Editorial: New Orleans City Council should give zoning changes for new convention hotel a thumbs-up – Nola.com
June 17, 2026
“Cities around the country are making big investments in their convention centers and nearby environs, the better to compete for lucrative large meetings. But perhaps no other city is as dependent on these events as tourism-reliant New Orleans.
So when officials at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and their supporters in the business community argue that the huge Omni headquarters hotel planned for across the street simply has to happen, we agree. Building the city’s first new major hotel in decades, with more than 1,000 rooms, ample meeting space and easy access to the convention center, is key to keeping up with the ever-more-cutthroat competition to host the biggest business gatherings, not to mention future major sporting events, such as Super Bowls.”