The Saint Hotel, New Orleans, French Quarter, Autograph Collection

An Office Building That Became New Orleans's Most Theatrical Hotel

Construction on the Audubon Building began in 1907 at the corner of Canal and Burgundy, and it ran as office space from 1908 until it closed in 1997. The building sat empty and half-demolished for years, interior work starting in 2004 and stalling in 2005, before developer D. Mark Wyant bought it in 2010 and finished the conversion into a hotel. What emerged kept the Beaux Arts bones, 22-foot lobby ceilings, white columns, sheer drapes, and layered a new, unapologetically theatrical identity on top: this is a hotel named The Saint that names its best suite after the devil.

Why It Works

We chose The Saint for committing fully to an idea instead of playing it safe with another tasteful renovation. Five suites named for archangels, Burgundy Bar's bordello-chic velvet and a Seven Deadly Sins cocktail list, live jazz most nights: none of it reads as gimmick once you are standing in the lobby under the gold bell-shaped chandeliers. The 166 rooms keep a calmer cobalt-and-white palette with exposed brick, which gives guests a place to come down from the theatrics downstairs.

Why This Location

931 Canal Street sits right on the Canal Street streetcar line, a short walk from the French Quarter and close enough to Bourbon Street for an easy night out without living inside its noise. The corner of Canal and Burgundy puts the hotel at the edge of two neighborhoods at once, close to the Quarter's galleries and restaurants and to the CBD's business core, with the streetcar covering whatever lies beyond walking distance.

Fast Facts

• Prix: Luxe

• Vibe: Theatrical, Beaux Arts, unapologetically playful

• Chambres: 166, plus 5 archangel-named suites on the second floor

• Best For: Travelers who want a hotel with a sense of humor, nightlife built in, streetcar access to the Quarter

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the Lucifer suite, 1,800 square feet with Murano glass chandeliers, a claw-foot tub and a private stage

• Dining: Tempt restaurant (updated Southern classics), Burgundy Bar (Seven Deadly Sins cocktails, live jazz)

• Amenities: fitness centre, evening entertainment, billiards, 24-hour front desk

• Attractions: Canal Street streetcar at the door, French Quarter a short walk, Bourbon Street nearby

Five Suites Named for Archangels

The second floor holds five suites named Michael, Lucifer, Christopher, Gabriel and Raphael, each playing a variation on the hotel's theme. The Michael and Lucifer suites run to 1,800 square feet apiece, with Murano glass chandeliers and claw-foot tubs throughout, and the Lucifer suite goes further still with a private stage built into the room. Standard rooms stay more restrained, cobalt blue and white against exposed brick and white lacquered furniture, which keeps the building's Beaux Arts character legible even outside the themed suites.

Burgundy Bar, Tempt and the Rest of the Theatrics

Burgundy Bar commits to its bordello-chic brief with velvet walls, red Venetian chandeliers and a Seven Deadly Sins cocktail menu, and hosts live jazz most nights as a nod to Louis Armstrong. Tempt, just off the lobby, handles the restaurant side with a modern American menu built around updated Southern and New Orleans classics. Between the two and the lobby's own gold chandeliers and white columns, the ground floor reads less like hotel amenities and more like a set built to be walked through.

Before You Book

Check-in runs from 4pm, check-out at 11am, and the hotel accepts children but is not positioned as pet-friendly. A fitness centre, evening entertainment and billiards round out the practical side, and with the streetcar line running past the door, Canal Street and the Quarter are easy to reach without a car.