Archived Article By Tom Fitzmorris Originally published August 27, 2006 Click here for the current edition Hotel Good News/Bad News Across Canal Street from one another, two of New Orleans's most renowned hotels have very different stories to tell, as they struggle back from the damages done to them by the hurricane. The beginning of both tales are the same: both the Fairmont and the Ritz-Carlton were devastated by flooding in their basements. While the water level on Canal Street's 900 block was measurable in inches rather than feet, that was enough to fill the basement of any building that had one--as many did in that part of the downtown area. The basements typically are where the utilities of the buildings are--electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning, phones, and everything else. So when they shut down, everything shut down. And that caused a cascade of other problems. The Ritz-Carlton, which converted the 100-year-old Maison Blanche Building before opening in 2000, has set a reopening date in December, and possibly even a little earlier. A press release they circulated on August 23 invites guys like me to take a tour of the building, which is in the final stages of its renovation. It says that the Gallery Of Shops on the first floor will be converted to meeting space (which will be very welcome). And that the third floor, where all the restaurants and bars were, will be devoted to nightclubs and live entertainment. It said nothing about the restaurants, but here's my guess on that: there will be one restaurant, used all day for all things. Victor's, which was magnificent in its short life in the Ritz-Carlton's first years here, will likely not reappear--at least not as a grand gourmet restaurant. But that change had already occurred before the storm. The news from the Fairmont is much less sanguine. Let's start with this: not only will it not be open for the holidays this year, it probably won't be open anytime in 2007, either. And there are rumblings--not confirmed by the hotel chain--that the hotel may never reopen. It is troubling that, according to the hotel's public relations department, the "renovation of the hotel is on hold while the damage to the building is reassessed." Like the Ritz-Carlton, the Fairmont is in a very old structure. Several of them, in fact, with one dating back 120 years. That's more than long enough to create all the traditions anyone living here could use. And there are plenty of them connected with the Fairmont, particularly during the holidays. When I told my daughter about the situation, she said, "You mean there will be no Teddy Bear Tea at Chrtistmas?" She's too old for that now, but she remembers it fondly enough that its passing pained her. © 2006 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com