The Roosevelt New Orleans
A historic 504-room luxury hotel in downtown New Orleans, managed by Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and known for its grand interiors, Sazerac Bar, holiday displays, and event facilities.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The Roosevelt New Orleans is a historic luxury hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. Its history begins with German immigrant Louis Grunewald, who opened the 200-room Hotel Grunewald in December 1893. The property was built after the destruction of Grunewald's Music Hall and benefited immediately from the loss of another major New Orleans hotel, the St. Charles, to fire soon after its opening. The original six-story building faced Baronne Street and established the site as a significant hospitality and entertainment address. The property expanded substantially in the early twentieth century. A 14-story annex with 400 rooms opened at midnight on January 1, 1908. Designed by Toledano & Wogan, the annex added restaurants, lounges, performance spaces, and the celebrated Cave, an elaborate entertainment room designed to resemble a cavern. Louis Grunewald's son Theodore became the hotel's manager and later its sole owner. After Louis died in 1915, Theodore retained the business until selling his interests in 1923. A group led by Joseph, Felix, and Luca Vacarro acquired the hotel in 1923 and renamed it The Roosevelt Hotel on October 31 of that year. The name honored President Theodore Roosevelt and reflected the importance of the Panama Canal to New Orleans's commercial development. The owners rebuilt the Baronne Street frontage, opened a new 16-story tower in 1925, and expanded retail, dining, and entertainment facilities. The hotel also developed its long-running tradition of decorating its block-long lobby for Christmas, a seasonal display that became a recognizable New Orleans attraction. In the 1930s, Seymour Weiss led the New Orleans Roosevelt Corporation's acquisition of the property. Weiss had risen through the hotel organization from barber-shop manager to managing director and oversaw a major modernization. Guest rooms were refurbished, meeting facilities were enlarged, and the Blue Room opened in 1935 as a major music venue. The Main Bar opened in 1938 and later became the Sazerac Bar, while the Fountain Lounge also opened during the same period. The hotel hosted nationally known entertainers and became closely associated with the city's political, social, and cultural life. Louisiana politician Huey P. Long used a hotel suite as a headquarters and New Orleans base during his years as a U.S. senator. The Sazerac Bar became especially important to the hotel's identity. Weiss acquired rights to the Sazerac name in 1949 and opened a new location on Baronne Street. His decision to admit women to a previously male-oriented venue was promoted as the Storming the Sazerac, an event that continues to be commemorated at the property. In 1959, the name was transferred to the hotel's Main Bar, where the Sazerac Bar remains a signature feature. The hotel expanded again in the 1950s by leasing space in the Shell Building. This temporarily increased its capacity to approximately 900 rooms and enabled the creation of the International Room, which could host very large events. The property also became a literary reference point: novelist Arthur Hailey stayed there in 1964 and subsequently used the hotel environment as inspiration for his 1965 novel Hotel. Benjamin and Richard Swig acquired the property in 1965. The hotel first adopted the Fairmont Roosevelt Hotel name and later became Fairmont Hotel New Orleans. The Swig family undertook modernization projects affecting public rooms, entrances, restaurants, lounges, and guest rooms. A significant guest-room renovation also took place in the late 1990s. Hurricane Katrina damaged the property in August 2005, after which the hotel closed indefinitely. Repairs began but were suspended in March 2007 when the extent and cost of the damage proved greater than initially estimated. In 2007, First Class Hotels, associated with Dimension Development, acquired the Fairmont property and announced an extensive redevelopment. The renovation restored historic visual elements while adding updated building systems, a redesigned pool deck, new food-and-beverage spaces, and contemporary hotel infrastructure. The property reopened on July 1, 2009, under the restored Roosevelt name and as part of Hilton's Waldorf Astoria Collection, now known as Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts. The modern hotel has 504 guest rooms, including 125 suites, and more than 68,000 square feet of meeting space distributed across multiple floors. Its accommodation, dining, cocktail, event, and seasonal offerings position it as a full-service historic luxury hotel serving leisure travelers, business guests, conventions, weddings, and other large gatherings. Renovations of the ballrooms and meeting rooms were completed in 2018, followed by work on guest rooms and the rooftop pool in 2019.
History
The Roosevelt New Orleans developed from the Hotel Grunewald, opened by Louis Grunewald in December 1893. The original six-story, 200-room building occupied a block on Baronne Street. It was followed by a 14-story annex in 1908, adding 400 rooms and elaborate dining and entertainment spaces, including the theatrical Cave. Theodore Grunewald managed the expanded hotel and became its sole owner after his father's death in 1915. In 1923, he sold the property to a group led by Joseph, Felix, and Luca Vacarro. The new owners renamed it The Roosevelt Hotel and undertook major rebuilding. A 16-story Baronne Street tower opened in 1925, while the hotel expanded its shops, restaurants, meeting rooms, and entertainment program. Its large lobby Christmas decorations became a continuing New Orleans tradition. Seymour Weiss and the New Orleans Roosevelt Corporation acquired the property in 1934. Weiss had worked his way through the hotel's management ranks and directed extensive improvements. The Grand Ballroom was created by reconfiguring the lobby, guest rooms were refurbished, and the Blue Room opened in 1935. The Main Bar opened in 1938 and became the Sazerac Bar in a later stage of the hotel's development. The property also hosted major entertainers and prominent political figures. Huey P. Long used a hotel suite as his New Orleans base while serving in the United States Senate. In 1949, Weiss secured the Sazerac name and opened a new bar on Baronne Street. The venue's admission of women, previously excluded by the bar's house rule, was publicized as Storming the Sazerac. In 1959, the name moved back to the hotel's Main Bar. During the 1950s, leased space in the Shell Building helped raise the hotel's room inventory to approximately 900 and supported the construction of the International Room and a new banquet kitchen. Benjamin and Richard Swig bought the hotel in 1965. The property transitioned through the names Fairmont Roosevelt Hotel and Fairmont Hotel New Orleans, with modernization of public rooms, restaurants, entrances, lounges, and guest rooms. Hurricane Katrina caused severe damage in 2005. The hotel closed, and repair work was halted in 2007 after the damage assessment increased. First Class Hotels acquired the property in 2007 and announced a large-scale restoration and conversion to Waldorf Astoria operation. The renovation combined updated mechanical and building systems with a design intended to recall the hotel's 1930s and 1940s appearance. The lobby, Sazerac Bar, guest rooms, dining spaces, meeting rooms, and rooftop amenities were renewed. The property reopened as The Roosevelt Hotel on July 1, 2009, under Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts management. It now contains 504 rooms, including 125 suites, and more than 68,000 square feet of meeting space. Meeting spaces were renovated in 2018, and guest rooms and the rooftop pool were renovated in 2019.
- 2019
Guest-room and rooftop-pool renovation
[1]Guest rooms and the rooftop pool are renovated.
- 2018
Meeting-space renovation
[1]The hotel's ballrooms and meeting spaces undergo renovation.
- 2009
Reopens as a Waldorf Astoria hotel
[1]After a major restoration, the property reopens under the Roosevelt name and Waldorf Astoria management.
- 2005
Hurricane Katrina closure
[1]The hotel is damaged by Hurricane Katrina and closes for an extended period.
- 1965
Swig family acquisition
[1]Benjamin and Richard Swig acquire the property, beginning its Fairmont-era identity.
- 1949
Sazerac name returns to the property
[1]Seymour Weiss acquires the right to use the Sazerac name and opens a new bar.
- 1935
Blue Room opens
[1]The Blue Room becomes a leading local music and entertainment venue.
- 1925
Baronne Street tower opens
[1]A new 16-story tower expands the hotel and adds shops and service facilities.
- 1923
Renamed The Roosevelt Hotel
[1]New owners rename the property in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt.
- 1908
Grunewald Annex opens
[1]The 14-story annex adds 400 rooms and major entertainment and dining facilities.
Products and positioning
Historic New Orleans luxury hospitality combining grand-hotel architecture, locally significant food and beverage venues, cultural heritage, and large-scale event capacity.
Hotel accommodation · 1893
Guest rooms and suites
The hotel offers 504 guest rooms, including 125 suites. The accommodation product combines a historic grand-hotel setting with modernized systems and renovated interiors. Rooms and suites support leisure, business, group, and convention demand, while the restoration emphasizes visual references to the property's 1930s and 1940s period.
Bar and cocktail venue · 1938
Sazerac Bar
The Sazerac Bar is the hotel's signature cocktail venue and one of its most historically prominent spaces. The Sazerac name was brought to the property in 1949 and transferred to the former Main Bar in 1959. The bar's identity is tied to New Orleans cocktail culture, historic décor, and the annual Storming the Sazerac commemoration.
Restaurant · 2009
Domenica
Domenica occupies space formerly associated with Bailey's, the hotel's long-running casual dining room. It is part of the property's post-2007 food-and-beverage redevelopment and contributes a restaurant offering to the hotel's broader luxury hospitality program.
Music and event venue · 1935
Blue Room
Opened in 1935, the Blue Room became a major New Orleans entertainment venue. Its history includes performances by nationally recognized bandleaders and singers, and it remains part of the hotel's heritage as a destination for music, private functions, and special events.
Meetings, conventions, and weddings · 1934
Meeting and event facilities
The hotel provides more than 68,000 square feet of meeting space across multiple floors, including ballrooms and banquet rooms. The facilities serve conventions, corporate meetings, weddings, social events, and large receptions. All 23 ballrooms and meeting spaces underwent renovation in 2018.
Leisure amenity · 2009
Rooftop pool
The rooftop pool deck is a modern leisure amenity added during the post-Katrina redevelopment. The project replaced the former rooftop tennis courts and incorporated pool-support facilities, a bar, and a kitchen. The rooftop pool was renovated again in 2019.
Marketing campaigns
- 1949Storming the Sazerac
New Orleans, United States
The hotel's promotion of women's admission to the newly opened Sazerac Bar, after a previous men-only rule, was framed as a public event called Storming the Sazerac.
Outcome. The event became part of the hotel's continuing identity and is commemorated annually with period costumes and drinks.
- Annual lobby Christmas display
New Orleans, United States
The hotel decorates its block-long lobby for the Christmas season, continuing a tradition that began during the Roosevelt era and became a recognizable local holiday attraction.
Outcome. The display remains a recurring seasonal feature associated with the property.
Brand decisions
2007
Post-Katrina restoration and Waldorf Astoria conversionStrategyBackground
Hurricane Katrina damage had forced the hotel to close, and repair work had been suspended after the damage assessment exceeded early expectations.
Action taken
First Class Hotels acquired the property and planned a comprehensive renovation and conversion to Hilton's premium Waldorf Astoria hotel portfolio.
Aftermath
The renovated hotel reopened in 2009 with restored historic design elements, modern systems, 504 rooms, and expanded luxury amenities.
Announced acquisition and redevelopment amounts. (2007)
1965
Transition to Fairmont identityM&ABackground
Benjamin and Richard Swig acquired the hotel as part of their hospitality interests.
Action taken
The property was first renamed Fairmont Roosevelt Hotel and later Fairmont Hotel New Orleans, followed by modernization of public areas, restaurants, lounges, and guest rooms.
Aftermath
The Fairmont identity continued until the hotel was restored to The Roosevelt name in 2009.
1923
Rename the property The Roosevelt HotelStrategyBackground
The Vacarro group acquired the Hotel Grunewald and sought to establish a new identity linked to President Theodore Roosevelt and New Orleans's Panama Canal-era commercial interests.
Action taken
The hotel officially adopted The Roosevelt Hotel name on October 31, 1923, alongside a major redevelopment program.
Aftermath
The Roosevelt name remained associated with the property through 1965 and was restored after the post-Katrina renovation.
Recent events
The Roosevelt New Orleans announces Oktoberfest festival with NOLA Brewing[2]
Reported:
The Roosevelt New Orleans announced an Oktoberfest beer festival in partnership with local brewery NOLA Brewing, planned for October 8 at the hotel’s rooftop pool.
Sources2 sources
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