Broken windows on the facade of the Hyatt Regency New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, September 12, 2005
Hurricane Katrina damage
The hotel received extensive damage when Hurricane Katrina made landfall in the city on August 29, 2005, where all of the windows of the hotel were blown out due to severe winds, and water and debris were blown into the guestrooms and atrium lobby. There was feces and urine in the lobby, shattered glass everywhere, backed up toilets, and extreme heat, as the air conditioning did not work due to the generator failure.[1] As a result, the guests were evacuated to the ballrooms, along with stranded city residents. On August 31, a convoy of food and supplies provided by Hyatt hotels in Atlanta and Houston arrived. The hotel provided shelter for New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, the New Orleans Police Department and Fire Department, the Louisiana National Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Army Corps of Engineers, and some refugees that managed to sneak in from the Superdome nearby.[2][3] On September 2, 2005, the approximately 900 hotel guests were evacuated by bus or by car. No guests were suffering from major illnesses or injuries at the time of evacuation.[4]
Closure and Renovation
As a result of the damage sustained during Katrina, the hotel remained closed for six years. The previous hotel owners, Chicago-based company Strategic Hotels and Resorts Inc., along with other investors, announced in early 2006 a plan to redevelop the area around the Superdome (including the adjacent hotel) into a performance art park called the "National Jazz Center". The plan, designed in concept by Pritzker Award-winning architect Thom Mayne, was later abandoned.
Rear of Hyatt hotel from Champions Square
Poydras Properties Hotel Holdings acquired the Hyatt from Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc. for $32 million in 2007.[5]
On February 20, 2009, the State Bond Commission approved $225 million in special low-cost bonds to help renovate the Hyatt Regency.[6]
Hyatt issued a statement in August 2010 announcing a redevelopment effort carrying a price tag of $275 million. The redesign of the 32-story building, called for 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2) of meeting and exhibition space, two restaurants, two bars, and a coffee bar.[7]
The atrium of the Hyatt Regency New Orleans
Reopening
The hotel officially reopened on October 19, 2011 with several major changes to its interior and technological additions.[8] An exhibit hall was constructed by re-purposing the hotel’s old porte-cochère, or motor lobby.[9] The storm-battered area around the newly rebranded Superdome experienced major construction, renovation, and overall economic changes following Hurricane Katrina, which continued to be supported by the rebuilt Hyatt Regency. The Central Business District’s post-disaster development has yielded both Champions Square, the sports district, and the currently under-construction Biotech District. The entrance to the Hyatt Regency also faces the newly constructed Loyola Streetcar line, which provides access to the French Quarter and rest of the Central Business District (CBD).
Recognition
The Hyatt Regency New Orleans was distinguished by Forbes magazine as one of the Top 10 Hotel Renovations in 2012,[10] due to several notable features, including an in-house restaurant.[11]
