Progress and Recovery for New Orleans

Developer and Hotelier Sean Cummings Leads the Way

NEW ORLEANS, July 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is being
released by Simone Rathle of Simone Ink:

As New Orleans begins to approach the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina,
rather than rehashing the predictable doom-and-gloom stories about tragedy in
the Gulf Coast region, here is an exciting example of PROGRESS and RECOVERY
currently taking place in the Crescent City.

Sean Cummings

Native New Orleanian Sean Cummings, real estate developer and CEO of the New
Orleans Building Corporation (NOBC), is moving ahead with a visionary
initiative - dubbed Reinventing the Crescent - which aims to transform the
underdeveloped New Orleans riverfront into a thriving cultural and economic
hub. Mr. Cummings brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the fore,
beginning with his Master's Degree in Urban Development from Brown University,
and encompassing nearly 20 years of proven success in cultivating viable
business, retail, and residential projects throughout New Orleans.

Riverfront Progress

Though still only in Phase One, Mr. Cummings' ambitious project is already
receiving critical acclaim. In April 2008, Reinventing the Crescent won the
prestigious "National 2008 American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)
Honor Award for Analysis and Planning." Its talented design team includes
such distinguished architects as George Hargreaves, whose company was recently
appointed to design the new Olympic Park for the London 2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games (which will later become a new kind of park promoting
sustainable and active living), and David Adjaye, renowned for his
groundbreaking work at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, as well as his
extensive background in West African culture (which is fitting for a historic
city like New Orleans, which was heavily influenced by West African culture
and craftsmanship). Said the Professional Awards jury, "The landscape
architect (Hargreaves Associates) used compelling urban design gestures to
deal with very difficult problems at a critical time..."

The riverfront renovation (Phase 1), scheduled to break into a new direction
this September 2008, will mark the beginning of a new era for this region.
Reinventing the Crescent provides clear evidence that New Orleans has -
literally - emerged from the storm.

Progress in Design

And there are certainly many more examples of the renaissance taking place in
New Orleans. Case in point: International House, the premier boutique hotel
in the historic Beaux-Arts building in the Central Business District, has just
completed an extensive remodeling project in honor of its upcoming ten-year
anniversary this September. International House owner Sean Cummings
commissioned Los Angeles-based designer LM Pagano (designer of choice for
Nicolas Cage and Johnny Depp) to essentially reinvent the hotel's image for
the 21st century. Pagano fused traditional elements of New Orleans' past with
an invigorating air of modernism, all of which embody the resilient spirit of
a city determined to recapture and exceed its former glory. The hotel's
formal, white columned facade is contrasted by an infusion of bold red hues
and stimulating textures throughout the interior. The color red was
specifically chosen for its symbolic representation of the human spirit's
indefatigable intensity. The final design effectively articulates the
inspiring passion for life that exemplifies New Orleans and its people. Taken
as a whole, International House now stands as a shining testament to the
city's unquenchable vitality.

As a native of New Orleans myself, I know better than anyone how hard these
past few years have been. But despite it all, I can assure you that there is
good news to report about the recovery in New Orleans, and people need to hear
about that, too!

SOURCE Simone Ink

Simone Rathle of Simone Ink, +1-703-534-8100, simone@simonesez.com