Pontchartrain Hotel

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Coordinates: 29°56′06″N 90°04′47″W / 29.9350°N 90.0796°W / 29.9350; -90.0796
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Pontchartrain Hotel, with the St. Charles Streetcar running in front

The Pontchartrain Hotel is a

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.[1]

History

Albert Aschaffenburg Sr., a prominent New Orleans capitalist and real estate developer, planned to build the Pontchartrain Hotel next door to the Orpheum Theater, but died in 1918 before the development got underway. His son, E. Lysle Aschaffenburg, resurrected the concept in 1926, but chose a site on St. Charles Ave. and Josephine St., nearer to the city's residential districts. For approximately $1 million, the building was completed in 1927 and opened as a residential hotel. It did not take Lysle long to realize that there was not much incentive for New Orleanians to give up their homes to live in apartments and gradually converted most of the units for traditional hotel use. The Pontchartrain shortly thereafter became a preferred destination for visitors; however, it always retained a small percentage of apartments for residents on an annual lease.

Lysle's son, Albert Jr., after serving overseas in WWII and living in New York to pursue a theater career, returned to New Orleans to join the family business and eventually take the helm of its operation. Realizing that to be considered a great hotel, a hotel must have a great restaurant, the Caribbean Room was created in 1948. Modeled after Chicago's famous

A Streetcar Named Desire
while staying at the Pontchartrain Hotel. (Staggs, 2005)

The Aschaffenburg family sold the Pontchartrain in the late 1980s. During the more than sixty years of the family's ownership and management, the Pontchartrain and its Caribbean Room restaurant received many honors: top rating in the Guide Julliard de Paris, Harpers & Queens 200 Best Hotels in the World, The IFMA Gold Plate award, Nation's Restaurant News Hall of Fame, a charter member of Preferred Hotels Worldwide, and it was a perennial Holiday Magazine award winner.

Closing of the hotel and repurposing of the building

The 80-year-old hotel building closed for extensive renovations in July 2007. In July 2008, it was reported that the building would be converted into a residence for retirees.[2][3]

The Pontchartrain's return as a hotel

In August 2013, the Pontchartrain reopened as a hotel; its historic Bayou Bar reopened in February 2014.[4]

In November 2014, the Pontchartrain Hotel was acquired by AJ Capital Partners, with Cooper Manning as a part-owner. It underwent another, more ambitious renovation, aimed at restoring it to its former grandeur and re-emphasizing its historic character. Its 106 guestrooms and suites were updated to appeal to a younger generation of travelers.[5][6]

Celebrity chef John Besh and his staff were chosen to run the Caribbean Room and all of the hotel's dining operations.[5][7] Besh's company left the Pontchartrain in January 2018.[8] As of January 2018 all of the hotel's restaurants were operated by QED Hospitality.[9]

The hotel reopened again on June 17, 2016, along with the Caribbean Room, Bayou Bar, and Silver Whistle coffee shop.[5] Additionally, a new rooftop bar, Hot Tin, has been created on the fourteenth story of the hotel, overlooking the New Orleans skyline and Mississippi River.[5] In April 2018, the Jack Rose restaurant opened in the space of the former Caribbean Room.[10] In August 2019, Jack Rose was named "Best Hotel Restaurant" in the United States by USA Today.[11][12]

Awards and accolades

See also

Notes

  1. ^ History, 2006
  2. ^ LaRos, Greg (July 8, 2008). "Pontchartrain Hotel being converted into senior apartments". New Orleans City Business. Retrieved July 17, 2008. [dead link]
  3. The Times-Picayune. Retrieved July 11, 2008. [permanent dead link
    ]
  4. ^ "Pontchartrain Hotel revives Bayou Bar, considers return of Caribbean Room". NOLa.com. Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d Maloney, Ann (June 14, 2016). "Caribbean Room, Bayou Bar reopens at Pontchartrain Hotel on June 17". The Times-Picayune /NOLA.com. © NOLA Media Group. Archived from the original on June 17, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  6. ^ "The Pontchartrain Hotel sells to Chicago investment firm with plans to restore old world charm". NOLa.com. Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  7. ^ "See the view from John Besh's upcoming rooftop bar at Pontchartrain Hotel". NOLa.com. Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  8. New Orleans Advocate. Archived from the original
    on November 21, 2021.
  9. ^ Carter, Stephanie (January 3, 2018). "Pontchartrain Hotel's Restaurants Break Off From Besh Restaurant Group". Eater New Orleans. Archived from the original on January 3, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  10. ^ By, IAN MCNULTY |. "Jack Rose opens in Pontchartrain Hotel; new restaurant aims for something New Orleans knows by heart". NOLA.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Jack Rose named "Best Hotel Restaurant" in United States by USA Today". WGNO. August 12, 2019. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Jack Rose Named "Best Hotel Restaurant" In United States By USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice 2019". Biz New Orleans. August 9, 2019. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  13. ^ "2017 Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation". Louisiana Landmarks Society. April 2017. Archived from the original on March 23, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  14. ^ "2017 The Best New Hotels in the World". Travel and Leisure. March 2017. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  15. ^ "Eater Awards 2016". Gwendolyn Knapp. November 16, 2016. Archived from the original on March 23, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2021.

Reference notes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pontchartrain Hotel.

External links

29°56′06″N 90°04′47″W / 29.9350°N 90.0796°W / 29.9350; -90.0796

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