Catering to a broad target market, the challenge of designing a luxury boutique group hotel that appealed to multiple audiences was enormous, said Mike Bucher. But mission accomplished. Now, the owner of the first all-suite boutique hotel in New Orleans is ready to welcome travelers to Hotel Perle at 757 St. Charles Ave. in the Warehouse District. “We want the Hotel Perle to be the place that welcomes all types of group travelers to the city – the traditional New Orleans group traveler for events, bachelor parties, and weddings; families traveling together to spend the holidays or other special occasions; empty-nesters and retirees who are spending time together on a longer road trip or a few days in the city before heading on a cruise; and our conventioneers,” said Bucher. Hotel Perle is a 45,000 square foot historic renovation of 757 St. Charles Ave. The original historic building (c. 1910), which contains 10 multi-room guest suites (2-7 bedrooms each), measures approximately 25,000 square feet on three floors. The newer addition (c. 1983) measures 20,000 square feet, containing the lobby, atrium, and parking garage. There is a ground-floor bistro, and pool terrace and bar area. The hotel development has 10 unique large-format suites with chef’s kitchens, hardwood floors, exposed brick, en-suite washer/dryer, central HVAC, and luxurious bathrooms. “I’ve been working on this project for 6 years, and I’m proud of all of it. When I tour people through, the two things I show off the most are the atrium and the pool terrace,” said Bucher. “The one thing that I always talk about that you can’t see is the sound attenuation. We went to great lengths to make sure that each unit is insulated from adjacent units and dampen sound travel across the hotel.” Bucher is managing director at Urban Properties Development LLC, a New Orleans-based commercial real estate developer and project manager that has partnered with Align Venture Capital to redevelop 757 St. Charles Ave. into Hotel Perle. MC Bank and Benson Capital Partners provided the financing. The hotel operator is Pousada Property Management. With the hotel having easy streetcar access, the hotel’s name fittingly comes from Perley A. Thomas, the designer of the streetcar still in use on the St. Charles Ave. line today. “We dropped the ‘y’ from his first name because it had a better ring to it,” said Bucher. “We drew upon this inspiration in the design, branding, and marketing. We also have a streetcar stop directly in front of the building that carries 3 million-plus riders per year.” Rome Office served as the architect, and Ryan Gootee General Contractors as the general contractor. New York City-based Ward & Gray was the interior designer. Additional trade partners on the project included A-1 and Regional Mechanical Services on the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing side; Johnson Drywall Solutions, and Daniel Bell, LLC on the millwork. “This was a very fast paced job, that needed to be partially open for the Taylor Swift concert, which we accomplished,” said Pat Thomas, RGGC Project Executive. “We were released on an early work package, then released on a critical path infrastructure package, and finally on the remaining work package which included all finishes, all the while participating in very detailed value engineering. We overcame our challenges by communicating with the owner, design team, and trade partners constantly and transparently to find solutions collaboratively.” Melissa Bauld Rome, Partner at Rome Office, said the hotel’s design embraces and preserves the history of the building. “The building at 757 St. Charles has a rich history of uses including a hotel, auto showroom and repair shop, and an office building – all of which are reflected in its eclectic architectural styles,” said Rome. “The design of the new Hotel Perle embraces and preserves each of these histories while introducing yet another unique chapter that optimizes the inherent spatial features of the historic building. In keeping with previous additions, the new design reworks the entry sequence, centering visitors’ view on the light-filled, triple height atrium.” Rome added: “We are proud that the design exemplifies the true story of New Orleans – one that is constantly evolving and redefining itself, while at the same time celebrating its past.” The lobby has a sculptural grand staircase winding around a custom tiered chandelier and connects guests to the ground floor café and the second-floor outdoor terrace bar and pool. The stairs also lead to the newly constructed swimming and lounge area, and bar. “My favorite part of the hotel is the monumental staircase,” said Thomas. “Transforming the original courtyard entrance to the building into an elegant hotel entrance lobby with stairs leading up to the second floor with storefront windows that let in natural light was a complex feature to construct. The reasons this is my favorite are because of the challenges we overcame to make this beautiful entrance pop, and this area is the first thing a guest sees when they walk into the hotel.” The hotel suites are arranged along the atrium. Within the suites is an expansive common space featuring custom lighting, furniture, and artwork. “The design of the common space within each of the suites was something that we gave a lot of consideration to,” said Rome. “It was our collective ambition to size these spaces appropriately and ensure that they were well-appointed and comfortable. The goal was to create a memorable and desirable experience for the guests that was unique to group-stay.” Rome said most materials and finishes on the exterior and interior common spaces of the hotel were selected in direct response to an existing condition. For example, the existing masonry façade had very deep strikes which gave it an explicitly graphic appearance, she said. To soften this look, a natural limewash that partially filled the joints was applied by hand giving the façade a more organic, homogenous appearance. “The lobby and triple-height atrium spaces are painted a light blue to enhance the feeling of occupying an outdoor space filled with natural light,” she said. “The new pool deck embraces the greenish hue of the existing glass block wall by introducing it in the new custom pavers, fabrics, and deck coating.” Bucher said the projected average length of stay at the hotel is 3½ days. Nightly rates have a broad range of prices. For instance in non-peak season, the rates will start at $150 per bedroom (i.e. $750 per night for a five-bedroom unit, while in peak season, it would be $500+/night per bedroom (i.e. $2,500 per night for a five-bedroom unit.) “The Hotel Perle is incomparable in terms of the design and amenities that you would find in a very inconsistent short-term rental market, because we have blended into a luxury boutique hotel format,” said Bucher. “Short-term rentals abound around the city, but they are inconsistent and often not well-managed. The Hotel Perle strives to serve this market by offering multi-bedroom suites (2 to 7 bedrooms) and maintain a high-level of quality and service that is typically not associated with a short-term rental.”