Remarkably pleasant, soothing spaces in which to relax, sleep and work, each guestroom at International House celebrates contemporary New Orleans style. Average size is 300 square feet, and each of the 117 rooms offers a spa-like bathroom, glass shower or oversized bathtub, Aveda bath amenities, abundant natural light, I-home, ceiling fan, two-line speakerphone, complimentary wireless service, original black and white photographs of today's local jazz greats and fresh Louisiana wildflowers.

Says developer Cummings, "We banned anything that even the most benighted person might associate with lavish materials that conjure images of Louis XIV French excesses, stodgy British Empire of chic-for-the-sake-of-chic newness." Monochromatic shades of taupes, tans, creams and whites comprise a base palette, accented with colorful Louisiana wildflowers and roux-like hues found in native spices. Add to these rooms a slow spinning ceiling fan; crinkled sheer shades; an 1860 S. Pablo & Son mineral water bottle-cum-vase; an armoire inspired by the classic design of Deutreil Barjon, Jr.-a free person of color, whose history is scarcely recorded but who was simply the finest furniture maker of his day. One knows that the guest experience at International House is different from anywhere else and that the attention to detail and reverence for the guest is uncommon, if not unequaled. It is a New Orleans beyond the obvious, a city with unique architecture, culture, food, music and climate, and, as such, suggests Delehanty, "a contemporary ambience unlike any other city in America."