Major expansion is underway at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, with plans for a new terminal that will expand the number of gates from 30 to 35. Also in the works is a 2,190-car parking garage, a central utility plan and a ground transportation area. The new terminal will open February 2019. In addition, British Airways recently launched nonstop service from London to New Orleans four days per week, and starting at the end of this October, the service will increase to five times per week.
The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center’s Boulevard Development project will begin this fall. The plan aims to improve exterior access ways by reducing the traffic along the building to a two-lane street. Details will be announced soon regarding a new headquarters hotel, outdoor entertainment, arts and cultural venues, and new retail and housing facilities.
The 18-hole Bayou Oaks at City Park golf course opened in April.
The Sazerac Company, which produces whiskey, tequila and other spirits, announced plans for The Sazerac House visitor attraction and beverage alcohol museum, which is to open in late 2018.
A 230-room Hilton Curio will open in early 2019, near the National WWII Museum.
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel New Orleans recently unveiled a $25 million renovation to its guest rooms, lobby, pool and meeting space.
San Francisco-based boutique hotelier Joie de Vivre Hotels opened its first property in the south. The Troubadour, located in New Orleans’ Central Business District, has 184 rooms and 836 square feet of meeting space.
The 207-room Homewood Suites by Hilton New Orleans French Quarter recently debuted with 1,521 square feet of meeting space.
The 217-room NOPSI Hotel will open in the Central Business District this month. The property will have 4,000 square feet of event space, a rooftop pool and bar, and about 10,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space.
The 175-room Wyndham Garden New Orleans East recently opened. Billed as the first full-service hotel with a conference center and restaurant to open in the New Orleans East area since Hurricane Katrina, the property has meeting and event space for 140 people.
A 350-room Four Seasons hotel will be built in the vacant World Trade Center building. Plans include an observation deck on the 31st and 33rd floors, a ballroom, meeting rooms and a restaurant. This project is slated to open fall 2019.