Development plans for a new $575 million convention center hotel in the Big Easy have been confirmed.
The Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority approved a hotel development and ground lease agreement with Omni Hotels & Resorts on Thursday to develop a 1,000-room hotel across the street from the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. It will be called the Omni New Orleans.
"This hotel will draw new meetings, conventions and business travelers to the region, benefiting hospitality-related businesses and creating more jobs for residents," Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said in a news release.
Development is expected to cost $575 million. New Orleans' convention center is currently amid a $557 million renovation of its own.
Omni has been in talks to develop this property since 2018, when the convention center's renovation was announced. This will be Omni's second hotel in New Orleans, along with the Omni Royal Orleans. Omni has convention center hotels in markets such as Dallas; Fort Worth, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; Atlanta; and Boston.
The hotel will include 100,000 square feet of meeting space, multiple restaurants and bars, a rooftop pool deck, a destination spa and a parking garage. Design of the hotel will continue through this year, with construction expected to begin in 2026 and the opening expected in 2029.
New Orleans has 368 hotels and 43,757 rooms in supply, according to CoStar data. The market has 32 hotels and 5,525 rooms in its pipeline.