Welcome In: Laura Kamenitz, Innkeeper and owner @ The Laurel Bed and Breakfast
Interview by Paul Oswell
Sometimes it pays to trust your instincts. In 1995, Laura and Eliot Kamenitz were just married, and they took a chance on a property in Mid City. Back then, there wasn’t much around the neighborhood, and it certainly wasn’t a haven for visiting tourists. Since the mid 1980s, Eliot had been renting a house close to the corner of Wilson and Delgado.
There was a particular house on that corner - a cute, raised cottage-style house dating back to 1924 - that he would drive by every day and admire, dreaming that he owned it. A decade and one marriage later, it’s 1995 and Laura and Eliot are looking for somewhere to live. Out on a drive one day, which property do you think that they should happen to see for sale?
One phone call later and Eliot’s dream house was their new home. “The property was really big, and it had this great sun room,” says Laura. “So we thought that perhaps this would be a great spot for a bed and breakfast. That’s where it all started.”
Now retired, Laura was a Chemical Engineer and Eliot a professional photographer. At that time, they were both working but thought about this extra gig. “We thought it'd be kind of fun, just, you know? We’re just a one suite and we thought it'd be fun and so we tried it, and then we just kind of stuck with it,” says Laura.
Were they anxious about taking those first guests? “We were kind of nervous, because we’re owner-occupied. Our guests have a private part of the house, but it’s still a new venture,” says Laura. “The very first guests were a newly-married couple, but we got through it, and they seemed to enjoy it.” A new side career for the couple was born.
It’s a gorgeous property in what is now a desirable neighborhood. “I love that it’s on the corner lot,” says Laura. “It also has this great center hallway, which became the perfect gallery for Eliot’s photography.” A lovely raised porch with its columns, a private dining room and kitchen and a butler’s pantry were also winning features, especially for a new bed and breakfast inn.
The Laurel has seen lots of changes over 30 years. “When we moved here, every other house needed to be renovated,” says Laura. “But we loved being a block off Bayou St. John and City Park is right there and we just knew it had a lot of potential. People just started pouring into the neighborhood, and now it seems like every house has been renovated.”
Where do they like to send their guests? “We tell people the restaurants that we like,” says Laura. “I put a little list in the guest room. Around here, we have spots like Pals Bar, or Santa Fe has really good southwestern food. Cafe Degas is a nice French Bistro, or for upscale, there’s Ralph’s On The Park.”
Even though they retired in 2017, Eliot and Laura still love welcoming guests to their house and being unofficial ambassadors for the city’s culture. They are proud to be members of the Professional Innkeepers Association of New Orleans (PIANO) and people come from all over, recently a couple from the Netherlands. It's all a pleasure for Laura and Eliot. "It doesn't matter who's staying here, there's always some kind of connection,” says Laura. “We always end up having great conversations over breakfast. We also do a lot of local business, by which I mean neighbors’ parents or grandparents will stay here while they’re visiting their kids. I love that aspect of it.”
Click here for more information and booking links on the Laurel website
More interviews
Interview by Paul Oswell
Sometimes it pays to trust your instincts. In 1995, Laura and Eliot Kamenitz were just married, and they took a chance on a property in Mid City. Back then, there wasn’t much around the neighborhood, and it certainly wasn’t a haven for visiting tourists. Since the mid 1980s, Eliot had been renting a house close to the corner of Wilson and Delgado.
There was a particular house on that corner - a cute, raised cottage-style house dating back to 1924 - that he would drive by every day and admire, dreaming that he owned it. A decade and one marriage later, it’s 1995 and Laura and Eliot are looking for somewhere to live. Out on a drive one day, which property do you think that they should happen to see for sale?
One phone call later and Eliot’s dream house was their new home. “The property was really big, and it had this great sun room,” says Laura. “So we thought that perhaps this would be a great spot for a bed and breakfast. That’s where it all started.”
Now retired, Laura was a Chemical Engineer and Eliot a professional photographer. At that time, they were both working but thought about this extra gig. “We thought it'd be kind of fun, just, you know? We’re just a one suite and we thought it'd be fun and so we tried it, and then we just kind of stuck with it,” says Laura.
Were they anxious about taking those first guests? “We were kind of nervous, because we’re owner-occupied. Our guests have a private part of the house, but it’s still a new venture,” says Laura. “The very first guests were a newly-married couple, but we got through it, and they seemed to enjoy it.” A new side career for the couple was born.
It’s a gorgeous property in what is now a desirable neighborhood. “I love that it’s on the corner lot,” says Laura. “It also has this great center hallway, which became the perfect gallery for Eliot’s photography.” A lovely raised porch with its columns, a private dining room and kitchen and a butler’s pantry were also winning features, especially for a new bed and breakfast inn.
The Laurel has seen lots of changes over 30 years. “When we moved here, every other house needed to be renovated,” says Laura. “But we loved being a block off Bayou St. John and City Park is right there and we just knew it had a lot of potential. People just started pouring into the neighborhood, and now it seems like every house has been renovated.”
Where do they like to send their guests? “We tell people the restaurants that we like,” says Laura. “I put a little list in the guest room. Around here, we have spots like Pals Bar, or Santa Fe has really good southwestern food. Cafe Degas is a nice French Bistro, or for upscale, there’s Ralph’s On The Park.”
Even though they retired in 2017, Eliot and Laura still love welcoming guests to their house and being unofficial ambassadors for the city’s culture. They are proud to be members of the Professional Innkeepers Association of New Orleans (PIANO) and people come from all over, recently a couple from the Netherlands. It's all a pleasure for Laura and Eliot. "It doesn't matter who's staying here, there's always some kind of connection,” says Laura. “We always end up having great conversations over breakfast. We also do a lot of local business, by which I mean neighbors’ parents or grandparents will stay here while they’re visiting their kids. I love that aspect of it.”
Click here for more information and booking links on the Laurel website
More interviews