New Orleans -- This city today marked another milestone on its post-Katrina road to recovery with the reopening of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
The 527-room hotel underwent a $100-million renovation to repair the extensive damage wrought by Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005.
The hotel, located on the edge of the French Quarter, has added 8,000 square feet of new meeting space, for a total of nearly 35,000 square feet. The new space replaces retail space on the first floor.
The Ritz-Carlton is providing room blocks to three upcoming city-wide conventions, including Meeting Professionals International's Professional Education Conference, in January. Other large bookings include Coca Cola and Playworld Systems, also in January.
Last week, the city celebrated another milestone when restoration was completed at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Halls A through C, which encompass 357,524 square feet of exhibit space and 41 meeting rooms, were placed back in service starting with the International Workboat Show.
The covention center also shut down in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The center suffered damage not only from the storm but also from the thousands of desperate evacuees who took refuge there under difficult conditions.
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