Seven Historic Warehouses Are Now a Sumptuous New Orleans Hotel

Named the Eliza Jane after a pioneering publisher, this new boutique hotel just two blocks west of the French Quarter is full of historic influences.

Text by

Lucy Wang

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Manhattan–based interior design firm Stonehill Taylor has converted a row of 19th-century warehouses in New Orleans into the The Eliza Jane, a boutique hotel elegantly dressed in homage to the area’s cultural and architectural heritage.

The seven different buildings that have been combined to create the 196-room property have led diverse former lives. Prior tenants include The Daily Picayune newspaper, the Gulf Baking Soda Company, Peters Cartridge shop, and the Peychaud Bitters factory.

An elegant lobby welcomes guests with evergreen, paneled walls and a geometric hex-tiled floor from Nemo Tile + Stone. — An elegant lobby welcomes guests with evergreen, paneled walls and a geometric hex-tiled floor from Nemo Tile + Stone.

The team has woven references to these original occupants throughout the interior while emphasizing one standout tenant—Eliza Jane Poitevent, the first woman publisher of a major metropolitan newspaper in the U.S., who helmed The Daily Picayune in the late 1800s, for whom the boutique hotel is named.

A closer look at the front desk reveals the painted paneled walls, built-in bookshelves, a decorative fireplace, and a framed sketch of Eliza Jane.

A fluted glass partition separates an intimate lounge area adjacent the front lobby from the main public space.

"The intent was to create a quintessentially New Orleans setting, a sophisticated blend of old and new, that pays homage to the building’s past," explains the firm. Brick masonry walls were removed to internally conjoin the structures; however, the individual facades have been left intact.

The 60-foot-high atrium floods the lobby and Press Room bar with natural light, while lush plantings and a Havwoods parquet flooring soften the original exposed and slate-colored plaster walls.

Developed by HRI Lodging as part of Hyatt’s The Unbound Collection, the boutique property boasts 196 rooms with 50 suites richly dressed with channel-tufted, ink-colored leather headboards, eclectic accent furniture, and brass and walnut accents.

Exposed brick walls can be seen in the Premium King Suite, which overlooks views of Magazine Street.

The elegant bathrooms are finished with white beveled subway tile, marble countertops, and brass Kohler fixtures.

Original ceiling beams and exposed brick walls offer subtle nods to the architectural history. Historic details also permeate public spaces, including in the Press Room lounge—which is peppered with antiques and typewriters—and in the hotel’s all-day French brasserie, The Couvant, housed within the Peychaud Bitters factory.

The Publisher's Suite also enjoys views of Magazine Street below. All rooms are furnished with ink-colored leather headboards, accent furnishings from Bryan Ashley, floral patterns, and brass and walnut accents throughout.

The luxurious Publisher Suite bath features a free-standing bathtub next to a large window with a privacy curtain.

A soon-to-be-completed, 2,000-square-foot, open-air courtyard occupies the heart of the property. Inspired by the city’s Spanish architecture, the brick-walled space was once six smaller outdoor spaces that the team combined to form a partial outdoor dining area and lounge.