Two weeks before the holidays last December, New Orleans' French Quarter saw its first new hotel opening in more than 50 years. Located inside a former sugar factory in the 85-block area of the Vieux Carré, as the French Quarter is also known, One11 Hotel has 83 guest rooms and "sweets" (paying homage to the building's history), and a modern aesthetic complemented by unparalleled views of the Mississippi River. But beyond its look, the journey to opening has been especially unusual.
It all started in 1969, when the New Orleans City Council passed a moratorium prohibiting new hotels in the French Quarter (a traditionally residential community) until a study could be completed to determine the effects of demolitions for new projects in the area. In 2004 (before Hurricane Katrina hit) and again in 2015, a land company received city council approval to convert the building at 111 Iberville Street into a hotel, which became One11 and opened Dec. 11, 2020. The key factors in its approval? It was an existing structure where no demolition was needed, and the hotel would add jobs and bring life to the southern end of the French Quarter.