Loft 523


Loft 523 is a boutique hotel located at 523 Gravier Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the New Orleans Central Business District. The building was erected in the 1880s as a carriage and dry-goods warehouse, and it was purchased and renovated by real-estate developer Sean Cummings. It features eighteen loft style guestrooms, three of which are penthouses.

Minimalist design

Loft 523’s style has been described by Frommers as “Jetsons-futuristic-meets-New York City-minimalist fantasy,” incorporating modern design, as well as elements that reference the building’s origins. A desk in the lobby was made from cypress beams salvaged from the renovation, and the rooms feature stained concrete floors and doors clad in hand-hammered copper. Elements of the original structure can be seen throughout the building, including exposed plasterwork, cast-iron columns, and raw timber beams. Revealing elements of its history as a warehouse, many of the rooms have twelve-foot ceilings and full-length windows.
The rooms are designed to resemble loft apartments, rather than traditional hotel rooms, and they are numbered apartment-style Furniture and fixtures include Agape "Spoon" tubs, Fortuny floor lamps, and platform beds by local craftsman Shane Porter. Two of the penthouses have rooftop aquatic Zen gardens.