NOPSI Hotel New Orleans

A Utility Headquarters Turned Rooftop Pool

Favrot and Livaudais designed this nine-story brick building in 1927 as the headquarters of New Orleans Public Service Inc, the utility that ran the city's electricity, gas and streetcars for decades. NOPSI eventually became Entergy New Orleans and moved out, but the acronym still shows up on manhole covers across the city, a small, odd trace of the building's former life. The 2017 conversion kept what mattered: an original stone-top bill-payment counter in the lobby, restored terrazzo floors, and in the ballroom, a 24-foot crane and track once used to move heavy electrical equipment, left in place rather than stripped out.

Why It Works

We chose NOPSI for the confidence of a building that knows exactly what it is: a civic landmark turned hotel, keeping its bones instead of dressing them up as something else. The 217 rooms stay neutral and modern, letting work by local artists do the talking, and the rooftop does double duty as both a proper pool and a public bar, which is rarer than it sounds in a Central Business District high-rise. For a Luxe stay built around history rather than just comfort, this is as direct as it gets.

Why This Location

317 Baronne Street sits in the Central Business District, a few blocks from the French Quarter and about a six-minute walk from Bourbon Street, close enough for a night out and far enough to sleep through what follows it. The address puts the Superdome, the Convention Center and the CBD's business core all within easy reach, while the rooftop itself delivers skyline views that most ground-floor hotels in the neighborhood cannot match. It is a location built for a traveler splitting time between meetings and the Quarter.

Fast Facts

• Prix: Luxe

• Vibe: Landmark architecture, rooftop energy, Central Business District polish

• Chambres: 217, including 76 suites and Power Suites overlooking the Superdome

• Best For: History-minded travelers, rooftop-pool seekers, Central Business District business trips

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the ballroom's original 24-foot crane and track, left exactly where NOPSI's engineers used it

• Dining: Public Service restaurant, UnderCURRENT lobby bar, Above the Grid rooftop bar

• Amenities: rooftop pool with cabanas, fitness centre, 24-hour room service, pet-friendly rooms

• Attractions: French Quarter (a few blocks), Bourbon Street (6-minute walk), Superdome and Convention Center nearby

Rooms With the City in View

Standard Deluxe King and Deluxe Double Queen rooms keep the palette neutral and the art local, while Terrace Rooms add private outdoor space with city views. Among the 76 suites, Junior Suites add a sitting area, Deluxe Suites bring a living area and a deep soaking tub, and the Power Suites split off a separate bedroom with a terrace looking out over the Superdome and the Central Business District skyline. Marble bathrooms, walk-in showers and Mistral toiletries run through the rooms regardless of category.

Above the Grid, Public Service and the Rest of the Building

Above the Grid, the open-air rooftop bar, sits beside the pool and stays open to the public, which keeps the energy up even for guests who skip the cabanas. Public Service handles the restaurant side with a rotating, farm-and-fishery-driven menu covering seafood, pizza and regional dishes, backed by 24-hour room service for anyone who would rather stay upstairs. UnderCURRENT, the marble-and-leather lobby bar, gives the ground floor its own slower pace, with a patio that spills outside for travelers who want the street without leaving the building.

Before You Book

Check-in runs from 4pm, check-out at noon, and the hotel welcomes pets though not specifically positioned for families. A fitness centre with Life Fitness equipment covers mornings before meetings, and the rooftop pool's cabanas are worth booking ahead of a weekend stay. With the French Quarter a short walk off and the Superdome practically next door, a rental car is optional for most of what this stay is built around.