special section Innovative Centers and Unique Venues Hyatt Regency New Orleans Big meetings in the Big Easy

After a $275-million, head-to-toe transforma- tion, Hyatt Regency New Orleans reopened in late 2011 with more than 200,000 square feet of meeting and event space — the most meeting space of any hotel in the city. But the high-tech meeting rooms and sparkling ballrooms (literally — The Celestin Ballroom alone has 12 chandeliers) aren’t the only areas of the hotel to get made over. The hotel’s 1,193 guest rooms and public spaces received a total refresh, and the hotel’s food-and-bever- age offerings have all new looks, and menus, to boot. Adjacent to the Mercedes-Benz Super-

dome and New Orleans Arena, and just a few blocks from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Hyatt Regency New Orleans has a

prime spot in downtown. After last year’s comprehensive renovation that doubled the hotel’s meeting space — which now includes two 25,000-square-foot ballrooms, 70 meeting and banquet rooms, 19 executive- level meeting rooms, and more than 80,000 square feet of exhibit space — the hotel can accommodate several groups simultane- ously. The hotel’s 50,000-square-foot Elite Hall is

not just any exhibit hall. The space’s vaulted ceilings reach up to 17 feet, and dedicated load-in doors for deliveries give the hall flex- ibility as well as originality. Meeting rooms have also been upgraded with the latest in audiovisual equipment and a state-of-the-art network capable of speeds up to 1GB, which

can support webcasting, video-streaming, and videoconferencing, and can be divided as needed. The hotel’s new interactive TV system, Roomlinx, even lets groups sched- ule individual appointments and advertise through in-room TVs. Each of the hotel’s partners, including Swank Audio Visuals, Freeman Decorating, FedEx Ofice, and an in-house destination management company, have on-site ofices to ensure seamless ser- vice for meeting planners.

For more information: Hyatt Regency New Orleans — (504) 561-1234; neworleans.hyatt.com

AT A GLANCE

Hotel rooms • 1,193

Meeting facilities • 200,000 square feet of meeting and event space

On-site services and amenities • Four restaurants and bars, including Borgne, a restaurant by James Beard Award–winning chef John Besh

• Starbucks • Lagniappe Exchange — a 24-hour fresh market

Crescent city The 32-story Hyatt Regency New Orleans has represented a legacy of hospitality for more than three decades. The hotel reopened in late 2011 after a $275-million transformation.

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