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Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States · Four Seasons · High Luxury
Edward Durell Stone's 1968 World Trade Center curves over the Mississippi as the home of Louisiana's only AAA Five Diamond hotel. James Beard Award winners Alon Shaya and Donald Link anchor the restaurants, while a 34th-floor observation deck projects over the river from the restored modernist landmark.
- 341 rooms
- Opened 2021
- Neighborhood: Central Business District
- Rooms from 438 sq ft (41 m²)
- Architect: Edward Durell Stone
- Interiors: Bill Rooney Studio & Alexander Waterworth Interiors
About Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans
- Edward Durell Stone designed the 1968 World Trade Center, whose restored 34th-floor observation deck cantilevers over the Mississippi.
- James Beard Award winners Alon Shaya and Donald Link each anchor a restaurant inside Louisiana's only AAA Five Diamond hotel.
- Entry-level rooms start at 438 sq ft (41 m²).
History
The building that houses Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans was commissioned in the late 1950s and designed by Edward Durell Stone — an Arkansas-born architect who had become one of the most prominent in the world, his portfolio including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. Stone's assignment in New Orleans was ambitious: to create a building that would house both the International House and the International Trade Mart, two private nonprofit organizations dedicated to promoting international commerce through the Port of New Orleans. Construction began in 1964 at the foot of Canal Street where it meets the Mississippi River, and the thirty-three-story cruciform tower was completed and formally dedicated in 1968 — a celebration that coincided with the 250th anniversary of the city's founding, and a year in which the merged organization renamed itself the World Trade Center New Orleans, the first institution to use that name anywhere in the world.
Stone's design was a masterpiece of what architectural historians call New Formalism — a mid-century style that used classical proportions and symmetry within a modernist structural framework. The tower's four wings point toward the cardinal directions, a deliberate symbolic reference to international commerce reaching the four corners of the world. In its heyday during Louisiana's oil boom of the 1970s and early 1980s, the building hosted international dignitaries, sitting presidents of the United States, and the consulates of dozens of nations. The "Top of the Mart" rotating cocktail lounge on the thirty-third floor, which completed one revolution per hour, became one of the most recognized institutions in the city, with panoramic views of the French Quarter, the river, and the surrounding delta. Hurricane Katrina damaged the building in 2005, and after the last tenants departed in 2011, the tower stood vacant — a spectral presence at one of the most symbolically charged intersections in New Orleans.
Preservation advocates campaigned vigorously when demolition seemed possible; their effort was validated when the tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014 and the city selected a proposal by developers Carpenter and Co. and Woodward Interests to convert the structure to hotel and residential use. Work began in July 2018 on what became the largest privately funded development in New Orleans history, ultimately costing more than $500 million. The conversion architect Gary Johnson of CambridgeSeven Associates treated the cruciform plan as an asset: the tapered wings that had frustrated office tenants proved ideal for hotel guestrooms, with short corridor walks and excellent natural light. Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans opened in August 2021 with 341 rooms and 92 private residences. The original marble lobby finishes were restored. Vue Orleans, a cultural attraction and observation deck, now occupies the restored circular crown. James Beard Award-winning chefs Alon Shaya and Donald Link anchor the two main restaurants, Miss River and Chemin a la Mer, bringing the city's Creole culinary tradition into conversation with the building's modernist grandeur.
The setting
Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans rises at 2 Canal Street in the Central Business District, occupying a 33-story modernist tower completed in 1968 by architect Edward Durell Stone as the International Trade Mart — the first World Trade Center organization in the world. Set where Canal Street meets the Mississippi River, the building housed the Port of New Orleans headquarters and commanded the city's commercial waterfront for decades before its $450 million conversion to a five-star hotel. The Audubon Aquarium is four minutes on foot, Jackson Square fifteen minutes, and Cafe Du Monde sixteen minutes into the French Quarter.
Restaurants and bars
- Miss River — Restaurant · Southern · Chef Alon Shaya
- Chemin à la Mer — Restaurant · French · Chef Donald Link
- Chandelier Bar — Restaurant · Cocktails · Chef Alon Shaya
Experiences
- Spa de Deux — Side-by-side couples' massage, essential-oil couples' bath soak and body treatment, with complimentary champagne on the riverfront relaxation deck.
- The Southern Rose — Dry brush exfoliation, rose oil massage and pressure point scalp massage, followed by a French 75 overlooking the Mississippi River.
- The Southern Gentleman — Deep therapeutic massage for neck, shoulders and back, cypress-oil foot exfoliation, then a date-infused Old Fashioned by the river.
- Observation Deck and Exhibit — Interactive digital cultural exhibit with indoor and outdoor observation decks on the 33rd and 34th floors, offering 360-degree city views.
- Pool Deck infinity pool — Fifth-floor 75-foot crescent infinity pool overlooking the Mississippi, described as the largest hotel pool in New Orleans, with four cabanas for rent.
Amenities
- Largest hotel pool in New Orleans (outdoor, 5th floor)
- Spa with Biologique Recherche skincare partnership
- Vue Orleans observation deck
- 24-hour fitness center
- Hot tub
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- AAA Four Diamond (2026)
- Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN One Key (2026)
- AAA Five Diamond (2022)
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