Selina Catahoula Hotel, New Orleans
I heard about this place because of a flower. One of my friends told me that at their bar (which specializes in pisco - a Peruvian unaged brandy), there’s a cocktail with this flower garnish and the petals make your mouth go numb. I’m a sucker for cocktail gimmicks (and just cocktails in general, I suppose) and so I just went the whole hog and stayed. Just in case my numb mouth meant I couldn’t call for a cab.
The Selina Catahoula is on a narrow side street in the heart of the Central Business District, which makes for a relatively discreet spot, and in the evenings and at weekends, a fairly tranquil one. It's three blocks from the French Quarter, so is respectably close while maintaining a tasteful distance.
The 35 rooms are built into a 19th-century Creole townhouse, and while there’s some sense of history poking through the brickwork and wooden beams, it feels thoroughly modern in that ‘updated vintage’ way which is very familiar. Vividly colorful contemporary art, polished wooden staircases and black and white tiled floors give it the sense of quality that some similarly fashionable local hotels only have as a façade. The bijoux size also engenders a sense of coziness, the lobby reminiscent of a small, trendy coffee shop with its throw rugs and sofas.
The front desk is something of a casual affair as staff attend to jobs around the hotel, so don’t expect immediacy if there’s any urgent matters elsewhere. This can be said for most of New Orleans, to be fair. Facilities are limited to the social, so it’s much more suited to leisure than business travellers, with the rooftop bar being the absolute stand-out. There’s also a cute courtyard that’s nicely shaded in the evenings.
There’s much to appreciate about the entry-level guest rooms, given the thoughtful way that the amenities are arranged around the original fittings. The windows and exposed brick walls are evocative, and the modern Louisiana Cypress fixtures complement them wonderfully. The design touches certainly maximize the restricted space, but having a ‘walk-in’ shower that’s essentially in the bedroom won’t be to everyone’s taste. There’s a curtain and luxurious wooden decking, but the sink is inescapably next to the bed no matter how much you love minimalism. Locally sourced, bespoke toiletries are a deft touch, and while the ‘hooks on a wall’ approach to clothing storage does free up space, older guests might miss the old days when closets weren’t terminally unhip.
The bars are where the hotel shines, the novelty of being one of the very few Peruvian offerings in town backed up with intriguing menus and charming service. The lobby bar morphs from coffee shop to pisco cocktail joint as the day progresses, the innovative drinks dispensed with delightful ceviche and affordable variations on Peruvian street food. It’s an understandably popular evening spot for just-off-work locals, and it’s here that you can taste the ‘jambu’ flower, which Amazonians traditionally use for toothache. It’s kind of like light Novocain, and then pop rocks, but inside your skin. In a good way. I think.
The rooftop bar is more expansive and has great views and has in the past hosted movie screenings and the like, so again, it’s a local social hub where you’ll find people beyond the hotel guests.
It makes sense that the hotel was designed and remodeled by local architects, and there’s even murals of local burlesque talent to pay homage to its home city. Come for the mouth-numbing cocktails, stay for the closet-free rooms. The Catahoula is a solid addition to the CBD’s boutique hotel portfolio.
Paul Oswell
Selina Catahoula Hotel website
I heard about this place because of a flower. One of my friends told me that at their bar (which specializes in pisco - a Peruvian unaged brandy), there’s a cocktail with this flower garnish and the petals make your mouth go numb. I’m a sucker for cocktail gimmicks (and just cocktails in general, I suppose) and so I just went the whole hog and stayed. Just in case my numb mouth meant I couldn’t call for a cab.
The Selina Catahoula is on a narrow side street in the heart of the Central Business District, which makes for a relatively discreet spot, and in the evenings and at weekends, a fairly tranquil one. It's three blocks from the French Quarter, so is respectably close while maintaining a tasteful distance.
The 35 rooms are built into a 19th-century Creole townhouse, and while there’s some sense of history poking through the brickwork and wooden beams, it feels thoroughly modern in that ‘updated vintage’ way which is very familiar. Vividly colorful contemporary art, polished wooden staircases and black and white tiled floors give it the sense of quality that some similarly fashionable local hotels only have as a façade. The bijoux size also engenders a sense of coziness, the lobby reminiscent of a small, trendy coffee shop with its throw rugs and sofas.
The front desk is something of a casual affair as staff attend to jobs around the hotel, so don’t expect immediacy if there’s any urgent matters elsewhere. This can be said for most of New Orleans, to be fair. Facilities are limited to the social, so it’s much more suited to leisure than business travellers, with the rooftop bar being the absolute stand-out. There’s also a cute courtyard that’s nicely shaded in the evenings.
There’s much to appreciate about the entry-level guest rooms, given the thoughtful way that the amenities are arranged around the original fittings. The windows and exposed brick walls are evocative, and the modern Louisiana Cypress fixtures complement them wonderfully. The design touches certainly maximize the restricted space, but having a ‘walk-in’ shower that’s essentially in the bedroom won’t be to everyone’s taste. There’s a curtain and luxurious wooden decking, but the sink is inescapably next to the bed no matter how much you love minimalism. Locally sourced, bespoke toiletries are a deft touch, and while the ‘hooks on a wall’ approach to clothing storage does free up space, older guests might miss the old days when closets weren’t terminally unhip.
The bars are where the hotel shines, the novelty of being one of the very few Peruvian offerings in town backed up with intriguing menus and charming service. The lobby bar morphs from coffee shop to pisco cocktail joint as the day progresses, the innovative drinks dispensed with delightful ceviche and affordable variations on Peruvian street food. It’s an understandably popular evening spot for just-off-work locals, and it’s here that you can taste the ‘jambu’ flower, which Amazonians traditionally use for toothache. It’s kind of like light Novocain, and then pop rocks, but inside your skin. In a good way. I think.
The rooftop bar is more expansive and has great views and has in the past hosted movie screenings and the like, so again, it’s a local social hub where you’ll find people beyond the hotel guests.
It makes sense that the hotel was designed and remodeled by local architects, and there’s even murals of local burlesque talent to pay homage to its home city. Come for the mouth-numbing cocktails, stay for the closet-free rooms. The Catahoula is a solid addition to the CBD’s boutique hotel portfolio.
Paul Oswell
Selina Catahoula Hotel website