Hotel Experiences Rebirth 10 Years after Hurricane Katrina Following $16.4 Million Investment by Hospitality Mogul

METAIRIE, La., Aug. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 10 years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Louisiana Coast, Al Copeland Investments breathes new life into Jefferson Parish with the $16.4 million renovation and unveiling of Copeland Tower, home of the newly converted BEST WESTERN PLUS Landmark Hotel & Suites. The hotel, which opened a portion of the property just 13 days following Hurricane Katrina, celebrated its grand reveal earlier this month with business and civic leaders, brand executives and loyal guests.

"The Landmark has long served as a landmark in the Jefferson Parish landscape," said Jefferson Parish President John Young. "Now, 10 years after Hurricane Katrina, we are so grateful for the tremendous investment, courtesy of Al Copeland Investments, which reinvigorated the property by incorporating beautiful facilities for meetings, conferences and events, along with exciting new amenities that give the BEST WESTERN PLUS Landmark Hotel & Suites even more star power to attract and accommodate businesses, residents and visitors to Jefferson Parish for years to come."

The investment added 95 "condo style suites," increasing the hotel's inventory to 251 guestrooms and bringing the total number of hotel rooms in the New Orleans metro area to nearly 39,000, up 10,000 from 2005.

"Several years ago, our team launched extensive market research. Based on our findings we were able to determine that the rooms should be transformed into suites in order to offer an upscale, extended stay option centrally located between the airport and downtown New Orleans," said Gary Weissert, President of the BEST WESTERN PLUS Landmark Hotel & Suites. "With that, we converted every two rooms into one. The Landmark is one of the only hotels in the area to offer these facilities, and we feel as though we are thoughtfully designed to suit the needs of any business or leisure traveler."

The "condo style suites" at the BEST WESTERN PLUS Landmark Hotel & Suites, locally known as The Landmark, offer 750 square feet of spacious luxury. Features include a full service kitchen with cooktop, dishwasher, refrigerator and microwave. The separate living room has a queen sofa/sleeper, 47" wall mounted LED TV, activity table for two, and complimentary hardwired and wireless internet service. With only eight suites per floor, the property provides added privacy and comfort. Other hotel amenities include a full-service restaurant, fitness room, business center, outdoor swimming pool and complimentary parking.

Along with the suites addition, the 17-story tower renovation includes meeting and conference facilities on the 16^th floor and now houses the ultra-modern Al Copeland Investments Corporate Headquarters. Al Copeland Investments, established by the late Al Copeland, Sr. – the renowned restaurateur who founded Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken – owns and operates a wide variety of concepts including restaurants, hotels, a food processing company and comedy clubs, throughout the Southeastern United States.

"Copeland Tower is more than just a hotel. It is my family's promise to provide locals and visitors alike with the finest hospitality experience each and every visit," said Al Copeland, Jr., Chairman of the Board and CEO of Al Copeland Investments, parent company of the Landmark Hotel. "Meeting planners now have a new, viable option when organizing a meeting or convention. Business travelers can enjoy the reliability and reputation of a national brand, like BEST WESTERN PLUS, when searching for a place to stay outside of New Orleans' city limits, for both short- and long-term visits. And having an existing property undergo such a substantial renovation is an important renewal to the community in which our company and family has been a part of for over four decades."

With panoramic views of the New Orleans area available on the 16^th floor and one of the largest ballrooms in Jefferson Parish, the BEST WESTERN PLUS Landmark Hotel & Suites now has over 15,000 square feet of meeting and conference space. This additional capacity allows guests to book seated, standing, convention, theater, classroom and banquet style events for any occasion.

The property name includes the "BEST WESTERN PLUS" descriptor from the World's Biggest Hotel Family^SM. "BEST WESTERN PLUS" indicates an upper midscale hotel with well-appointed rooms with modern amenities, and an enhanced level of comfort for guests looking to get the most out of their stay. "Hotels that earn the 'Plus' descriptor typically have a 3-Diamond rating from AAA, and offer a little something extra to make a guest's stay even more comfortable." The hotel currently has a 3-Diamond rating from AAA.

The Landmark is located at 2601 Severn Avenue, Metairie, LA 70002. Reservations can be booked by calling (800) 780-7234, toll-free, or by visiting the website at www.bestwestern.com. 

ABOUT BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL, INC:

Best Western International, Inc., headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., is a privately held hotel brand made up of more than 4,000* BEST WESTERN®, BEST WESTERN PLUS® and BEST WESTERN PREMIER® hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Now celebrating 67 years of hospitality, Best Western welcomes hundreds of thousands of guests nightly. Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales, marketing and promotional support, and online and mobile booking capabilities. More than 20 million travelers are members of the brand's award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards®, one of the few programs in which members earn points that never expire and can be redeemed at any Best Western hotel worldwide. The brand's partnerships with AAA/CAA, race car driver Michael Waltrip, and Harley-Davidson® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. In 2012, Best Western won a record number of awards, including AAA's Hotel Partner of the Year, CAA's Partner of the Year, TravelClick's eMarketer of the Year and Compuware's Best of the Web Gold awards. For more information or to make a reservation, please visit: www.bestwestern.com. *Numbers are approximate and may fluctuate.

About Al Copeland Investments, LLC:

Al Copeland Investments is the management company for the Al Copeland Family of Companies which includes restaurants, hotels and Diversified Foods and Seasonings. The restaurants and hotels consist of Copeland's of New Orleans, Cheesecake Bistro, Copeland's Cheesecake Scoop Café, Copeland's Gourmet Kitchen, Best Western Plus Landmark Hotel & Suites, Clarion Hotel Grand Boutique and Best Western Plus French Quarter Landmark Hotel. Founder of Popeyes Fried Chicken and southern icon, Al Copeland's memory lives on through the Al Copeland Foundation (ACF) which is dedicated to funding cancer research.  For franchising opportunities and for more information on ACI and the ACF visit www.alcopeland.com and www.alcopelandfoundation.org.

To learn more about the BEST WESTERN PLUS Landmark Hotel & Suites, visit: www.nolahotels.com/landmarkbw or www.bestwestern.com.

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SOURCE Al Copeland Investments

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