The Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority has approved a headquarters hotel development agreement and ground lease agreement with Omni Hotels & Resorts to develop a 1,000-room headquarters hotel projected to be transformative for the city, region and state. These agreements allow Omni to move forward with development as owner and operator of a headquarters hotel across the street from the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Omni also revealed the name as the Omni New Orleans.
This will be Omni’s second hotel in New Orleans. Omni has operated the historic Omni Royal Orleans for decades, but just recently acquired the building in 2021. Coupled with its plan to invest significantly in the repositioning of the Omni Royal Orleans, Omni’s commitment to build this $575 million headquarters hotel reflects the company’s conviction in New Orleans and the future of travel and tourism in the city.
The facilities of the new 1,000-key hotel will include 100,000 square feet of meeting space, several restaurants and bars, a rooftop pool deck, spa, parking garage and an upgrade to the adjacent Mississippi River Heritage Park.
Omni New Orleans will be located across Convention Center Boulevard at the site currently known as the Sugar Mill event venue. Once constructed, the hotel will help attract events that have previously passed on New Orleans because the city "lacks a modern, upscale headquarters hotel adjacent to the convention center." This asset will help meet growing demand in the contemporary meetings market and strengthen New Orleans’ position as a top-tier meeting and events destination.
With the ground lease and development agreements approved, Omni will follow the process of acquiring the necessary permits required by the city of New Orleans. Hotel design will continue throughout 2025, and construction is expected to start in 2026. The hotel is anticipated to open in 2029. Once complete, the hotel will support approximately 1,400 permanent jobs across all sectors, generate roughly $213.6 million in annual impact on the local economy and add a combined $15.2 million in annual tax revenue for the city and the state.
For information, visit www.omnihotels.com.
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