AJ Capital Partners opens the Pontchartrain Hotel

AJ Capital Partners and John Besh’s Our House Hospitality opened the Pontchartrain Hotel in New Orleans’ Garden District. AJ Capital Partners restored the 106-room hotel to maintain its historical feel upgrading to modern comfort and style. Our House Hospitality — the hotel food & beverage management arm of the Besh Restaurant Group — will operate the hotel’s four food & beverage concepts. The team will re-open and operate the Caribbean Room, Bayou Bar and Silver Whistle Café, and will introroduce Hot Tin, a new rooftop bar with panoramic views of downtown New Orleans and the Mississippi River.
 
The Pontchartrain Hotel is a neighborhood establishment located on St. Charles Avenue. Originally built in 1927 and named after the Count de Pontchartrain, a member of Louis XVI’s court, the hotel was a destination for Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth, Truman Capote, President Gerald Ford and author Tennessee Williams.
 
“New Orleans is a unique place with a deep history and strong cultural roots, and the Pontchartrain Hotel is a significant part of this city’s story,” said Ben Weprin, CEO of AJ Capital Partners. “We’re honored to have brought this storied hotel back to life for both travelers and locals alike to continue the memory-making experiences it is known for.”
 
"As New Orleans continues to go through a remarkable renaissance, there's a need for a hotel uptown with a real identity – that’s The Pontchartrain. You know you're in New Orleans when you're there," said Cooper Manning, senior managing director – investor relations at AJ Capital Partners. “I have wonderful memories of going to The Pontchartrain as a kid – running its halls and attending holiday dinners with my family. I am very excited about creating new memories and bringing this hotel back to life.”

The design of the Pontchartrain will reflect the color palette of the Garden District. The hotel will house four food & beverage concepts, all of which will be overseen by restaurateur and philanthropist chef John Besh, and executed by executive chef Chris Lusk, formerly of Restaurant R’evolution.
 

"I am really passionate about this project. As a steward of New Orleans, I felt called upon to be a part of the resurrection of The Pontchartrain. I want to honor these traditions of the past that gave us so much and that are worth preserving for the next generation. By bringing these iconic restaurants back, it doesn’t mean we are recreating the past— it is all about making the past relevant for the future," Besh said.