A Visual Romp Through the New Hotel Saint Vincent in New Orleans

Hotelier Liz Lambert first toured the empty, former Saint Vincent Guest House in 2014. “The ornate iron work that runs up the facade is the first thing I remember,” she says, “and once inside, the wide halls and winding, broad staircase. The place was a mess—old stained and torn green carpet, broken furniture, mismatched everything. And, when we walked into the courtyard, doves flew out from the eaves.” Her reimagined, restored, revamped hotel still greets visitors with wrought-iron ornamentation on double-level, deep front porches.

The interior design of the hotel comes courtesy of Lambert McGuire Design, an architecture and interior design studio founded in 2019 by Lambert and McGuire—sister company to McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality. The ethos throughout is a mixture of Art Deco, Italian, and New Orleans flourish. Many of the pieces—like the red-velvet and teak lobby chairs—are reupholstered vintage scores.

Paradise Lounge, through the lofty side porch doorway. The drink list marries Italian classics and New Orleans flavors, such as the Creole Cocktail—Sazerac Rye, Cocchi di Torino, Bigallet amer, and Benedictine.

During reconstruction of the 1861 property, the designers took broken remnants of the original orphanage tile floors, creating an exact replica for the floors of Paradise Lounge. The walls feature hand-painted murals by local artist Ann Marie Auricchio and a custom bar crafted by local woodworker Daniel Bell.

The seventy-five guest rooms, including nine suites, are high drama, featuring vintage coffee tables, charcoal gray wall paint by Farrow & Ball, and velvet headboards.

Deep soaking tubs and custom blown-glass Murano chandeliers inspired by 1970s design make the bathrooms a talked-about touch. George Venson of Voutsa created the psychedelic, marbled wallpaper and FARWEST designed matching silk bathrobes. The wallpaper is a nod to the building’s history, as well, inspired by the marble bindings of Margaret Haughery’s original financial ledgers.

The Chapel Bar—available to guests only—is a delicious perk. The cocktail den is located on the first floor, and it features an intriguing art collection of abstracts, neon, and nudes, as well as accents of stained glass and marble.

Honoring both the Italian immigration to New Orleans and the homeland itself, San Lorenzo—the hotel’s restaurant named for the patron saint of cooking—combines a crisp, Amalfi ambiance with an emphasis on line-caught fish and house-made pastas.

Hotel Saint Vincent gives a nod to Texas in this newest outpost of the Austin-based boutique ByGeorge.

The Riviera-inspired swimming pool.

When asked what the most surprising aspect of the hotel is, Lambert replied, “that you won’t want to leave. You’ll just want to settle in and stay a while, most likely on one of the dozens of seating scenarios on the porches, in the courtyard, in the grotto or by the pool.”