NEW ORLEANS—The Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority (the Authority) approved a headquarters hotel development agreement and ground lease agreement with Omni Hotels & Resorts to develop a 1,000-room convention center headquarters hotel. Hotel design will continue throughout 2025, and construction is expected to start in 2026. The hotel is expected to open in 2029.
Discussions between Omni and the Authority began in 2018, when a development consortium that included Omni was selected to develop a headquarters hotel to anchor the convention center renovation and upgrade. Omni offered to guarantee all the private capital to ensure the hotel project was completed.
Omni New Orleans will be the brand’s second hotel in New Orleans, after operating Omni Royal Orleans for many years and acquiring the building in 2021.
Omni New Orleans will most likely be located across Convention Center Boulevard, on a site currently known as the Sugar Mill event venue. The new 1,000-key hotel will include 100,000 square feet of meeting space, several restaurants and bars, a rooftop pool deck, a destination spa, a parking garage, and an upgrade to the adjacent Mississippi River Heritage Park.
“Today marks a significant milestone for New Orleans and Louisiana,” said Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry of the announcement, made on Jan. 30. “Omni’s investment demonstrates the confidence national businesses have in New Orleans and our state, and reinforces that we are open and ready for new opportunities. This hotel will draw new meetings, conventions, and business travelers to the region, benefiting hospitality-related businesses and creating more jobs for residents. It’s a game-changer for the tourism industry that powers New Orleans, and I look forward to seeing Omni New Orleans become a landmark for hospitality and a symbol of growth in Louisiana.”
