Virgin Hotel New Orleans

This kind of consistency is what hotel chains, big and small, are all about: hear the phrase “Virgin Hotels” and you instantly understand what they’re going for, which is the same youthful, irreverent, even swashbuckling approach the various Virgin brands have taken to everything from record stores to vodka to airlines. The Virgin Hotel New Orleans, naturally, gives you broadly what you expect, though some of the details come as a surprise: it’s a vibrant, fun, and ever-sociable sort of place, and there’s nothing the least bit minimalist about it.

It’s set in the city’s Central Business District, which in New Orleans is quite a bit more fun than it sounds. The exterior is a serious modern tower, which in its choice of materials pays subtle tribute to the city’s old warehouses. Inside, it’s one part vaguely European sophistication and one part sub-tropical color explosion, just like New Orleans itself. Local architects and designers were brought on to tailor Virgin’s house style to its new setting, and the result is a fresh take on the mid-century Virgin aesthetic, both in the rooms and in essential public spaces like the rooftop pool, the café, and the ever-present Shag Room lounge.