Introduction

Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church opened its doors in 1860 in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans. The church was deconsecrated by the Archdiocese of New Orleans in 2000 during a parish consolidation and sat empty for more than a decade.

In 2018, after a $20 million renovation, it reopened as Hotel Peter & Paul. The 71-room hotel spans four buildings — the former schoolhouse, rectory, church, and convent — each carefully restored and repurposed. For more than 150 years, the complex stood at the corner of Burgundy and Mandeville Street in the heart of the Marigny. 

The question every heritage conversion faces is whether the history is decorative or functional. At Hotel Peter & Paul, the reviews answer it.

🌡️ The Pulse

Hotel Peter & Paul is ranked #25 of 176 hotels in New Orleans on TripAdvisor with a 4 out of 5 rating and over 521 traveler reviews. It holds a TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice award, placing it in the top 10% of properties globally. 

U.S. News Travel gives it a 4.5 out of 5 based on 499 verified reviews, one of the highest per-review scores of any boutique hotel in New Orleans. 

The hotel consistently appears on "most unique hotels in New Orleans" lists across major travel publications, and is one of the most booked hotels in the Marigny neighborhood on TripAdvisor.

🔎 Under the Surface

The rectory was built circa 1875, the elementary school in 1900, and the 1890 convent was the former home of the Marianite Sisters of the Holy Cross who taught at the school, which closed in 1993 amid declining enrollment. 

The furniture was sourced from antique markets in Europe, estate sales in New Orleans, and pieces designed and custom made — including beds in the convent inspired by ecclesiastic furniture seen in New Orleans churches. The stunning heart of the complex is the 9,450-square-foot church, designed by acclaimed 19th-century Irish-born architect Henry Howard. Now an event space, the towering structure retains its sacred aura — with saints gazing down from stained glass windows and angels soaring in the restored murals over the former altar space. Even the original bell remains in the bell tower. 

No two guest rooms are exactly alike. Each building has its own inspiration and narrative, ensuring that no two guest rooms are exactly alike. 

That design decision — expensive and operationally complex — pays off directly in reviews. Guests consistently describe their specific room: the convent room with the cast iron clawfoot tub, the schoolhouse loft with the mural, the rectory room with the antique fireplace and canopy bed. Reviews at Hotel Peter & Paul read like personal discoveries rather than product assessments.

Management responses are signed personally by Dixie Krauss, General Manager — and by name-specific staff including Vaughn and Ayanna at the front desk. The response tone is conversational and specific — addressing guest concerns by name and inviting direct follow-up via personal email. 

Guests consistently describe the experience as "one amazing hotel experience — not of the luxury/glitz and glamour type but of the feeling wonderfully at home at a place with a welcoming and comfy/homey vibe. A lot of personalized thought and attention went into making this hotel." 

🏆 The Scoreboard

Hotel Peter & Paul's reputation profile — 2025 data:

A 4.5 out of 5 on U.S. News with under 500 reviews is a harder achievement than a 4.5 with 5,000 reviews. Every review counts more and the score is more volatile. Hotel Peter & Paul has maintained it consistently.

⚡ Play of the Week

Hotel Peter & Paul has 71 rooms and no two are alike. Every guest is staying somewhere specific — not "a room." That specificity creates review specificity: guests describe their room by name, by building, by the detail that surprised them.

This week, look at your own room inventory and ask: is there anything room-specific worth communicating at check-in? Even a single differentiating detail — a view, a design element, a story behind a piece of furniture — gives the guest something to mention in their review. You don't need 71 unique rooms. You need one detail per room that makes it worth documenting.

📬 What You Can't Afford to Miss 

1. Hospitality experts share top trends for 2026: wealth bifurcation, AI, and brand proliferation Hotel Dive's January 30 roundup from industry leaders covers the forces reshaping the year — rising labor costs, luxury pulling ahead of other segments, and AI's growing role in personalization. Useful context for any independent hotel building its 2026 strategy. Read more →

2. New York hotel industry pushes back on proposed tax hikes for fiscal year 2027 The Hotel Association of New York testified to the City Council that tax increases in the proposed budget could have negative effects on the market's hotels and tourism. Worth tracking for any operator with exposure to large urban markets. Read more →

3. What's next for hospitality in 2026: the full industry outlook A detailed January analysis of the economic and operational forces shaping hospitality — from macroeconomic conditions affecting traveler behavior to the growing role of AI in revenue management and guest personalization. Read more →

4. Independent hotels face tightened margins and OTA dominance in 2026 — Cloudbeds report Cloudbeds' 2026 State of Independent Hotels Report shows independent hotels facing tighter margins, longer booking windows, and increasing OTA dominance. The data highlights region-specific discrepancies and emerging opportunities for nimble operators. Read more →

5. U.S. hotel performance rises in February 2026 driven by Super Bowl LX in San Francisco CoStar/STR reports national occupancy at 60.4%, ADR at $162.58, and RevPAR growth of 4.3% for February 2026. San Francisco led all markets with RevPAR up 51% driven by Super Bowl LX. Read more →

💬 By the way... Hotel Peter & Paul turned a deconsecrated church into one of the most reviewed boutique hotels in New Orleans. The building's history isn't a marketing angle — it's the product. Any hotel sitting inside a building with a story has an asset most competitors can never acquire. The question is whether you're telling it.

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