Weekend Getaway: New Orleans’ One11 Hotel is a Sweet Stay in a City Built on Sugar

New Orleans: the city of jazz, Cajun cuisine, and a nightlife like no other. A curious and quirky blend of

Weekend Getaway: New Orleans' One11 Hotel is a Sweet Stay in a City Built on Sugar

New Orleans: the city of jazz, Cajun cuisine, and a nightlife like no other. A curious and quirky blend of the mystical, the traditional, and the ever-evolving, NOLA is one of those cities that feels like a living entity. When you first come to NOLA, you immediately notice that the air is a little different, the people talk a little slower – but the city moves at a lightning pace. When looking for a quick Weekend Getaway in New Orleans, there's no place finer to lay your head than One11 Hotel. Overlooking the historic French Quarter and the Mississippi River, it's a modern oasis in a city of buzz.

The Rooms

When you stay in New Orleans, you expect something a little different. Not just any old cut and dry hotel will do for your time in the city where jazz was born. Visitors to the city want to be close to the action, close to the beating heart of the city, and One11 is right up that alley – literally.

Located in the French Quarter – famed home to Mardi Gras, some of the best food in the world, and no shortage of haunted buildings – One11 is a soothing pop of modernity that respects the weight of the history surrounding it.

The rooms boast walls with a charming blend of the original building's faded brick, even showing where repairs have been made with mortar, and a soothing white plaster. Original raised ceilings, wooden support beams and exposed ceiling beams give it that feel of historic industrial. But the decor is anything but sterile or cold, with soft creams and golds, and light woods to rock you to a state of relaxation and bliss after a long day of exploring. Mid-century modern furniture and a light airy feel with floor-to-ceiling windows combine to make this the perfect oasis to touch home base while in NOLA.

Dining, Views and an Unbeatable Location

From the outside, One11 looks like an unassuming white painted historic building. But once you enter the lobby, it's clear that a master architect and design team has found a way to combine historic with modern. A rooftop terrace with ample comfortable seating offers a way to enjoy the view of the French Quarter and the happenings below, as well as gaze over the history-laden Mississippi River and dream of what once was – and what will be.

For dining, fewer cities in the world offer as much local flavor as New Orleans. Known as the birthplace of Creole cooking, NOLA meals embrace a combination of surf and turf, with a pop of spice to set your tastebuds afire in the best way possible. Whether it's gumbo, jambalaya, po-boys or other cuisine delights you desire – you'll find it made to perfection in New Orleans. Visitors to One11 can dine-in with Batture Bistro + Bar.

At Batture, guests will find a lot of what they're familiar with – with a Creole twist. Dishes with a delightful local flavor include Pontchartrain Cakes, Boudin Egg Rolls, Shrimp Martini, NOLA Deviled Eggs, Batture Benedict and so much more, including craft cocktails. For the full menu to tempt your tastebuds, click here.

The History of One11 – Built in a City of Sugar

The one thing that few people know about New Orleans is that it was built not on the tongue-tingling spices that gives the local cuisine flavor today – but sugar.

The Hotel's website introduces the history of the area; "Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the founding father of New Orleans, first stepped foot on the alluvial land that formed a batture along the Mississippi River in 1717 and proposed that this land become the capitol of the French colony in the area. By spring of 1718, permission was granted, and he named the new city 'La Nouvelle Orleans' in honor of the French Duke of Orleans. This batture was the same land that would later become the Sugar District in the nineteenth century lasting through the 1930s."

What people now consider downtown New Orleans was once sugarcane fields, so entwined in the history of the sugar industry is the city. In the late 18th century, Creole planter Jean Etienne de Boré discovered a way to granulate sugar and it quickly became the number one export for the growing coastal city.

Through the 1800's, New Orleans became known as "The Sugar Bowl" as the export boomed and more efficient refining practices made it cheaper and faster to process and move. The Civil War devastated the sugar industry in NOLA as plantations were destroyed, but by the end of the 1800's it was slowly crawling its way back to prominence. And alongside the Mississippi River and a landing where sugar moved in and out of the city, the Sugar District arose.

In the 1940's, shifting ordinances meant that the Sugar District was largely absorbed by the French Quarter. The website adds, "The seven-story white brick building built in 1884 by American Sugar Refining Company, now home to ONE11 Hotel, is one of the few restored remnants of the Sugar District that remains today. It sat vacant until it was converted to an office building with a first-floor restaurant in 1971. The 111 Iberville project was converted by the new owners Curtis & Davis Architects into office space for their firm and for lease. The ground floor was home to Victoria Station, a restaurant chain that featured old rail cars parked on the side of the building."

The Hotel is a charming reminder of the past, with all the amenities of the modern era. For a city like New Orleans which is more than just a place to stay, One11 is the perfect Weekend Getaway. Close enough to be convenient, but with a chill and zen vibe you're looking for in your precious time off.

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