Le Méridien New Orleans
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA 423-room Le Méridien hotel in a 23-story high-rise in New Orleans's Central Business District.
Last updated August 31, 2026
Overview
Le Méridien New Orleans is a full-service hotel in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, operating under Marriott International's Le Méridien hospitality brand. The property occupies a 23-story modernist high-rise designed by the architectural firm DMJM. At approximately 279 feet (85 meters), the building is among the taller structures in New Orleans and is identified as the city's eighth-tallest hotel. Its urban location places it within the commercial core of downtown New Orleans, where it serves visitors seeking lodging, food and beverage services, and access to the city's business and tourism infrastructure. The building opened in 1984 as the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza. Its opening was connected with demand generated by the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition, a major international event that brought large numbers of visitors to New Orleans. The property's identity subsequently changed as the hotel market and operating affiliations evolved. In the late 1990s it became Four Points by Sheraton Downtown, and in 2000 it was relaunched as the W New Orleans Hotel. These changes placed the same high-rise within different hotel-brand systems and reflected successive repositionings of the property rather than the construction of a new hotel. Hurricane Katrina caused substantial damage to the building in 2005. Reports state that approximately half of the hotel's windows were blown out, making the storm a major interruption in the property's operating history and creating the need for extensive repair and recovery work. The later transition to Le Méridien followed a change in ownership and a substantial renovation program. In April 2013, Chesapeake Lodging Trust acquired the hotel for $65 million. During a major renovation reported at $29 million, the property temporarily used the name Hotel New Orleans Downtown beginning July 15, 2014. On December 15, 2014, it adopted the Le Méridien New Orleans name. The hotel changed ownership again after Park Hotels & Resorts acquired Chesapeake Lodging Trust. In 2019, Park Hotels & Resorts sold the property to Stonebridge Companies and Walton Street Capital for $84 million. The ownership transaction did not change the hotel's position as a Le Méridien-branded property. Le Méridien is part of Marriott International's global hotel portfolio, while the individual property's ownership and operating arrangements are distinct from the parent company's publicly traded corporate structure. The present property is described as a four-star hotel with 423 guest rooms. Its core offering consists of overnight accommodation, hospitality services, and on-site dining and beverage facilities. The available reference material does not identify individual restaurants, bars, meeting venues, room categories, current general managers, or a property-specific website URL. Accordingly, those details are not asserted here. The hotel's documented significance rests on its architectural scale, its multiple brand identities, its connection to the 1984 exposition, its severe exposure to Hurricane Katrina, its 2014 repositioning and renovation, and its later ownership transfer.
History
Le Méridien New Orleans occupies a 23-story, 279-foot high-rise in New Orleans's Central Business District. Designed in a modern architectural style by DMJM, the building opened in 1984 as the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza. Its debut coincided with the Louisiana World Exposition, for which additional hotel capacity was needed in the city. The property therefore began its history as an event-driven downtown hotel serving visitors to a large international exposition as well as the wider New Orleans market. The hotel passed through several brand identities during the following decades. In the late 1990s it became Four Points by Sheraton Downtown, and in 2000 it was converted to the W New Orleans Hotel. These changes reflected successive affiliations with different hotel brands while retaining the same downtown building. The property is consequently part of New Orleans's hotel and architectural history as well as an example of repeated repositioning within the branded lodging sector. Hurricane Katrina was the most significant disruption in the hotel's documented history. In 2005, the storm caused extensive damage to the building, with windows blown out in roughly half of the rooms. The damage required recovery and restoration work and formed an important backdrop to the property's later redevelopment and branding decisions. Ownership changed in April 2013, when Chesapeake Lodging Trust bought the hotel for $65 million. The property then underwent a reported $29 million renovation. From July 15, 2014, it used the temporary name Hotel New Orleans Downtown while the work proceeded. The renovation culminated in a new brand launch on December 15, 2014, when the hotel became Le Méridien New Orleans. The new identity placed the property within the Le Méridien portfolio, which is part of Marriott International's hotel system. A further ownership change occurred in 2019. Park Hotels & Resorts, which had acquired Chesapeake Lodging Trust, sold the hotel to Stonebridge Companies and Walton Street Capital for $84 million. The sale changed the property's ownership but did not end its Le Méridien affiliation. The hotel is documented as having 423 guest rooms and a four-star positioning. Its principal activities are lodging, guest hospitality, and food and beverage service. The available reference material does not provide a complete account of the property's current management team, detailed amenities, individual food and beverage outlets, or operating performance.
- 2019
Sold to Stonebridge Companies and Walton Street Capital
[1]Park Hotels & Resorts sold the property to Stonebridge Companies and Walton Street Capital for $84 million.
- 2014
Renovated and rebranded as Le Méridien New Orleans
[1]The property temporarily used the Hotel New Orleans Downtown name during a reported $29 million renovation before adopting its current name on December 15.
- 2013
Acquired by Chesapeake Lodging Trust
[1]Chesapeake Lodging Trust purchased the hotel for $65 million.
- 2005
Damaged by Hurricane Katrina
[1]Hurricane Katrina caused major damage, including the loss of windows in about half of the hotel's rooms.
- 2000
Became W New Orleans Hotel
[1]The hotel was relaunched as the W New Orleans Hotel.
- 1990
Became Four Points by Sheraton Downtown
[1]The property adopted the Four Points by Sheraton Downtown identity in the late 1990s.
- 1984
Opened as the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza
[1]The DMJM-designed, 23-story hotel opened in downtown New Orleans in connection with visitor demand surrounding the Louisiana World Exposition.
Products and positioning
An upscale, full-service urban hotel serving business and leisure travelers in downtown New Orleans.
Hotel accommodation
Guest rooms
The hotel provides 423 guest rooms in a high-rise downtown property. The available reference does not specify the room categories, layouts, or current in-room amenities.
Hospitality services
Food and beverage services
Food and beverage service is identified as part of the hotel's typical offering. Specific restaurant, bar, menu, and outlet details are not established by the supplied reference material.
Brand decisions
2019
Sale to Stonebridge Companies and Walton Street CapitalM&ABackground
Park Hotels & Resorts had acquired Chesapeake Lodging Trust, which previously owned the hotel.
Action taken
Park Hotels & Resorts sold the property to Stonebridge Companies and Walton Street Capital.
Aftermath
The property remained a Le Méridien-branded hotel after the ownership transfer.
Sale price. $84 million (2019)
2014
Repositioning under the Le Méridien brandStrategyBackground
Following a change in ownership, the hotel entered a major renovation and temporarily used the Hotel New Orleans Downtown name.
Action taken
The property completed the repositioning and adopted the Le Méridien New Orleans identity on December 15, 2014.
Aftermath
The hotel continued operating as a 423-room Le Méridien property in downtown New Orleans.
Renovation cost. $29 million (2014 renovation)
Recent events
- 2019
Park Hotels & Resorts sold the property to Stonebridge Companies and Walton Street Capital[1]
M&A
After Park Hotels & Resorts acquired Chesapeake Lodging Trust, it sold the hotel to Stonebridge Companies and Walton Street Capital for $84 million.
- 2019
Hotel sold to Stonebridge Companies and Walton Street Capital[1]
M&A
Park Hotels & Resorts sold the property to Stonebridge Companies and Walton Street Capital for $84 million.
- 2014
The property entered a major renovation and temporary renaming[1]
Product generation
The hotel temporarily operated as Hotel New Orleans Downtown while undergoing a reported $29 million renovation.
- 2014
The hotel adopted the Le Méridien New Orleans identity[1]
Product launch · Product generation
Following its renovation, the property became Le Méridien New Orleans on December 15, 2014.
- 2014
Hotel temporarily renamed during renovation[1]
Other
The property adopted the temporary name Hotel New Orleans Downtown while undergoing a reported $29 million renovation.
- 2014
Property rebranded as Le Méridien New Orleans[1]
Product generation
The hotel adopted the Le Méridien name on December 15 after its renovation period.
- 2013
Chesapeake Lodging Trust acquired the hotel[1]
M&A
Chesapeake Lodging Trust purchased the New Orleans hotel property for $65 million in April 2013.
- 2013
Hotel sold to Chesapeake Lodging Trust[1]
M&A
Chesapeake Lodging Trust acquired the New Orleans hotel for $65 million.
- 2005
Hurricane Katrina severely damaged the hotel[1]
Other
The property suffered major storm damage during Hurricane Katrina, including the loss of windows in approximately half of its rooms.
Sources1 sources
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