"New Orleans has always had the food, the music, and the culture. Now, at last, it has a hotel worthy of all three."
The Four Seasons New Orleans opened in 2021 in the former World Trade Center building — a 1960s tower that had stood empty for years at the foot of Canal Street, where the French Quarter meets the Mississippi River. The renovation, which cost over $500 million, transformed one of the city's most prominent but neglected landmarks into the finest hotel in Louisiana — and one of the great urban hotels in the American South.
The location is extraordinary: directly on the Mississippi, at the precise point where the river bends and the city's skyline is most dramatic. The views from the upper floors — of the river, the Crescent City Connection bridge, and the sprawling city beyond — are unlike anything else in New Orleans. And the hotel's commitment to celebrating Louisiana's extraordinary culinary heritage, through two restaurants and a bar programme that is the finest in the city, makes it the essential address for any serious food traveller visiting the South.
At a Glance
The Rooms
Where to Sleep
Mississippi River View King
The entry point into the Four Seasons experience — and already extraordinary. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the Mississippi River and the Crescent City Connection bridge; the marble bathrooms are exceptional; and the beds, dressed in Four Seasons' signature linens, are the finest in New Orleans. Request a high floor for the most dramatic views.
Premier Suite
The Four Seasons' Premier Suites occupy the upper floors of the tower and offer the most expansive views of the Mississippi and the city. The separate living room, the soaking tub positioned to face the river, and the private dining table make these suites the finest accommodation in New Orleans for extended stays.
Penthouse Suite
The crown of the Four Seasons New Orleans — a two-storey penthouse with a private terrace overlooking the Mississippi, a grand piano, a full kitchen, and a master bathroom with a freestanding soaking tub positioned before floor-to-ceiling windows. The most extraordinary hotel room in Louisiana.
Food & Drink
Dining at the Four Seasons
The Four Seasons New Orleans has built the finest hotel dining programme in the South — a genuine celebration of Louisiana's extraordinary culinary heritage, from the Creole kitchens of the French Quarter to the Cajun traditions of the bayou country.
Chemin à la Mer
The Four Seasons' flagship restaurant is the finest expression of contemporary Louisiana cuisine in New Orleans. Chef Alejandro Toro's menu draws deeply from the state's Creole and Cajun traditions — the Gulf seafood is extraordinary, the gumbo is the best in the city, and the Louisiana crab claws with brown butter are the dish that will bring you back. The room, with its floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Mississippi, is the most beautiful dining room in New Orleans.
Miss River
The hotel's more casual all-day restaurant celebrates the breadth of Louisiana's culinary heritage — from the boudin of Cajun country to the muffulettas of the Italian immigrants who shaped New Orleans' food culture. The Sunday jazz brunch, with its live music and bottomless Sazeracs, is the finest hotel brunch in the South.
Chandelier Bar
The most glamorous bar in New Orleans — a soaring space beneath a cascade of crystal chandeliers, serving the city's most refined cocktail programme. The Sazerac, New Orleans' native cocktail, is made here with a reverence that honours its 19th-century origins. The bar's Ramos Gin Fizz — shaken for the full twelve minutes — is the best in the world.
Wellness
The Spa & Rooftop Pool
The Four Seasons Spa New Orleans occupies the 34th and 35th floors of the tower — the highest spa in Louisiana — with treatment rooms that look out over the Mississippi and the city. The menu draws on Louisiana's rich tradition of botanical healing, incorporating local ingredients like magnolia, sweet olive, and Louisiana lavender into treatments that are as distinctive as they are restorative.
The rooftop pool, on the 34th floor, is the finest in New Orleans — a heated outdoor pool with panoramic views of the Mississippi River bend, the Crescent City Connection, and the city skyline. The pool deck, with its private cabanas and cocktail service from the Chandelier Bar, is the most coveted outdoor space in the city.
"The Chandelier Bar's Sazerac is the finest in New Orleans — and that, in this city, is the highest compliment you can pay a hotel."
Julia Ross · TastesOf
The Verdict
Essential New Orleans
The Four Seasons New Orleans is the hotel that this extraordinary city has always deserved. The location — on the Mississippi, at the foot of Canal Street, within walking distance of the French Quarter, the Garden District, and the city's finest restaurants — is unbeatable. The rooms are the finest in Louisiana. The dining programme is a genuine celebration of Creole and Cajun cuisine. And the Chandelier Bar, with its Sazeracs and its crystal chandeliers, is the most glamorous room in the South. For any traveller who takes food, culture, and hospitality seriously, this is the only address in New Orleans.