­A multi-million dollar recreation has turned the tattered-around-the-edges Saint Louis Hotel into the gleaming new Hotel Mazarin, a 102 room haven in the French Quarter just off Bourbon Street. Named after Cardinal Jules Mazarin—a  17th century Italian-born pontiff, an advisor to the French Crown and a collector of fine wines —the Mazarin features a lovely wine bar, gold leaf accents, lots of polished wood, free Wi Fi, free daily breakfast, in-room spa services and a welcoming inner courtyard.  

The Mazarin, part of the eclectic New Orleans Hotel Collection, opened on December 28 and to celebrate the hotel is throwing a fantastic Mardi Gras sweepstakes for the chance to win four nights’ accommodations at Hotel Mazarin for two, advance purchase airfare allowance for two, New Orleans Airport limo transfers and (most exciting of all) permission to ride aboard a Krewe of Orpheus float in a real Mardi Gras Parade.