THE FACTS ABOUT THE RITZ-CARLTON NEW ORLEANS

USA

The second coming of New Orleans' Ritz-Carlton wasn't exactly a miracle but in a city recently risen from the dead it sure felt that way. The reopening of the queenly Beaux Arts hotel just before Christmas 2006 was a vivid reminder of the city's pre-Katrina glories while confirming that post-K life could be glorious as well. The Ritz-Carlton decided to look on the damages inflicted by the hurricane as an opportunity and immediately began months of repairs and renovations. They have plumped up the hotel's luxury quotient by upgrading the already palatial spa and enlarging and polishing the already stellar staff. The hotel was new to the city even before the hurricane, opening in 2000 in one of downtown's most famous buildings, the 1909 Maison Blanche, once the coolest department store in the south. The hotel is a visual and emotional anchor for New Orleans, open to commercial Canal Street on the front and the French Quarter at the back. It mixes the style of both, with rebuilding moguls meeting in the clubby On Trois lounge while young professionals dance in the bar to the music of smooth jazz god Jeremy Davenport. Rooms vary in size but are expertly decorated in a classical style that mixes rich floral fabrics, handsome prints and big beds with piles of pillows and comforters. WHEN TO GO For the Jazz Festival in late spring, or for Christmas when the town is all but empty of tourists. ROOM TO BOOK Stay at the boutique-hotel-within-the-hotel, The Maison Orleans, for the ultimate experience in pampering. CONTACT 921 Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA (00 1 504 524 1331; www.ritzcarlton.com). COST Doubles from $219; The Maison Orleans from $389