Fairmont is back in New Orleans. Fairmont New Orleans opened today, November 2, 2026, at 1010 Common Street in the Central Business District. It carries two milestones at once: the brand’s 19th hotel in the United States and its 100th hotel worldwide. I have not stayed here yet. It opened today. So this is a first look at what is open now and what is still to come, not a review. Rates start at $459 a night, and rooms are bookable through Fairmont and ALL Accor.
A bank tower, reborn
The hotel fills 17 floors of the 31-story former Bank of New Orleans headquarters. It is a 780,000-square-foot tower designed in 1970 by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Metairie-based Kailas Companies redeveloped the building, which also holds the 216-room Element New Orleans Downtown that opened in February. Rather than leaning on French Quarter colonial architecture, the property draws on the glamour and optimism of the 1970s. That is a chapter of New Orleans design that does not get celebrated enough.
The restoration kept what mattered. Original sidewalks, the entry canopy, lobby floors, and concrete walls on the first and second floors were restored. So were decorative bronze paneling and a local cypress ceiling. Rockwell Group handled the interiors, and the lobby is designed as the hotel’s social anchor rather than a pass-through. Guests arrive beneath a mirror-clad monumental stair. It reflects a three-story magnolia flower and Spanish moss-inspired chandelier, while custom brass relief panels from Italy frame check-in. The Lobby Bar pairs handmade Italian lava-stone tiles with a floor mosaic of six marbles in a distinctly 1970s pattern. Cocktails and live entertainment are meant to keep guests and locals lingering from day into evening.
The rooms
Fairmont New Orleans has 250 guest rooms and suites designed as personal retreats. They have residential warmth, eclectic finishes, and layered materials meant to feel collected over time. Three-dimensional entry mosaics reference classical European flooring, large paneled artworks evoke Louisiana bayou flora, and floor-to-ceiling windows frame city views. In select king rooms, faux balconies with cafe tables nod to the city’s beloved porches and terraces. The top stay is the one-bedroom Presidential Suite, a 1,205-square-foot corner suite with French Quarter views. It has two bathrooms, a living room with dining space for six, and a wet bar.
Fairmont Gold, the brand’s hotel-within-a-hotel tier, sits on the 29th and 30th floors. It has private check-in, a dedicated concierge, and a private lounge with complimentary breakfast and canapes. One timing note that matters: the Gold lounge itself is part of the December unveiling, covered below. So the full Gold experience is not live on opening day.
Dinner with Emeril
The culinary headline is real. Delmonico Steakhouse, in the lobby and open for dinner, marks the concept’s debut in New Orleans. It is also its first location anywhere outside Las Vegas. It pairs timeless steakhouse tradition with Emeril Lagasse’s bold New Orleans flavors. Hand-selected prime cuts from Creekstone Farms are dry-aged in-house, plus Japanese Wagyu, premium seafood, and an oyster and caviar program. The Cafe by Emeril, open for breakfast and lunch, is the relaxed brasserie counterpart. It combines French-inspired classics with Creole accents and Southern influences, from chicory-laced coffee to breakfast and lunch favorites. Emeril is no stranger to my coverage. I wrote about Emeril’s first restaurant at sea aboard Carnival’s Mardi Gras. This is the chef coming home to the city that shaped his cooking.
The honest catch: the rooftop is not open yet
Here is the part to get right before you book. The rooftop pool, billed as the city’s highest at 31 floors up with Mississippi River views, does not open today. Neither does Bleu Perdu, the poolside lounge opening directly onto the pool terrace. It has bistro-style dining, sun loungers, cabanas, and Spanish-inspired tile. Nor does Third Measure, the intimate late-night cocktail bar developed with Neal Bodenheimer of Cure fame. It is entered through wardrobe-inspired double doors with sunset views.
The 10,000-square-foot spa and fitness center is also December. It has three treatment rooms, a couples suite, dry sauna, steam room, and a sauna overlooking the skyline. So is the Gold lounge and the loft suites with double-height windows toward the Superdome. Fairmont’s own phased-opening answers put all of it in early December. Book now for the rooms and the steakhouse. If the rooftop is the reason you are going, wait a month. One nice extra already live for members: ALL Accor guests can use a complimentary Nike Lending Gear service during their stay.
Where it sits, and who it suits
Location is the other selling point. The hotel sits steps from the French Quarter and Caesars Superdome. It is near Bourbon Street, the Warehouse District, and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. That puts it at the crossroads of the city’s cultural, business, and entertainment hubs. That works whether you are visiting for Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, a major stadium event, or a weekend built around food. It also works as a pre-cruise base, with my cruise port hotels guide covering the stay-before-you-sail logic. On the events side, the hotel debuts with nine venues. They total more than 19,000 square feet of meeting and event space. There are two 4,000-square-foot ballrooms, six meeting rooms, and an executive boardroom. They host gatherings from 10 to 500 guests, plus 500 on-site parking spaces.
The bottom line: this is the strongest new luxury base in the Central Business District. It has real architectural character and a steakhouse worth planning around. Just go in with the calendar right. November gets you the rooms, the lobby, and Delmonico. December gets you the full Fairmont, rooftop included.
