Today’s City Council approval of the Omni New Orleans Headquarters Hotel is a major win for our city, our state and the regional hospitality industry. It sends a clear message that New Orleans is open for business and that our city will continue competing for major conventions and events at the very highest level.
The Authority would particularly like to recognize and thank District B Councilmember Lesli Harris and her staff for sponsoring this legislation and skillfully managing what has been a complex series of steps to achieve this successful outcome.
The Omni New Orleans project is shovel-ready, and today’s approval allows us to move confidently toward construction start in the near term. We thank Mayor Moreno, the City Council, and the multiple municipal committees and staff members involved for their thoughtful review and for recognizing the catalytic importance of this project.
This is a project New Orleans has needed for decades, and today’s vote clears the way for a $600 million investment in our community that will create hundreds of jobs, add tens of millions to the state and local economies and strengthen New Orleans’ position as a leading destination for major meetings, conventions and events. The approved overlay, including height and zoning, ensures a path forward for a project that will directly benefit businesses, workers and residents across the city and Southeast Louisiana.
In a related action, the New Orleans Exhibition Hall Authority Economic Growth and Development District approved an important resolution during a special meeting related to the headquarters hotel project.
The approval authorized a term sheet agreement for a real estate tax stabilization program for the Headquarters Hotel Subdistrict. In coordination with City Council leadership, specifically District B Councilmember Lesli Harris, Council President JP Morrell and Council Vice President Matthew Willard; the agreement includes commitments by the hotel development team related to local hiring, payment of property taxes at levels comparable to a defined set of peer hotels, and participation in small and emerging business opportunities consistent with the Convention Center’s Small and Emerging Business (SEB) Program goals.
Since 2024, the Convention Center and Omni have worked closely with community leaders, residents, small business owners and City officials to gather input and refine the project. More than 450 people participated in public meetings that culminated in the Neighborhood Participation Program earlier this year.
Community feedback and rapid responses from City departmental leadership played an important role in shaping the project. Suggestions and recommendations from neighbors assisted designers as they refined the building’s exterior look while shifting the hotel away from the Mississippi River Heritage Park. We believe preserving this vital green space while maintaining full headquarters hotel programming demonstrates a commitment to balancing community priorities with economic opportunity.
The hotel is expected to open in 2030.