The Roosevelt New Orleans

The Hotel

The Roosevelt New Orleans opened in 1893 as the Grunewald Hotel, renamed for Theodore Roosevelt in 1923, and has spent the century since becoming the civic centre of a city that takes its institutions seriously. A Waldorf Astoria property since 2009, it operates at the intersection of two things New Orleans does exceptionally well: ceremony and hospitality. The lobby corridor — 300 feet of marble, crystal chandeliers, and gilded ceiling — is one of the great arrival experiences in American hospitality.

The 504 rooms and suites have been renovated to a standard that respects the building's provenance without mummifying it. Period details — plasterwork cornices, tall windows, hardwood floors in the suites — are balanced against modern amenities executed without apology. The upper-floor suites overlooking Roosevelt Way and the CBD are particularly strong: rooms that feel like they belong to the city rather than borrowed from a global brand template.

The Sazerac Bar is not optional. Named for the cocktail that New Orleans gave to the world, it was restored in 2009 with Paul Ninas murals re-illuminated and the original mahogany bar returned to service. It functions simultaneously as the city's most storied drinking room and its most reliable people-watching post — the bar where politicians, businesspeople, and visitors with good taste share the same space without hierarchy. Order the namesake. Order it correctly: rye, not bourbon.

Domenica, the hotel's Italian restaurant, is legitimately good — not merely good-for-a-hotel-restaurant, but good by the standards of a city with one of America's most serious dining cultures. The rooftop pool and Spa Roosevelt operate at the level you'd expect from a Waldorf Astoria. The fitness centre is complete and well-maintained. The concierge team knows New Orleans in the way that matters: where to eat when everything is booked, what to avoid, and when to suggest the walk instead of the car.

Best for Anniversary

The Roosevelt provides what New Orleans anniversaries require: grandeur without pretension, a bar worth dressing for, and a city outside the door that rewards the couple willing to stay up past midnight. The Waldorf Astoria's anniversary packages include room upgrades, champagne, and Sazerac Bar reservations that bypass the walk-in queue. Book a corner suite on the upper floors for the view along Canal Street at dusk — the city lights at that hour are specific to New Orleans and unrepeatable elsewhere.

Best for Business

The CBD location puts you within walking distance of the Convention Center, the Superdome, and the law firms and energy companies that make up New Orleans' serious economy. The Roosevelt's meeting rooms are among the best-equipped in the city. The Waldorf Astoria brand carries weight with out-of-town clients. The Sazerac Bar is the most effective post-meeting venue in New Orleans — the room signals that you know the city well enough to choose it, which is the whole point.

Rates from $289/night. Check availability directly.