The Marquee New Orleans
| |

The Marquee New Orleans – Bluegreen’s AI Resort

If you’re looking for an impressive and stylish hotel resort in New Orleans, you should check out the Marquee. Bluegreen Vacations owns the hotel and offers unique decor, comfortable accommodations, and lots of amenities for you to enjoy. This 17-story tower is steps away from the historic theatre district and is the perfect place to stay in New Orleans. The decoration and style of the luxury property were influenced by the rich traditions of theater, vaudeville, and storytelling in New Orleans. This article will discuss what to expect when you stay at the Marquee Hotel by BlueGreen Vacations. 

The Marquee New Orleans

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure and privacy policy for more information.

History of The Marquee in New Orleans

The Marquee is located in New Orleans Central Business District, a neighborhood in downtown New Orleans. The 130,000-square-foot property was purchased for $27.6 million by Bluegreen Vacations from Baton Rouge developer Mike Wampold l.

In 2011, Wampold bought the 17-story building (formerly called the Elk Medical Plaza) and gave it a $20 million makeover, intending to transform it into luxury apartments. That did not pan out for several reasons, including the decline of the luxury rental market. Now, the resort offers 90 luxury apartments that feature one, two- and three-bedroom suites with décor selected for classic lines. The resort boasts a rooftop pool, gyms, and augmented reality features.

Augmented reality incorporates three features: a combination of digital and physical worlds, interactions made in real time, and accurate 3D identification of virtual and real objects.

If you are about to visit New Orleans, then the hotel Marquee is an excellent option.

Ownership of The Marquee Resort 

Bluegreen Vacations Corporation owns and operates vacation ownership resorts. Members enjoy access to 69 Club and Club Associate Resorts, as well as more than 11,000 other hotels and resorts, through partnerships and exchange networks.

Bluegreen rents its units conventionally on the open market despite being a Vacation Club.  You do not need to be a member or take a vacation ownership tour to stay here!

The corporation has properties worldwide and offers visitors stylish and comfortable hotels and resorts. Designed to simplify the vacation experience for visitors, the Bluegreen Resorts Collection includes resorts with unique themes ranging from beachside getaways to theme park adventures to immersion in the outdoors and historical and cultural exploration. With its newest property, The Marquee, BlueGreen Vacations showcases its innovative ventures to create immersive experiences that are the first of their kind in the hotel industry.

This exciting exploration of the guest experience was led by Timothy Schwering, Bluegreen Vacations’ director of planning and design. This project was a collaboration between SCNZ, Van Dresser, Woodward Construction and Electrosonic, and Hotopp as creative consultants.

When Did The Marquee Resort Open?

The Marquee, Bluegreen’s newest Hotel Collection, opened on June 5, 2019. The Marquee is conveniently located in New Orleans’ theater district at 144 Elk Place, offering easy access to everything in the city. The hotel is near Tulane University, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and The Shops at Jax Brewery. So guests have easy access to many must-see New Orleans attractions.

The Marquee Hotel New Orleans by Bluegreen Vacations grabbed the spotlight with its combination of comfort and style and is Bluegreen’s second resort here. These extra options make a vacation in the Big Easy even more enjoyable. As you exit the lobby elevators, you will find yourself in the theatre aisles, where portraits beckon you to look closer.

The resort uses augmented reality moments to enhance the guest experience, a first in the vacation ownership industry. The design and characters are inspired by the rich traditions of the theatre, vaudeville, and the history of New Orleans. You download the augmented reality app to bring characters to life on the headboard of your main suite, which provides a unique experience for you and your family. 

Val, the hotel’s narrator-in-residence, seeks to suck guests further into the story and majesty of the Crescent City Story Val, based on Sidney Story, an alderman in the early 1900s.

Hotel Rooms and Suites

The hotel offers more than 90 spacious suites, including one-bed and two-bed suits. Only the two-bed deluxe suites have augmented reality and interactive art in the rooms. The ones that do have headboards that come to life. Each suite is equipped with premium bedding, state-of-the-art kitchens with exquisite counters, wood-tone flooring, modern furnishings, and a Fender guitar that brings the musical experience of New Orleans to your room.

We had a loft suite with a balcony. Let me tell you; it was stunning! Never mind the interactive art – I’ll get to that later. The suite was huge and stunning. Every element of the suite was carefully planned and decorated to the nines! All the suites come with a full kitchen and a washer and dryer – another very impressive touch!

The Marquee New Orleans

The Marquee Hotel New Orleans Amenities

The Marquee was designed to be a home away from home. As a result, there are amenities that we all expect. There are elegant public spaces in the hotel that reflect the rich tradition of theater in New Orleans, as well as an outdoor entertainment area. However, there is no bar or jazz venue as advertised.

Lobby

The lobby is well-designed, with some cool features. For example, the 3D sculpture of Sidney Story and a mysterious stage with random characters moving around in the background. Check-in was straightforward, and the staff was excellent.

Bluegreen's Marquee Resort Lobby

Fitness Center

The Marquee Resort has a state-of-the-art fitness center on the second floor.

The Pool

Guests can enjoy stunning views of the Mississippi River, the rooftop terrace, and the dipping pool. The rooftop offers a great view of the vibrant streets below and a lovely modern firepit. However, it’s not as you would think. It is tiny, smaller than an average pool home, and only 3.5 feet deep. Here are two side-by-side photos so you can see what to expect. One makes the pool look huge, and the other is the actual size. I took both of these. See how easy it is to give the illusion that this is a large rooftop pool?

Marquee Pool Enhanced
Marquee Pool Actual

Owners Suite

There’s an owner’s suite on the seventh floor – good look finding it! It’s billed as “The Speakeasy Owners Lounge,” so that got out attention! It’s a hidden door. And, if you do find it, I hope it’s open for you. It was closed when we were there.

Backstage Courtyard

Relax outside in the trendy court backstage courtyard, a great spot to hang out.

Marquee Backstage Courtyard

Augmented Reality and Interactive Art

We specifically traveled to New Orleans to stay at The Marquee Hotel New Orleans. Intrigued by augmented reality and interactive art, we were hyped to experience it ourselves. All floors have interactive art; sadly, each floor has the same. 

There are two main elements of interactive art:

The Ladies In the Corridors

I expected much more than a woman on a screen popping her head out from behind a stage curtain. I expected different characters, but they are the same two women on each floor. Other than being visually interesting the first time you see them, they are pointless.

Interactive headboard in the deluxe two-bedroom suite

This is where I was beyond disappointed. I expected many hidden gems to touch that would come to life, but none. The sole interaction here is you download the app, point it to the headboard picture, and the app will tell you a story.

Here is what you can expect – overhyped and lame.

What Makes Bluegreen’s Marquee Resort Unique?

The artwork, the theme, and the overall design are indeed unique. You feel like you are in a 50s movie scene. You are greeted by a video loop playing campaign advertising for the resort and clips from black and white cinema, which continues throughout the elevator and to the foot of the staircase.

With each ascending floor, the colors and lighting of the hallways become bolder and more dramatic.

The unique feature of the Marque Hotel is the augmented reality and interactive art, but for me, it was a total flop.

What’s Not So Great About Bluegreen’s Marquee Resort 

Let’s start with the lure of augmented reality and interactive art; it’s just not a big enough hook. I would love to tell you that you should head out there like us to experience it. Unfortunately, this is not the reason to visit or stay.

Then there are the telltale signs of aging and lack of maintenance. The doors have holes in them from where doorstoppers have pierced them. The toilets rattle, and many fixtures and fittings have been touched up vs. repaired.

Lastly, our suite had the prior guests’ trash, and we had to call to have it removed. All in all wonderful suites but I don’t think The Marquee Resort is a real resort per say.

I’ve stayed at many Bluegreen resorts, and this one has some updating to maintain Bluegreens standards.

FAQs About The Marquee New Orleans 

The Marquee is located at 144 Elk Pl, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. This hotel is located in New Orleans Central Business District, steps from Sanger Theatre and Canal Street. Bourbon Street and Caesars Super dome are also within 15 minutes. New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal is 15 minutes by foot.

The check-in time in Hotel Marquee is 4.00 pm, and the check-out time is 10.00 am. 

The distance between the Marquee Resort New Orleans to Bourbon Street is only 0.7m. You can easily walk to reach Bourbon Street from the Marquee.

Bourbon Street is a historic street in the heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans. Many bars and strip clubs along Bourbon Street run thirteen blocks from Canal Street to Esplanade Avenue.

New Orleans is renowned for its vibrant drinking culture; many bars are beyond Bourbon Street. Those who want to experience New Orleans’ jazz culture and farm-to-table food can go to The Three Muses, Frenchman street. Those who love old-fashioned cocktail bars will love Cure, Freenet street. There are several best bars in the French Quarter for visitors.

Upper Bourbon Street has become a tourist destination due to its neon signs, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and strip clubs. New Orleans is one of America’s most extensive entertainment and music hubs. Most travelers are willing to travel to this antique town to experience the chaos.

Yes, you can drive on Bourban street in daylight. Bourbon Street becomes pedestrian-only at night when bollards and police barriers close it to traffic around 7 pm. The cross streets remain open. The road is also closed to traffic during special events like New Year’s Eve and Mardi Gras.

Yes, Bourbon Street is in downtown New Orleans. The historic Bourbon Street is located in New Orleans’ French Quarter.

Closing Thoughts

The Big Easy is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the South due to its theater district and French Quarter, where you can enjoy delicious cuisine and hearty dishes influenced by the mélange of cultures. In addition to incredible dining options, guests at The Marquee can enjoy seafood and traditional Creole fare.

If you have already planning to visit New Orleans for vacation, The Marquee Hotel New Orleans is a great place to stay, and it’s affordable.  Whether you are a couple, a family, or a group of friends, this is a great place to be in New Orleans. The suites are amazing.

I don’t have high expectations for augmented reality and interactive art!

We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Share with others!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *