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Harrah’s New Orleans Hotel Casino
Rob
Lowe
by Jim Gladstone
Harrah’s New Orleans Hotel Casino
(www.harrahsneworleans.com)
is among some of the major businesses making significant
commitments to bringing more gay travelers to the city
by promoting directly to gay audiences and offering
special vacation packages. Their brand new, first-class,
450-room tower opened just over a year ago and departs
from the traditional casino-hotel model by being located
across the street and in a separate building from gaming
areas. The result is an elegant, restful respite from
both the chiming of slot machines and the pleasurable
chaos of the nearby French Quarter.
On a recent visit to New Orleans, we
met with Harrah’s Chief Concierge, Rob Lowe, to
find out about some of the unique and exciting experiences
that await visitors to this fascinating city.
What do you think makes New Orleans
so gay-friendly?
Well, it’s not just about gay and straight.
New Orleans is genuinely people-friendly, because we’re
such a wonderful mix. Louisiana started out Native American,
of course, then it was a French colony, a Spanish colony,
then French again. There’s been a big African influence
that began with slavery, and after the Louisiana Purchase,
lots of folks with British and Irish backgrounds came
in, and then a lot of immigrants to the U.S. from Sicily.
Over the past 30 years, we’ve also got a big Vietnamese-American
population (they say it’s because our climate is
very similar to certain areas of Vietnam), and a Latino
population that’s grown considerably as workers
have come in to help us rebuild after Katrina. To me,
gay rights are part of the human rights [each of us
deserves]. I’d like to see the day when we’re
all just one people; you can see the possibility of
that [taking root] in New Orleans today.
Speaking of hopes and possibilities,
how is your city faring two and a half years after the
hurricane?
We’ve been coming back steadily. 2008 is predicted
to be a big year, where we may actually turn the corner
and see tourism reach the numbers we had the year before
Katrina. People need to understand that tourism is our
biggest business here. In fact, Harrah’s—between
the casino and the hotel—is the city’s biggest
private employer. I’m glad to work for a company
that is committed to New Orleans. To open a beautiful
hotel like this so soon after Katrina and help the city
rebound is a real show of dedication. All of the artwork
in the hotel, not just the lobby, but in every room,
is by local artists, many of whom will tell you that
the money for these pieces came at a critical time for
them.
Are there organized tours that you’d
recommend to gay visitors?
Roberts Batson’s Gay Heritage Tour (Tel: 504-945-6789.
www.decafest.org/about.htm)
will give you a comprehensive perspective on gay New
Orleans. Roberts is so charming and passionate, and
he’s a real scholar. He’ll show you the secret
New Orleans of Tennessee Wiliams, tell you about the
development of our gay community, and tell you tales
of gay Mardi Gras. Also, unless you live near the Everglades
in Florida, anybody who visits between April and October
should take a swamp tour with Cajun Encounters (Tel:
866-92TOURS. www.cajunencounters.com)
or Louisiana Swamp Tours (Tel: 888-30SWAMP. www.louisianaswamp.com).
They offer tours year-round, but alligators are much
more active when it’s warm, and you’ll see
a lot of them on a hot day.
 What’s
something terrific that you think most tourists miss
out on?
Right in the heart of town is the Historic New Orleans
Collection (533 Royal St. Tel: 504-523-4662. www.hnoc.org),
which is a museum and home tour that is really the most
necessary place to visit if you want to understand our
city’s background. I also highly recommend renting
a car one day and taking the 90-minute drive along the
River Road between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. You’ll
get to see some glorious rural communities, and understand
that New Orleans is the urban exception in a country
environment. Along the way, you should take a plantation
tour. My favorites are Houmas House (40136 Highway 142,
Darro. Tel: 225-473-9380. www.houmashouse.com)
where Bette Davis filmed Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte,
and Nottoway (30970 Highway 405, White Castle. Tel:
866-527-6884. www.nottoway.com).
When it comes to nightlife, what
are some of the places gay visitors can’t miss
while they’re in town?
All gay tourists who come to New Orleans are going to
find their way to the 800 block of Bourbon Street in
the French Quarter, which is where our two biggest gay
bars and dance clubs, Oz (800 Bourbon St. Tel: 504-593-9491.
www.ozneworleans.com)
and Bourbon Pub Parade (801 Bourbon St. Tel: 504-529-2107.
www.bourbonpub.com)
face each other on opposite corners. Standing outside
on the second floor balconies, you can practically have
a conversation with someone at the other club. Some
other popular gay bars located within a block of here
include Café Lafitte in Exile (901 Bourbon St.
Tel: 504-522-8397. www.lafittes.com),
Napoleon’s Itch (734 Bourbon St. Tel: 504-371-5450.
www.napoleonsitch.com),
and Good Friends (740 Dauphine St. Tel: 504-566-7191.
www.goodfriendsbar.com).
Because you can carry drinks outdoors in New Orleans
(anytime, day or night) the crowd spreads out into the
street and it’s pretty much a year-round gay block
party around the intersection of Bourbon and Dauphine.
Continued
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