NEW ORLEANS — The 176-room Canopy by Hilton New Orleans Downtown is now open at 1100 Tulane Avenue in the Central Business District. In development since 2015, the 14-story hotel inhabits the former Oil and Gas Building, built in 1959 and designed by August Perez & Associates and Edward B. Silverstein & Associates. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014 after it had been vacant for more than a decade.
“We are thrilled to bring the Canopy brand to New Orleans and provide guests with a refreshing hotel option that matches the city’s energetic atmosphere and culture,” said Hilton exec Phil Cordell in a press release. “The hotel’s design, as well as curated food and beverage concepts were influenced by the surrounding area, allowing us to authentically connect guests with the neighborhood made famous for its lively architecture, music and cuisine.”
NOLA Lodging LLC bought the building for $7 million in 2014 from Renaissance Neighborhood Development Corp. NOLA Lodging is affiliated with Maryland-based Baywood Hotels, which developed the Canopy by Hilton as a joint venture with NewcrestImage, a Texas investment company, before selling it to Summit Hotels and Resorts, a Filipino brand of hotels owned and operated by Robinsons Land Corporation. The hotel is owned by a joint venture between affiliates of Summit Hotel Properties and GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund.
Plano, Texas-based Aimbridge Hospitality will serve as the third-party management company. In 2020, Aimbridge said it operated more than 1,330 hotels, resorts and conference centers in North America and the Caribbean, and 93 internationally.
The Canopy by Hilton is on the site of New Orleans’ former Chinatown neighborhood, so the hotel’s restaurant blends Creole and Cantonese cuisine. Chef Jonathan Hostetler oversees the creation of crawfish boil fried rice, boudin lumpia, gumbo dumplings, General Tso’s alligator, crawfish etouffee shumai and more. The hotel also houses the Herbalist bar, a “transfer lounge” and 1,700 square feet of meeting space including access to a private patio.
According to Hilton, the Canopy brand is focused on “connecting with neighborhoods and the local atmosphere.”
More information at www.neworleansdowntown.canopybyhilton.com.