Updated: May 2026
New Orleans has a way of pulling you back.
I first fell in love with this city as a Tulane student in the 1980s, and every return trip since has added another layer to that relationship. On this visit, the destination was Hotel Peter and Paul — a boutique hotel carved from a 19th century Catholic church, convent, rectory, and school in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood. It takes up an entire city block, and from the street you would never guess it was a hotel.
That’s part of the charm.
The Property
Hotel Peter and Paul is the result of a six-year, $22 million restoration led by developer Nathalie Jordi and design firm StudioWTA, with interiors by ASH NYC. The goal was to preserve everything — the cypress wood moldings, stained glass windows, marble fireplaces, and the distinct character of each of the four buildings — while transforming the complex into something entirely livable.
The result is 71 guest rooms spread across the school, convent, and rectory, priced from $139 to $899 per night. A recurring design thread throughout is the use of yellow, blue, and red — colors drawn from the religious iconography woven into the property’s history. ASH NYC filled the spaces with paintings, small crucifixes, and tapestries that feel collected rather than decorated.
The hotel offers daily tours of the property for guests, and their 45-minute video captures the full backstory beautifully.
Rectory
Built around 1875, the rectory is home to the Elysian Bar, a courtyard, and five guest rooms. It’s where you want to spend your first evening.
The bar’s most striking design feature is a sculptural tree-like installation along the back wall — upside-down bell-shaped trunks of cypress, the same material used by local Mardi Gras float makers. It’s the kind of detail that could only happen in New Orleans.
Order the Perfect Sazerac. It’s the official drink of New Orleans, and if the bar isn’t too busy, ask your bartender to walk you through the history while they make it. The Southern menu runs toward shareable plates — the whole roasted Gulf shrimp is a must. Bon Appétit named Elysian Bar one of America’s Best New Restaurants in 2019, and it earns it.
Church
The heart of the property is the 9,450-square-foot brown brick church, built around 1860 and designed by acclaimed 19th century architect Henry Howard. It was deconsecrated by the Archdiocese of New Orleans in 2000 and now serves as an event venue — but it hasn’t lost its reverence.
Angels and saints remain in the stained glass. The murals above the former altar space have been restored. The original bell still sits in the tower.
Today the church hosts everything from yoga to live music. Check their event calendar before you visit — you may want to plan your evening around whatever is happening inside.
Convent
The 1890 convent once housed the Marianite Sisters of the Holy Cross who taught at the school next door. It now has seven guest rooms and is home to Sundae’s Best — a small, unhurried ice cream shop serving handmade flavors from locally sourced ingredients.
Ten flavors are available year round: mint chocolate chip, vanilla bean, butterscotch pecan, lemon bar, cookies and cream, dark chocolate, peanut crackle and jam, honey and Zapp’s, dulce de leche, and toasted coconut (vegan). Two seasonal flavors rotate in alongside those. Served in cups or hand-made waffle cones with toppings including caramel, hot fudge, nuts, and sprinkles.
Open 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM Sunday through Tuesday and Thursday, and 4:00 PM – 11:00 PM Friday and Saturday.
It’s the kind of detour you don’t plan but end up being glad you made.
School
The 1900 elementary school is the largest of the four buildings and now houses the hotel’s reception, a library stocked with books, and 59 guest rooms arranged along the existing hallway floor plan. Rooms here are more compact than those in the rectory or convent, but the common spaces are beautiful — quiet corners for reading, working, or simply sitting with the history of the place.
A Personal Note
I graduated from Tulane in 1987, and New Orleans has never quite let me go. On this trip I made a detour to Josephine Louise House, my freshman dorm, and stood on the same steps I’d climbed hundreds of times as a student.
The city looks different at every stage of life. Hotel Peter and Paul is the kind of place that understands that — built on memory, restored with intention, and very much alive.
The Close
Hotel Peter and Paul is one of those rare hotels that gives you something to think about long after you’ve checked out. Whether you’re a first-time visitor to New Orleans or someone returning to a city you already love, it’s worth every bit of the detour into Marigny.
Until next time…
· izzy
