What’s New in New Orleans’ Hospitality Industry – November 2009

Latest News:
· New Orleans was ranked number one in 10 categories in Travel + Leisure Magazine’s 2009 “America’s Favorite Cities” survey, more than any of the other 30 popular travel destinations in the survey. The Crescent City was also named best in the country for nightlife, receiving a number one ranking in all three nightlife subcategories: Cocktail Hour, Singles Bar Scene, and Live Music, Concerts, and Bands.

· The lights of the legendary Saenger Theatre marquee shine bright again. The Canal Street theatre, which originally opened in 1927, will undergo a $38.8 million restoration and is scheduled for completion in late 2011. On October 29, 2009, a special light ceremony took place at the Saenger to signal the theatre’s progress and rebirth.

· The Roosevelt Hotel, which re-opened in July 2009 following a $145 million historical restoration, will bring another New Orleans tradition back to the property, the “Waldorf Wonderland at the Roosevelt” and “Teddy Bear Tea.” The lobby will be decorated in a canopy of white birch branches with thousands of lights and will be lined with Christmas trees and poinsettias. The Roosevelt’s decorated lobby has been a New Orleans tradition since the 1930’s and returns again on December 1, 2009.

· Tulane has been ranked number 8 on a list of top 25 “best neighbor” colleges during the conference of Urban and Metropolitan Universities. Also topping the charts, the famous Faubourg Marigny neighborhood has been named to the American Planning Association’s top 10 Great American Neighborhood list.

· The Inn on Bourbon will host opera performances in the hotel’s Puccini Bar in 2009 and 2010. The hotel sits on the site of the famous French Opera House, which burned to the ground in 1919.

· The Mississippi Sandhill Crane Reproduction Program at the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species/Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center has been awarded the 2009 Edward H. Bean Award, the highest honor awarded by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

· The New Orleans Arena is celebrating 10 years of entertainment. The building, which opened on October 29, 1999, is adjacent to the Louisiana Superdome and has served as the home of the New Orleans Hornets since 2002.

Sports
· Super Bowl 2013 is the latest addition to New Orleans’ list of upcoming major sporting events, solidifying the city’s reputation as a world-class destination for hospitality, tourism, meetings, conventions and special events.

· In addition to the Super Bowl, New Orleans was awarded the NCAA Men’s Final Four 2012, the NCAA Women’s Final Four 2013 and the BCS National Championship 2012. Contracts have been extended by Allstate Sugar Bowl through 2014 and R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl through 2011.

· Approximately $10.5 million will be spent to upgrade the former Dominion Tower into a sports entertainment venue now known as the Benson Tower, named for Saint’s owner Tom Benson and his family.

Hotels
· The Duchess Bed and Breakfast has opened in the Irish Channel neighborhood and features eight rooms.

Festivals
· Voodoo Music Experience rocked City Park October 29, 30 and November 1. This year’s stellar line-up featured artists such as Lenny Kravitz, KISS and Eminem.

· Festivals are drawing large, often record level, crowds despite the recession: The city achieved pre-Katrina levels of Mardi Gras attendance, with nearly one million revelers. The 2009 Jazz and Heritage Festival welcomed more than 400,000 people and the 2009 French Quarter Festival welcomed 441,000 attendees.

Meetings and Conventions
· In October 2009, New Orleans welcomed more than 52 major meetings to the city including Society of Petroleum Engineers, Specialty Graphic Imaging Association, American Society of Anesthesiologists, National Community Pharmacists Association, American Association of Blood Banks, Congress of Neurological Surgeons and National Minority Supplier Development Council. Combined, all groups brought approximately 60,000 attendees, which generated $70 million in economic impact to the city.

· More than 37,000 visitors packed the city for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America convention July 22-26, the largest convention New Orleans has seen in 20 years.

· The January 2009 Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, was cited by meeting professionals as one of the best PCMA Annual Meetings ever. 98 percent of respondents indicated that they value the overall New Orleans experience.

Restaurants
· According to Tom Fitzmorris and www.nomenu.com, New Orleans has 1,033 restaurants open in the metropolitan area, a new city record.

Museums and Attractions
· “Broadway Across America-New Orleans” kicked off the season with Cats, October 27-November 1 at the Mahalia Jackson Theatre of the Performing Arts. The season continues with The Color Purple, December 1-6; Mamma Mia!, February 2-7; Wicked, March 24-April 11; and Avenue Q, June 8-13.

· November 15, 2009-March 14, 2010, the New Orleans Museum of Art is proud to be the only North American venue for Dreams Come True: Art of the Classic Fairy Tales from Walt Disney© Studio. This major exhibition features more than 600 rarely seen original artworks that brought legendary fairy tales to the screen, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.

· The first phase of The National World War II Museum’s The Road to Victory capital campaign will open November 6, 2009. The newest complex will feature the Victory Theater, a 4-D cinematic experience, The Stage Door Canteen, a dining and entertainment venue, and The American Sector, a Chef John Besh Restaurant with cuisine inspired by the Home Front. Tom Brokaw and Tom Hanks are among the celebrities confirmed to attend the grand-opening events.

Airport
· New Orleans International Airport will undergo $350 million in renovations. The improvements include a $114 million rental-car facility, a $9 million exterior upgrade and a $21 million interior upgrade. The majority of the renovations are scheduled for completion in time for the 2013 Super Bowl.

· Aeromexico, the official airline of Latin America, began flying six weekly nonstop flights between New Orleans and Mexico City on July 7, 2009.

For more information on New Orleans please visit www.neworleanscvb.com, or visit www.neworleanscvb.com/mediapackages for special offers and discounts. Media contact: Jenn Lotz, 504-566-5019, JLOTZ@neworleanscvb.com