New Orleans’s Hotel Saint Vincent Is a Feast for the Senses
Let St. Vincent, the singer, tell you the origin story of Saint Vincent, the hotel. She was out with her friend Liz Lambert one night in New Orleans: “We go, we look at this place, we crack open a shitty bottle of white wine in a paper bag—although we didn’t need the paper bag, it’s very permissive and delightful here—but we crack open that wine, and we sit and we talk about it, and we think about it, and that was the moment the Saint Vincent Hotel was born. And I just want to say thank you to Liz, thank you for this place…”
St. Vincent, aka Annie Clark, was speaking between songs from a stage in the courtyard of New Orleans’ newest hotel. Lambert, a hotelier known both for her charming design sense and ability to create spaces that extend into communities, had invited Clark to play for a small crowd of friends, colleagues, and collaborators in celebration of the property’s soft opening.
The weekend’s top billing was an obvious moment of kismet, but other delights awaited attendees. On Friday, a group of New Orleans’s Black Masking Indians introduced an exhibition of their beaded, feathered suits, versions of which would have appeared at Mardi Gras in an ordinary year. Dinner could be had at San Lorenzo, the hotel’s coastal Italian restaurant that serves a dreamy pavlova for dessert. Then there were cocktails at the Chapel Club, a ground-floor bar that suggests debauchery with its collection of nude paintings. In the morning, fashion’s favorite trainer Joe Holder led a recovery workout—he’s planning an in-room (or on-veranda, as the case may be) fitness program for the place.
Retiring to one of the hotel’s 75 rooms unlocked more treasures: The psychedelic marbled wallpaper and pillowcases, a theme throughout the property, were created by George Venson’s Voutsa. Much of the sumptuous furniture was custom-made by Lambert McGuire Design, the studio Liz runs with Larry McGuire. (The duo, along with Tom Moorman, operate the hotel under their newly rebranded company, MML Hospitality.) D.S. & Durga toiletries sat alongside a locally hand-poured Hazeltine travel candle, scented to be a “love poem to old New Orleans.” The walls were painted a surprisingly flattering shade of grey, achieved by mixing Farrow & Ball Elephant’s Breath with its deeper Mole’s Breath. The MML team has taken to calling it Gator’s Breath.
When it came to final styling and sourcing ahead of the soft opening, McGuire and Lambert went shopping in New Orleans. Sud supplied them with Sicilian art and objects for the restaurant, Lucullus provided antique culinary objects, and just a couple blocks away from the hotel, Merchant House came through with vital “bits and pieces.” Decor enthusiasts are bound to leave with ideas about how they might renovate their own home. Some inspiring items can be found at ByGeorge, Saint Vincent’s sliver of a store that gives “gift shop” a whole new meaning.
Curated by ByGeorge president Molly Nutter, a Barneys and Céline alum, the shop is the latest outpost for the brand, which has two stores in Austin. In New Orleans, Nutter has placed stylish hotel essentials—Marvis toothpaste, Dries swimsuits for guests who forgot to pack for the pool—alongside unexpected objets like brass shrimp bookends and vintage watches selected by Veralet. A covetable array of beauty products, chosen by makeup artist Erin Lee Smith, is only set to grow.
The property has a storied past—originally built 160 years ago, it was founded as an orphanage, Saint Vincent’s Infant Asylum, by Margaret Haughery, an Irish immigrant who became a noted philanthropist and humanitarian in New Orleans. (Visitors can see a statue erected in her honor about six blocks from the hotel, at Margaret Place Park.) The hotel intends to continue Haughery’s legacy with a set of community-building initiatives. Given Louisiana’s status as the state with the highest incarceration rate, MML Hospitality is committed to hiring returning citizens. They also plan to offer their events space for local gatherings and art exhibitions. While exact collaborations have yet to be decided, Lambert and McGuire envision hosting farmers markets, flea markets, and recording sessions.
Ultimately, they hope the hotel will open new doors for travelers to New Orleans. Located away from the buzz of the French Quarter in the Lower Garden District, it invites a slower pace and sense of place. Since they’ve relocated from Austin while they finalize the hotel, the design duo have been going to jazz in the park on Sundays. McGuire describes it as “just hundreds of people with dogs and lawn chairs, all the little kids are swimming in the fountain…” It’s that side of the city that they aim to introduce to visitors (the hotel will provide the picnic basket). Otherwise, walking down Magazine Street without a destination might just be the ideal agenda; ancient oak trees stand above little free libraries, and the houses offer endless eye candy. For those who do want an end goal, go towards Sunday Shop, a home goods oasis that offers a mix of old and new. Or follow GQ’s guide to the delectable vegan food that has lately redefined the city’s dining scene. But, as McGuire notes, “the goal is that if you never wanted to leave the property, you could be very well taken care of, very well-fed, and just have a vacation, you know?” In addition to San Lorenzo, the hotel hosts Elizabeth Street Cafe, another Austin import, which serves pastries in the morning and Vietnamese food throughout the day (a banh mi is always a good call).
Between days of rain, a window of fair weather opened for the weekend’s main event. Preservation Hall Jazz Band played on the veranda, then by the pool, as champagne was passed around. After a year of Zoom shirts and slip-ons, guests brought their best in shiny sheaths and fuchsia mini dresses. St. Vincent wore a brown Gant suit with her shirt unbuttoned nearly to her navel, heralding a new era of sexy, free fashion. After a few too many mezcal old-fashioneds, some revelers traipsed to bed. Rumor had it that those who stayed awake ended up synchronized skinny dipping under the stars.
Hotel Saint Vincent will officially open its doors, restaurants, and watering holes on June 22nd. Until then, San Lorenzo, Paradise Lounge, Elizabeth Street Cafe, and ByGeorge New Orleans are open to the public with limited hours.
Originally Appeared on Vogue
