Picture of Jim Cook, who became CEO of the Ernest N. Morial convention center last August.

Closing in on the New Convention Center Hotel in New Orleans

By Misty Milioto

September 1, 2026

The Story

For nearly a decade, New Orleans tourism officials have delivered the same warning — without a hotel attached to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, the city will keep losing conventions to competitors that already have one.

BGR’s Role

A report last year from the Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR) found the public could end up covering between one-third and more than half of the project’s cost under the incentives proposed at the time. BGR recommended buying down the incentives with an up-front payment, which [Jim] Cook calls the most efficient use of public funds, provided the authority has the borrowing capacity to do it.

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