The J Collection, a Metairie-based hotel operator, announced that is has expanded its local portfolio to include Le Richelieu in the French Quarter. It’s the 17th boutique hotel to join the recently rebranded company, formerly known as the New Orleans Hotel Collection.
Located on Chartres Street near Esplanade Avenue, Le Richelieu is made up of two historic buildings and has 90 guest rooms, including 17 suites. The hotel is named for Cardinal Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu and Louis XIII’s chief minister in 1624.
It originally was a hospital where the Sisters of St. Ursula cared for French, Spanish and American soldiers. It changed hands several times over the years and had previous lives that included being a public school and the state’s first macaroni factory. An extensive renovation turned it into a boutique hotel in 1969.
The J Collection also operates the Bourbon Orleans Hotel, The Jung Hotel & Residences, Hotel Mazarin, Hotel Le Marais, Dauphine Orleans, Melrose Mansion, Audubon Cottages, The Whitney Hotel, Maison Dupuy Hotel, Historic Streetcar Inn, Chateau Hotel, Hotel Royal, French Quarter Suites, New Orleans Courtyard Hotel and the Crowne Plaza New Orleans Airport.
It added Nottoway Plantation, located an hour outside of New Orleans, in 2019. A 200-room Sheraton resort and conference center in Flowood, Mississippi is set to join the company when it opens in 2020.