Poydras Properties Hotel Holdings, a hospitality venture that includes AREA Property Partners, Poydras Hotel Members LLC, and a subsidiary of Hyatt, plans to reopen the 1,193-room Hyatt Regency New Orleans, US.

AREA and Poydras Hotel Members bought the hotel in December 2007 after its closure two years previously and - ahead of an opening scheduled for the autumn of next year - it will now undergo a multi-million dollar redevelopment. The scheme is part of an economic development plan designed by the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission and New Orleans Downtown Development District to revitalise New Orleans' central business area over the next several years.

After the revamp, the hotel's 200,000sq ft (18,581sq m) of meeting and exhibit space will include two 25,000sq ft (2,322sq m) ballrooms, 80,000sq ft (7,432sq m) of exhibition space, 60 banquet and meeting rooms, and an executive meeting level. Food and beverage offerings will include a 350-seat, full-service restaurant with private and semi-private dining rooms; a 210-seat media/action bar with private and semi-private lounges; a 70-seat atrium bar; a 2,000sq ft (186sq m) full service coffee bar; a 24-hour convenience store; and a 7,600sq ft (706sq m) specialty restaurant.

The redevelopment will also see the hotel's 1,193 guest rooms being joined by 53 suites. First opened in 1976, the hotel served as a key support location for state, local, and federal agencies following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.