New Orleans has no shortage of antique-filled mansions to sleep in. These three take a different approach, with design that looks forward rather than back.
1. Virgin Hotels New Orleans, Warehouse District
The newest of the three and the only one in a purpose-built hotel, Virgin brings Richard Branson’s brand formula to Baronne Street. Its 238 rooms, called Chambers, each split into two distinct spaces, so one person can get ready behind a sliding door while another relaxes in the lounge area. Two penthouse suites sit at the top.
The social center is Commons Club on the lobby level, a combined restaurant, bar, and lounge that books live music and DJ sets on a regular schedule and draws as many locals as guests. The Pool Club takes the 13th floor with a heated pool, bar, and terrace overlooking downtown, and the Funny Library Coffee Shop covers mornings. A 24-hour gym holds Peloton bikes and Technogym equipment.
The hotel sits at 550 Baronne Street, within a ten-minute walk of Bourbon Street and the Superdome. Members of Virgin’s loyalty program, The Know, get upgrades and special rates.
2. Maison Métier, Central Business District
Los Angeles designer Pamela Shamshiri filled this 67-room guesthouse with antiques collected worldwide, colorful marble bathroom floors, French wallpaper, and vintage glass light fixtures. A snake motif threads through the building, from sculptural shower-door handles to cobra lamps in the hallways and ceramic serpents in the lobby fireplace. The effect suggests the home of a well-traveled collector rather than a period restoration.
Rooms run large for downtown, with king rooms starting around 340 square feet and suites reaching 620. The ground floor holds a guests-only living room with an honor bar and evening wine and cheese hour, plus a Breakfast Room with scallop-edged tables and blue velvet seating. Salon Salon, the bar in the old Annex library, opens to the public and connects to the hotel through a hidden door.
The building went up in 1908 as the City Hall Annex, so the bones are historic even if the styling is not. It sits at 546 Carondelet Street and was called Maison de la Luz until 2024. Call (504) 814-7720.
3. The Barnett, Warehouse District
Known as Ace Hotel New Orleans from 2016 until 2024, The Barnett occupies a 1920s Art Deco building that spent decades as Barnett’s Furniture Store. A 2025 refresh redesigned the rooms, reworked the lobby, and rebuilt the rooftop.
The design leans bold. Public spaces run to deep greens, bright yellows, and rich reds, and the lobby is laid out like a modern furniture showroom with plush seating and community tables. Rooms carry warm cork floors, oversized windows, and built-in window seats, and some suites include turntables and acoustic guitars. A rotating gallery on the main floor shows work by emerging local artists, with new exhibits every six to eight weeks.
Five places to eat and drink fill the building, including Seaworthy in an 1832 Creole cottage and the Good Measure music hall. High Five holds the ninth-floor pool, cabanas, and fire pits. The hotel stands at 600 Carondelet Street, across from Maison Métier. Call (504) 900-1180.
