The Ace Hotel chain has opened a location in New Orleans, where moody interiors fill a historic building and extra rooms are housed in a contemporary addition.
Ace Hotel New Orleans sits in the city's Warehouse District, just south of the famous French Quarter, and is split across a 1928 building and a new extension.

The historic nine-storey building was designed by Weiss, Dreyfous and Seiferth ? architects of Louisiana's State Capitol in Baton Rouge ? and once housed the largest furniture store in the American South.
To turn it into a hotel, the art deco-style structure was restored and renovated, and given a four-storey addition by local firm Eskew Dumez Ripple to total 184,000 square feet (17,100 square metres).

Together, they include 234 guest rooms, a bar, a restaurant, meeting spaces, and retail, with design features associated with the city. "The project is punctuated with elements that recall images of New Orleans, such as a carriageway and courtyard, balcony gardens, and an eclectic collection of interior materials and furnishings," said a statement from the hotel.

Eskew Dumez Ripple's extension is intended as a "quiet, elegant reinterpretation of its classic neighbour". Dark brick is used to clad the facade, contrasting the lighter stone next door, while window boxes front deep windows, and balconies on the top floor.
Old and new are connected by a three-storey glass bridge that is set back from the street, and sits on top of a historic sing...