The Maison Dupuy Story

Introduction
New Orleans is a city that only can be described with a palette of the most vibrant colors. There is art in every element of life here; the music, the architecture, the food, and even the people. The people of New Orleans are truly unique. They have their own melodic style that draws from a rich heritage spiced with many cultures; French, Spanish, African, Caribbean, Creole and Cajun. Their families have been here for generations, and through time the people of New Orleans have developed a distinct way of life. The traditions of the past are kept alive through the art of Southern storytelling. There is a folklore that is passed along from one generation to the next, a rich tale about the people and the place that began almost three hundred years ago when New Orleans’ first neighborhood was settled, the French Quarter.

Today the people of New Orleans pass along a story to their youth that has an even broader range of depth and soul. There is new language to draw from when describing the people of this city. Before considering their artful and hospitable ways, one thinks of their strength, loyalty, and optimism. Undeterred by Hurricane Katrina, a natural disaster of Biblical proportions, many of the people of New Orleans have remained home. They have spent the time since rebuilding their city, and the story that they will share with future generations has an important moral. Communities rebuild communities. Sometimes the most powerful way to effect meaningful change is to start small. The people of New Orleans are rebuilding their city, person by person, one brick at a time.

In the French Quarter, this spirit is prevalent. The people walking the narrow cobblestone streets and sitting in neighborhood cafes are the same people who were here before Katrina struck. These same people rely on each other now and inspire progress. The places remain the same too. One neighborhood fixture in the French Quarter is the Maison Dupuy Hotel. Long considered the community’s living room, in the years following the epic hurricane, the Maison Dupuy has continued to be the place for communal gatherings. In this post Katrina time, the Maison Dupuy has made a promise to its people–the people who work here and the people who live around it. The Maison Dupuy is committed to adding new dimensions and color to life in the French Quarter. Life goes on, and sometimes in the wake of tragedy, new opportunity is born.

The History of the Maison Dupuy
The Maison Dupuy is situated at an ideal location in the French Quarter. As this neighborhood is both the city’s most prestigious and historic, many New Orleanians use the term “French Quarter” loosely, seeking to claim that real estate distinction for a home or business that may in fact be located far beyond the true Vieux Carre. A couple of blocks from the hustle and bustle of Bourbon Street, the Maison Dupuy is located in the heart of the charming, residential section of the French Quarter. Picturesque townhouses framed with wrought iron fences line narrow streets. Gas lamps cast a path through moonlight causing the visitor to hesitate, wondering if he’s in modern America or been transplanted somehow to an earlier century. There are hidden treasures within the graceful buildings. The central point of many of these dwellings is, in fact, outdoors. Beautiful courtyards containing lush, tropical gardens are a characteristic of French Quarter architecture. The look is exotic and unique. Modern day French Quarter style is a product of three centuries’ evolution and reflects an intermix of the many cultural influences.

The present day Maison Dupuy Hotel may typify French Quarter eclectic grandeur, but through the years the site represented function more than form. It was originally the location of the nation’s first cotton press. Later utilized for industry, the intersection of Rue Toulouse and Rue Burgundy housed various sheet metal companies. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the location was developed for the purpose of a hotel. The historical preservation board in the French Quarter is notoriously strict, rarely allowing new properties to be built within the confines of the landmark neighborhood. After years of submitting plans, two brothers Dupuy were successful in earning the necessary approval; and in 1973 the Maison Dupuy opened its doors. The Maison Dupuy is the last hotel to have been built in the historic French Quarter, as the Vieux Carre Commission banned the future development of hotels in that neighborhood in 1975.

The hotel was created by joining five neighboring townhouses. The buildings reflect an ornate style with French doors, long windows and wrought iron balconies draping many of the five floors. The interior of these adjoined brick edifices marks the perimeter of the French Quarter’s largest and most scenic courtyard. The centerpiece of the property, the courtyard exemplifies the romantic charm of the neighborhood. A bubbling, three-tiered, marble fountain is a focal point. Guests can enjoy the large swimming pool and outdoor dining day and night when the weather permits. Lush, tropical foliage shades the courtyard and creates a sense of privacy and intimacy in what is actually a large space. The mood is magical in the courtyard at the Maison Dupuy. It is a lovely locale to enjoy a lingering meal, celebrate a special occasion or just relax and appreciate what is unique New Orleans charm.

Thirteen years after the Dupuy family opened its iconic French Quarter hotel, a successful hospitality business invested in creating the quintessential “Old South” vacation experience and bought the Maison Dupuy. The Delta Queen Steamboat Company was a cruise ship company that offered passengers an old fashioned riverboat cruise on a grand paddlewheeler. The company’s prized ferry boat was the Delta Queen, the nation’s oldest, overnight passenger steamboat. The Delta Queen is even considered a national historic landmark. The company recognized the value of the charming French Quarter hotel and created vacation packages that allowed passengers to ferry along the Mississippi on the Delta Queen and then disembark in New Orleans to stay at the Maison Dupuy. The cruise-city tour provided visitors with the ultimate Old South vacation experience.

The Delta Queen Steamboat Company owned the Maison Dupuy for a decade and left a distinct mark on the property that lasts to the present day. The year that the company purchased the hotel, in 1986, the company commissioned an artist, Theresa Norris, to create a mural in the hotel’s restaurant. It still decorates three walls of what is now the French Quarter Bistro at the Maison Dupuy. The mural is reminiscent of the colorful and theatrical depictions of French nightlife and culture created by the famous nineteenth-century artist, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The mural at the Maison Dupuy depicts a celebratory gathering of crowds of people. It could be interpreted to be Mardi Gras, New Orleans annual and infamous revelry.

The next company to purchase the Maison Dupuy was Thayer Lodging Group. The Maryland-based real estate investment company appreciates historic properties and saw an opportunity in the Maison Dupuy to elevate what was a charming hotel to a luxury hotel. Thayer Lodging Group renovated the property with a commitment to preserving its historical integrity. The company did not alter the exterior of the adjoined buildings in any way, nor did it alter the interior courtyard or three-tiered marble fountain.

Thayer Lodging Group focused its efforts on reestablishing the hotel’s legacy as a culinary frontrunner in a city famous for its cuisine. In the 1970s, one of New Orleans’ most legendary chefs, Paul Prudhomme, had honed his skills in the kitchens of the Maison Dupuy when the brothers Dupuy were building their business. There Paul Prudhomme met his future wife K, another Maison Dupuy staff member. Once married, the two left the Maison Dupuy to fulfill their dream and open a French Quarter restaurant. K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen became a New Orleans sensation with its signature Creole cuisine. In a time before celebrity chefs, Paul Prudhomme became internationally known when he created a brand of seasonings and spices, the labels of which are adorned with his caricature. Today the spices are available in all fifty states and twenty-six other countries around the world.

Paul Prudhomme had set impressive standards for the Maison Dupuy, ones that Thayer Lodging Group was eager to uphold. They recruited a young, promising talent, Dominique Macquet, whose cuisine was defined by tropical flavors and French technique. Thayer Lodging Group in partnership with Dominique opened a restaurant named for the chef, and during its twelve year run, Dominique’s consistently was heralded as one of New Orleans’ best restaurants. Thayer Lodging Group also “renovated” the other restaurant at the Maison Dupuy. The original, expansive mural decorating the French Quarter Bistro was restored to include two well known Thayer characters depicted within the painted scene. A close examination of the mural reveals Thayer Lodging Group’s CEO, Lee Pillsbury, sitting at a table making merry with the surrounding crowd, and Thayer Lodging Group’s former COO, Tom Kammerer, nearby playing dominoes. The identity of the artist who changed the mural is unknown nor is it known exactly when the restoration of the painting occurred. The mural has become an element of the rich folklore and legend that is the Maison Dupuy’s story.

Pyramid Makes an Investment and Upholds Its Commitment
At the start of the millennium, a new hotel company formed that quickly amassed a network of distinctive, impressive properties throughout the country. The company is Pyramid Hotel Group, and its leadership has a reputation for grand vision and innovative strategy. Although forward thinking in their business principles, the leadership team at Pyramid, like Thayer Lodging Group, has a reverence for historic hotels, and they have thoughtfully acquired a collection of landmark properties, each one a hotel that defines its location. The list of properties includes the Boston Harbor Hotel, the Fairfax at Embassy Row, the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa, and Doral Golf Resort & Spa. In the summer of 2005, Pyramid had an opportunity to add another iconic hotel to its collection. The hotel was the Maison Dupuy, and the leadership team assessed it as a prosperous hotel in a unique neighborhood within a vibrant city. Pyramid purchased the Maison Dupuy on July 1, 2005, making an investment not only in the property but also in the people and the community.

Pyramid’s commitment was tested almost immediately. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans; and unfortunately, the Maison Dupuy was not spared. While many staff members had left before the storm struck, several dozen stayed behind. Pyramid’s first priority became closing the hotel and safely evacuating all remaining staff and guests. This was successfully accomplished.

The next step of the crisis management was to establish a command post, so Pyramid moved operations of the Maison Dupuy temporarily to another Pyramid property, the Marriott Westchase in Houston, Texas. There, Pyramid leadership provided lodging and meals for the displaced New Orleanians. Some of the Maison Dupuy staff members even were able to secure temporary jobs at the Houston hotel, while they waited until New Orleans was ready to receive them again.

While Pyramid took care of its people in Houston, crews began the arduous process of shifting through the damage at the Maison Dupuy and repairing the landmark hotel. The crews were committed, and their hard work resulted in the Maison Dupuy being ready to partially open in time for New Orleans’ greatest annual celebration, Mardi Gras. True, the restoration was not complete when Fat Tuesday marked the calendar in 2006, but the Maison Dupuy was back in business to show the surrounding community its intent to remain a fixture of the neighborhood and to continue to be the community’s living room. Mirroring the rest of the city, the Maison Dupuy wore its wounds visibly but defiantly that first Mardi Gras post Katrina. Embracing a city-wide spirit, the Maison Dupuy staff was proud and determined to restore the hotel to its previous grandeur.

Once the repairs were made and operations had returned to the Maison Dupuy, the next step for Pyramid leadership became building for the future. Experiencing similar trends as the rest of New Orleans’ annihilated tourism industry, business was slowly rebuilding at the Maison Dupuy. Pyramid leadership, however, remained positive, knowing that it is during the challenging cycles that new opportunity is born. The partners and managers brainstormed and strategized programs which could generate new business. An idea was sparked that reflected the flavor of New Orleans and well suited the charming French Quarter hotel. The leadership team built on its idea and commenced a sales and marketing effort which had the potential to bring New Orleans back to life.

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