The Super Bowl is heading to New Orleans in two weeks’ time where the players will prepare for the NFL’s season finale among the vibrant nightlife and soul-stirring jazz of the Big Easy.
The carnival city, which knows a thing or two about throwing a celebration, will throw open its doors to the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles as it hosts a mouthwatering festival of football.
Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and co. will face the final step of their quest for an unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat under the spotlight of NOLA, while the Eagles will be out for revenge.
The two teams will clash at Caesar’s Superdome in a rematch of Super Bowl LVII, which saw the Chiefs emerge victorious 38-35 in a gritty battle in Glendale, Arizona.
The 83,000-seat domed arena sits just one mile away from the crown jewel of New Orleans, the French Quarter, where Andy Reid’s team will go through their final preparations in the buildup to the Big Game – their fifth in six years.
Nestled between the city’s most famous neighborhood and the Warehouse Arts District, the Chiefs will stay at the New Orleans Marriott on Canal Street.
The Kansas City Chiefs will stay at the New Orleans Marriott on Canal Street ahead of Super Bowl LIX next month
The four-star hotel will house the reigning champions as they prepare to target a historic Super Bowl three-peat
The players will be offered an escape from the hustle and bustle of Canal Street with the heated rooftop swimming pool
The four-star hotel, which is a short walk from Jackson Square – the national landmark home to the city’s cathedral and the famous Cafe Du Monde – offers views of the Mississippi River.
The stars of Chiefs Kingdom will be treated to a state-of-the-art gym and offered an escape from the hustle and bustle of Canal Street with the heated rooftop swimming pool among the stunning amenities at the plush hotel.
There are also several places to eat within the hotel, including Canal Street Burger Bar, 55 Fahrenheit, which serves handcrafted cocktails and light bites, and 5Fifty5 Restaurant, which boats award-winning gumbo amid an array of authentic New Orleans cuisine.
If those options don’t satisfy the players’ palettes, New Orleans isn’t short of dining options as the mouthwatering smells of creole and Cajun cuisine waft through the heart of the Big Easy.
Meanwhile, down the road the Hilton New Orleans Riverside will provide homebase for the Eagles as they plot their revenge mission. The four-star hotel is located on the banks of the Crescent City’s riverbend, across the road from Manning’s Sports Bar – named for the New Orleans Saints’ legendary quarterback Arch Manning.
The Chiefs’ proximity to the tourist hotspots of Bourbon Street and Caesars Casino marks a stark contrast to last season when the team escaped the bright lights of Sin City.
Last year, the Chiefs were housed in Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa in Henderson – nearly 20 miles east of The Strip – when they faced the San Francisco 49ers at Las Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium.
It remains unclear whether all of Reid’s players will stay at the resort – it is not uncommon for big names to find their own accommodation for Super Bowl week.
In 2023, for example, quarterback Mahomes rented an Airbnb to stay with his family away from the team hotel in Arizona ahead of Super Bowl LVII. Mahomes, who reportedly made $56.85million last season, revealed that he rented an apartment three months before the Super Bowl in order to save money.
The Chiefs’ Big Easy base is nestled between the city’s famous French Quarter and the nearby Warehouse Arts District
There are also several places to eat within the hotel, including 5Fifty5 Restaurant, which boats award-winning gumbo
The stars of Chiefs Kingdom will be treated to a state-of-the-art gym among the amenities at the plush hotel
The hotel is a short walk from some of the Crescent City’s most famous landmarks, including Jackson Square
It sits just over a mile away from Caesars Superdome where the Chiefs will take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Big Game
It is also unclear where the friends and family of the players – including Kelce’s pop sensation girlfriend Taylor Swift – will stay ahead of watching their loved ones take to the field.
Super Bowl LIX marks a historic 11th time the NFL’s season finale has been held in New Orleans with the city playing host to the Big Game in every decade dating back to 1970.
While heightened security is always a part of Super Bowl festivities and the game itself, those measures will take on added significance after the New Year’s Day truck attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people and injured dozens.
The casualties in New Orleans occurred when Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen born and raised in Texas, rammed his vehicle into a crowd of revelers in the famed famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day. In addition to those killed, more than 30 people were injured.
Jabbar was killed in a firefight with police following the attack at about 3:15am along Bourbon Street near Canal Street, the FBI said.
The horrific tragedy occurred hours before the College Football Playoffs’ Sugar Bowl was slated to take place, also at Caesars Superdome. The game between Georgia and Notre Dame was postponed until the following day.