Biennial August National Conference | August 12^th-15^th
  • This will be the 64^th conference of the Fraternal Order of Police.
  • Some of this year’s events include a cook-off, Mardi Gras World tours and an evening in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for officers to play football and enjoy ballpark favorite foods.
  • Projected attendance: 4,000

New Orleans & Company is a nationally accredited, 1,100-member destination marketing organization and the largest and most successful private economic development corporation in Louisiana. New Orleans & Company and its members and partners influence thousands of decision-makers and millions of visitors to choose New Orleans through direct sales, marketing, public relations, branding, visitor services and local advocacy initiatives at our New Orleans headquarters and offices in Chicago, Columbia, SC, Washington, D.C., the United Kingdom, France, Germany and China. Consistently recognized as one of the top five destination marketing organizations in the country, New Orleans & Company celebrates its 58th anniversary in 2018. For more information, please visit: Neworleans.com/about, Facebook.com/neworleansandco and Instagram.com/Neworleansandco.

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

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