The Monteleone
A member of the Historic Hotels of America, Hotel Monteleone is more than just a landmark in New Orleans. It’s a legacy.
Artifacts
the Cultural fragments, references, and research that shape the soul of OUR world for this project.
What if hospitality had a signature shade — and she wore it like a statement
She has welcomed a menagerie of characters from literary greats, cultural icons, and spirited caretakers, each leaving their mark and adding to her legend. She doesn’t just witness history, she shapes it. Effortlessly elegant, yet full of life. Sophisticated, but never stiff. Every meal, every cocktail, every note of music within her walls is curated not by outsiders, but by the city’s own artists, chefs, and visionaries. Her luxury isn’t about excess—it’s about soulful indulgence. She is the Monteleone.
From the hotel’s iconic façade came the foundation for a custom egg-and-dart motif, a subtle nod to its Beaux-Arts architecture and a unifying signature across applications. Color then built on this framework. A bold red, chosen for its strength and elegance, was used sparingly to signal confidence without overwhelming. With a lipstick-like quality, it carried distinction while reflecting the passion, spice, and energy of New Orleans.
Art direction extended this balance, weaving archival photography with playful lifestyle imagery to show the hotel as both timeless and alive across generations. Typography followed the same principle, combining expressive and refined fonts to feel as though the Grand Dame herself had written them—like notes in a journal or a letter, graceful yet full of character.
This evolution was not about reinvention but refinement to shape a brand system where design, voice, and expression align to feel confident today and enduring into the future.
affectionate, warm, rich, indulgent, spellbinding
to entice desire, to appeal to all of the senses
enchanting, insightful, visionary, inspiring
to reveal hidden possibilities and create transformative experiences
INSPIRATION
Drawn to a shared reverence for heritage, a love of thoughtful design, and a belief in growth with integrity, Hotel Monteleone invited us to help shape its next chapter. From brand positioning and visual identity to signage, collateral, and the guest experience, the scope was comprehensive. Our focus was clarity and cohesion; building a system grounded in history, designed to carry the brand forward.
Family-owned for five generations, we set out to uncover the essence that has kept the hotel enduring.
As Anthony Bourdain once said, “There’s no place on earth even remotely like New Orleans... even trying to describe it is tricky.” That complexity was clear from the start. A snowstorm during our research trip led to deeper immersion—into the culture, the pace of the city, and the hotel’s quiet presence within the French Quarter. We explored the property, reviewed archives, and spoke with long-tenured staff to understand the Hotel from the inside out. What we found was a legacy rich in story but lacking cohesion. Just as importantly, the time allowed us to gauge the team’s readiness for change, because a rebrand only works when those behind it are aligned on where it’s going.
A Reputation that precedes her
She is New Orleans. A timeless host, a keeper of stories, a tastemaker with panache. From grand celebrations to whispered secrets, she has always been at the centre of the city's most defining moments.
Service, dependability, luxury
Written into the crest, these pillars remain central to the brand’s identity. We used them as a foundation for the brand personality, reinterpreting them to bring relevance and context for today.
A host to countless stories and celebrations, and home to the iconic Carousel Bar, The Monteleone carries an energy that became central to the creative direction: rooted in heritage, alive with movement, confident, and timeless.
Color was the first expression of this new system. Red was chosen deliberately to symbolize presence and elegance. Applied sparingly, it created distinction without overwhelming, ensuring the identity felt both iconic and refined. The crest and word mark were also reworked with care. As a family emblem, the crest’s subject matter was preserved, but redrawn for 21st-century clarity and digital application. The most visible shift was naming: from “Hotel Monteleone” to “The Monteleone,” reflecting how the property is spoken of and recognized today. A flexible system of marks was developed to ensure consistency across every touchpoint.
Implementation was comprehensive spanning the website and digital advertising to guest collateral and more. Designed in tandem with the hotel’s multi-year renovation plan, the brand and physical environment now reinforce one another seamlessly. The retail component played a particularly important role, extending the hotel’s cult status while introducing a new generation of guests eager to bring a piece of the experience home.
The result is a brand system that honours heritage, builds presence, and equips the hotel team with tools for long-term consistency. As a proud member of the Historic Hotels of America, The Monteleone now stands out even more distinctly as one of the city’s defining institutions—positioned with strength among competitors while carrying its legacy forward.
Our work with The Monteleone, however, was never singular. It also extended to Criollo, the restaurant within, and Bienville House, its sister property just beyond...