Expansion to Debut in January at Kimpton Hotel Fontenot

NEW ORLEANS — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, located in the Central Business District, has announced the anticipated January 2023 completion of a property expansion into the historic building next door located at 521 Tchoupitoulas Street. The new addition to the boutique hotel will include 33 new guestrooms and suites, more than 12,000 square feet of meeting and events space and King, a French brasserie with outdoor patio dining. 

“We’re ecstatic to unveil the final phase of the Fontenot and welcome our New Orleans friends and visitors,” said Jesseca Malecki, the hotel’s general manager, in a press release. 

Located on the ground level with an entrance on Tchoupitoulas Street, King will be modeled after traditional neighborhood brasseries in France while intertwining Mediterranean elements and the culinary traditions of New Orleans. In addition to the interior space, there will be outside seating on Tchoupitoulas Street. King will round out the Fontenot’s existing restaurant and bar concepts: Peacock Room and Gospel Coffee & Boozy Treats.

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Designed by Mark Zeff, who worked on the existing hotel and the expansion, King will feature “warm lighting with lofty, detailed ceilings in an airy space employing elegant and striking colors and fine touches down to the floor mosaic.” King will be helmed by the Fontenot’s newly announced executive chef Samuel Peery.

“With King, our culinary program will be a jewel in the crown of one of the country’s great food cities,” said Peery. “We hope our neighbors and tourists will come check out the Central Business District’s newest neighborhood brasserie, have a drink and bite on our patio and stay a while.”

The adaptive reuse expansion will also introduce a historic element to the property. The original structure was built in 1844 by prominent architect James Gallier as warehouse space, but has since undergone multiple restorations. Many design remnants of the historic structure still remain. The team at Mark Zeff has worked to integrate elements like the original brick walls and ceiling timber beams into the updated design.

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The new meeting and events spaces feature wide plank white oak wood and reclaimed timber planks from the original building along the walls and in the large custom boardroom table. Located on the second floor, above King, the flexible event space can accommodate weddings, meetings and other gatherings. One of these new spaces will be the 5,500-square-foot Canray Ballroom, named after musician Canray Fontenot. In addition to the space inside the building, a second-floor outdoor patio will offer even more options for events, both functional and celebratory.

Since opening in 2021, the Fontenot has focused on embodying New Orleans’ arts culture and musical legacy in many ways, from the musical instruments in the lobby artwork to a partnership with local nonprofit Roots of Music to the ongoing musical residencies in Peacock Room.

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