How we used the rich culture of New Orleans
to inspire exploration and adventure.
The Queen & Crescent Hotel, in the heart of New Orleans’s Central Business District, had fallen from its former glory. Despite its enviable location, it passed from owner to owner for decades, losing its charm along with its revenue. Its reputation was middling, weighed down by hundreds of mediocre online reviews.
In 2013, Northview Hotel Group purchased the property and kicked off an ambitious renovation. With RAPJAB’s help, their team reimagined the hotel as Q&C Hotel/Bar, a rejuvenated destination for tastemakers and travelers looking to explore a city instead of staying in their hotel room. To catch the eye of tourists while gaining the approval of discerning locals, RAPJAB crafted a brand that capitalized on the property’s rich history while invoking the grand tradition of New Orleans hospitality. The result is a boutique hotel with a vibrant, young spirit and classic values.
There’s no beating a live performance. Ripe with opportunity for real interactions and memorable experiences, a well-executed event can leave an indelible impression.
In a city where credibility and local support are crucial to success, RAPJAB plans an exclusive, upscale gala to celebrate Q&C Hotel/Bar’s reintroduction to New Orleans. The event is part site-specific performance piece, part concert, and part bacchanal, featuring burlesque performances, complimentary small plates, free-flowing cocktails, and live jazz performances in the property’s lush twin lobbies.
Geared toward bloggers, event planners, and young socialites, the event’s goal is to familiarize New Orleans’s most influential locals with the property. Not only will they be more likely to recommend the hotel to visiting friends, but they will also consider the lobby and bar as a happy hour and nightlife destination.
Throughout the evening, small groups are taken on a tour of the property that includes a surprise photo opportunity [for sharing on social media channels] and a light-spirited tarot card reading in a guest room, so that attendees are given a glimpse of the freshly renovated accommodations.
Q&C’s launch party had 354 official RSVP’d attendees although we average the attendance to be closer to 400 including those not officially checked-in. There were over 120 unique posts from attendees on Twitter and Instagram tracked via the event hashtag. RAPJAB secured press coverage and introduced the hotel to notable VIP and celebrity contacts. Many of the party’s attendees remarked that they previously had little to no awareness of the property and expressed unqualified excitement about returning in the future.
In the same year, Q&C Hotel/Bar was the winner of the Downtown Development District’s 2015 DowntownNOLA Awards for “Best Kept Secret” – exactly how they wanted the brand to be launched.
