Dive Brief:
- Omni Hotels & Resorts will build a 1,000-room headquarters hotel across the street from New Orleans’ Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, following the convention center authority’s approval Thursday, Omni announced.
- Omni has been in discussions for the convention hotel project since 2018, it shared, and the approval follows Omni’s pledge in May to invest more than $500 million in the project. As part of its agreement with New Orleans’ convention authority, Omni will guarantee all of the private capital needed for the project.
- With the Omni New Orleans hotel, Omni hopes to build on its brand strength in the meetings and events sector, as well as draw new convention business to the city.
Dive Insight:
Omni New Orleans is slated to open in 2029, with construction expected to begin in 2026. The hotel will feature 100,000 square feet of meeting space, several restaurants and bars, a rooftop pool, a spa and a parking garage, according to Omni. Located on the site currently known as the Sugar Mill event venue, the project will also include an upgrade to the adjacent Mississippi River Heritage Park, Omni shared.
In a statement, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry called the hotel “a gamechanger for the tourism industry that powers New Orleans,” adding that it “will draw new meetings, conventions and business travelers to the region, benefiting hospitality-related businesses and creating more jobs for residents.”
Omni claims to have completed more convention center headquarters hotels than any other developer in the last 15 years. Omni operates other convention hotels in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; Atlanta; and Boston.
The hotel will be the resort operator’s second property in New Orleans following Omni Royal Orleans, which Omni has operated for “decades,” according to the announcement. Omni acquired the Omni Royal Orleans building in 2021.
The company added that its $500 million-plus investment reflects its “longstanding conviction in New Orleans,” and that the new hotel will “help attract events that have previously passed on New Orleans because the city lacks a modern, upscale headquarters hotel adjacent to the Convention Center.”
Omni said that upon the hotel’s completion, it will support approximately 1,400 permanent jobs and generate roughly $213.6 million in annual impact on the local economy.
Omni did not immediately respond to a Hotel Dive request for further comment.
