NOPSI Hotel

Step into a piece of New Orleans history that’s been flipped into one of the city’s most luxurious boutique experiences. Originally built in 1927 as the headquarters for the city’s power and transit company—New Orleans Public Service Inc.—this nine-story brick beauty sat empty for years before getting a complete glow-up. Now under Salamander Hotels (owned by billionaire Sheila Johnson), NOPSI brings serious Big Easy elegance with 217 refined rooms including 76 suites, some stretching up to 800 square feet. The spot’s got that perfect Central Business District location—just blocks from the French Quarter, Superdome, and the Warehouse District—plus you’ve still got thousands of NOPSI-branded manhole covers throughout the city streets serving as reminders of its civic service legacy. The restoration kept all the original architectural flex: vaulted ceilings that’ll make your jaw drop, ornamental columns, brass grills, and that stunning terrazzo floor that welcomes you like New Orleans royalty.

What really sets this property apart is how they transformed utility company swagger into upscale hospitality without losing the soul. The rooftop pool bar “Above the Grid” gives you panoramic city views while you’re sipping cocktails nine stories up—it’s peaceful by day for hotel guests, then transforms into one of the city’s hottest scenes after 5 PM. The Dryades Ballroom still has the original 24-foot crane hanging from 30-foot ceilings that once moved transformer equipment, now creating the most unique event space in the city. Public Service restaurant keeps the civic spirit alive with Gulf Coast ingredients and contemporary Louisiana cuisine, while underCURRENT Bar in the lobby channels that classic New Orleans courtyard vibe with wrought-iron details. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and part of Historic Hotels of America, NOPSI manages to be both a love letter to New Orleans’ past and a thoroughly modern luxury experience. The property’s pet-friendly too, because even your four-legged crew deserves to experience this level of NOLA hospitality.