It’s no secret that Hurricane Katrina was one of the most costly and devastating disasters in American history. After the levees failed, waters flooded 80 percent of New Orleans, and since 2005 it’s been a period of rebuilding and repopulation for the nation’s most unique metropolis.
The population of Nawlins has already returned to two-thirds of its former size, and is bouncing back with a full offering of festivals, sports, entertainment, and tourism. One of the primary reasons for the speedy recovery is also one of the least-known: Marriott International.
In this post-Katrina landscape, Marriott has taken a fresh look at its five New Orleans properties, and reaffirmed its role in the city’s hospitality market. On a recent press trip to Mardi Gras, nearly three years after the hurricane, employees still enthuse about how Marriott stepped up to the plate and used its resources to provide for its workforce, as well as the city.
Its flagship property, the 1,236-room New Orleans Marriott, perched on the edge of the French Quarter, escaped the flooding, and immediately shifted its focus on temporary housing for its own employees and their families. With 80 percent of the city underwater, and hundreds of thousands homeless, Marriott reached out to its extended family and put a roof over their heads. In addition, the hotel provided 41 floors of much-needed accommodations for early-responder relief and restoration workers.
Marriott’s other hotels that were able to stay open after Katrina were immediately repurposed for relief accommodations. The 217-room Renaissance Arts, a renovated warehouse in the Warehouse District, was one of the properties that sustained little or no damage from Katrina. The 2-year-old hotel offered more emergency lodging for hurricane relief workers, and its award-winning restaurant, La Cote Brasserie, was one of the first full-service restaurants to reopen.
Today, the Marriott presence in New Orleans remains strong. Sleek multimillion-dollar renovations have modernized all properties, in particular the Marriott in the Quarter and the jazz-themed Renaissance Pere Marquette, which sustained heavy damage and reopened in early 2008. Marriott also aligned its hotels with the Crescent City Cares program, donating a portion of room rates to Habitat for Humanity and offering hands-on access for guests to volunteer in community aid projects.
New Orleans continues its recovery, especially in the surrounding parishes, but the streetcars are running, the parades are rolling, and the beignets are steaming hot. And thanks in part to the Marriott and Renaissance properties, the Big Easy is once more open for business.
