N.O. hotel facelifts

•  The W French Quarter hotel held a reception and tour recently of its redesigned tarot card and jazz-inspired guestrooms and SoBou, a “modern Creole Saloon” named for the hotel being “South of Bourbon Street.” The restaurant created by the Commander’s Family of Restaurants will offer a small plate menu by executive chef Juan Carlos Gonzalez.
•  The Hotel Monteleone reconfigured its lounge area in May and opened Criollo Restaurant and Lounge under the helm of chef de cuisine Joseph Maynard and executive chef Randolph Buck. The restaurant’s Louisiana Fusion cuisine reflects the city’s varied Creole heritage, hence the name.
•  The New Orleans Windsor Court Hotel completed a $22 million restoration this year of its 316 guest rooms and suites, Club Level lounge, Le Salon, Grill Room, Polo Club Lounge, pool area and meetings spaces with the addition of a lobby bar and spa.
•  The Ritz Carlton underwent a $9 million room renovation in 2011, the first time that the rooms have been renovated since the Ritz opened in 2000 in the former Maison Blanche building on Canal Street.

Cheré Coen