Case Study: HRI Properties
Homewood Suites
Location
New Orleans, LA
Type
Lodging
Rooms
207
HRI Properties’ construction of the 207-room Homewood Suites extended stay hotel at 301 North Rampart Street, immediately adjacent to New Orleans’ French Quarter, presented HRI with a generational opportunity to capitalize on one of the strongest hotel markets in the country.
The City’s moratorium on new hotel construction in the French Quarter coupled with HRI’s ongoing redevelopment of the former Iberville public housing project and over $640 million of completed, under construction and planned development in this Rampart neighborhood created a confluence of factors that have contributed to this project’s immediate and anticipated lasting success.
One of the most fulfilling aspects of this project was HRI’s collaboration with Urban Strategies, Inc. in the development of the Homewood Suites Hospitality Training Program. This innovative job-creation program was targeted to Housing Authority of New Orleans residents and took place at the newly opened Bienville Basin Technology Center. The curriculum was designed for public housing residents with little or no professional work experience, as an introduction to the hospitality industry with a special focus on improving soft skills critical to success. HRI Hospitality then hired graduates on a preferential basis and provided additional on-the-job training consistent with Hilton Brand Standards.
The project, which utilized an innovative pre-cast concrete structural system, was constructed by Palmisano Contractors and designed by HCI Architecture, Inc. APC, and completed ahead of schedule and under budget.
