NEW ORLEANS – Local leaders attended a June 3 ribbon-cutting celebration for the new Kimpton Hotel Fontenot at 501 Tchoupitoulas Street. Participants included New Orleans City Councilmember Jay H. Banks; Julius Feltus, senior advisor to Mayor LaToya Cantrell; Kimpton CEO Mike DeFrino; JMI Realty President Greg Clay; and Kimpton Hotel Fontenot General Manager Jesseca Malecki. The Roots of Music, a nonprofit partner of the hotel, provided music and received a check.
The debut of the 202-room boutique hotel in a space that most recently housed a Staybridge Suites marks the brand’s return to the city after a 16-year absence. Named in honor of Creole fiddle player Canray Fontenot, the Hotel Fontenot was designed by New York-based consulting firm MarkZeff. It features several “chef-led” food and beverage concepts, including a corner cafe and restaurant and bar.
“Our goal is to honor the city’s heritage while occupying an exciting new niche in the local hospitality scene,” said Jesseca Malecki, the hotel’s general manager, in a press release. “Every detail, from the thoughtful, purposeful music selection in the lobby to the early evening social hour and always-on programming, is an expression of the modern Southern hospitality nature of the city and its locals.”
