WWII Museum Opens Hotel In New Orleans With Nostalgic Decor And Curated Artifacts

The hotel, which is part of The National WWII Museum and sits in New Orleans’ Warehouse District, brings to life an era that has passed us by, immersing guests in the history and culture of the 1940s.

If you have not had the opportunity to visit New Orleans, it is worth the trip. One place you will want to stop when visiting the city is Rosie’s on the Roof in honor of Rosie the Riveter, a bar that is part of a WWII-themed hotel.

The Higgins Hotel & Conference Center, Curio Collection by Hilton is slated to open in November. Located in the New Orleans warehouse district, it is part of the National WWII Museum and can take you back in time to an era that has passed many years ago. It gives you the opportunity to take a unique look at the culture and history of the 1940s.

Photo: Higgins Hotel and Conference Center

“I think we’re keeping the story alive, the American experience during WWII,” James B. Williams, the vice president of sales for the The National WWII Museum, told Travel + Leisure, adding that 780,000 people visited the museum last year and more than 90 percent were from out of town. “We’re trying to keep the story alive for the younger generation as well to tell the stories… We have the luxury of incorporating the museum experiences into the hotel.”

If you take the time to look around most museums, you will recognize a lot of history that is associated with it. Often, it is contained within the walls and once you walk out, you lose a lot of that feeling. This hotel that is opening 75 years after D-Day makes it feel as if you have never left the museum.

Photo: Higgins Hotel and Conference Center

“The museum and the hotel share the same mission,” Marc Becker, the director of sales and marketing for the hotel, told Travel + Leisure. “It’s a deeper experience of the period that perhaps the museum by itself isn’t able to give, that immersive experience.”

You can dine on French and Creole food at the Kilroy’s Bar & Lounge, named after a wartime cartoon. The glasses that you will sip your drinks from having a 30 caliber bullets embedded into them. That is the bullet used by most Allied forces during the war.

As you meander through the hotel, you will feel as if you are still in the museum. Many curated items from the museum’s vault will be on display. Imagine looking at the airplane hangar hanging from the rooftop bar or listening to somebody play General George S. Patton’s piano as you enjoy your stay. That is only scratching the surface.

While staying at the hotel, you will be brought back in time to the era of World War II. The rooms themselves will be updated, including 55 inch TVs but if you stay in one of the hotel suites, you will find it has a nostalgic name. Those suites are named after presidents Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower and each will feature a Victrola record player.

If you are interested in learning more history while in New Orleans, just visit the national WWII Museum across the street. That is where you will find over 250,000 artifacts and many personal accounts of those who lived through the era.

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