Why International House Hotel Should Be Your Next Staycation

Disclosure:: International House Hotel and Ciao Bella Vita Catering sponsored our team retreat, but we assure you that we will be back to International House Hotel on our own dime soon because it was that awesome.

A Team Celebration at International House Hotel 

The New Orleans Moms Blog recently celebrated its 4th Birthday, and to say we are humbled by the response of the New Orleans community is an understatement. In these 4 short years, we have hosted dozens and dozens of events across New Orleans, written over 1,000 posts on parenting in New Orleans, and grown to know and genuinely love our readers. We were honored when our readers voted us the “Best Local Blog” in Gambit’s coveted “Best of New Orleans” poll this summer. We thought that recognition called for a New Orleans style celebration!

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To celebrate, we gathered the entire New Orleans team, as well as our team from Red Stick Moms Blog in Baton Rouge, for a celebratory day of delicious food and sisterhood at the gorgeous International House Hotel. The International House Hotel is located in the heart of the New Orleans Central Business District and will truly take your breath away. The talented Sweet Honeybee took updated team head shots in the stunning hotel lobby bar, Loa. If you’re looking for a sophisticated bar ambiance with masterfully crafted cocktails and carefully selected wine, you must stop in and give Loa a try. International House Hotel is the perfect backdrop for a night out in New Orleans … and if you can spend the night, even better in our book!

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Ciao Bella Vita Catering at International House Hotel

During our day long retreat, the International House Hotel staff checked on us constantly, while Chef Lacee Arbo of Ciao Bella Vita Catering made mealtime memorable. Our team did not spend a moment thinking about anything other than enjoying a day away from our children and brainstorming events and content for the year ahead. The beverage station was kept perfectly stocked, the food was fresh, and our team was truly able to focus on our work and make some great progress. The International House Hotel staff and Chef Lacee flawlessly executed an enjoyable afternoon for all.

Chef Lacee was able to accommodate a few dietary restrictions with grace and ease, and the food was outstanding! She offered breakfast in the morning, which was fresh and scrumptious, as well as a satisfying lunch that pleased everyone in the room. I really do not think there was a crumb left. We have nothing but nice things to say about the catering and service at International House Hotel and would definitely recommend this location for either a business meeting / planning retreat in New Orleans OR a fabulous staycation with your husband or girlfriends!

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Our Generous Swag Partners

While most of our events entail lots of swag for our guests. this time we spoiled our New Orleans and Baton Rouge teams! It was a true pleasure to offer each of our writers a few items to show our appreciation for all of their work on great content and events.

sicFirst, we would like to give a standing ovation to SIC Cups. Not only does SIC offer beautiful colors, but they really do keep your beverage the perfect temperature. Our team has tested these cups bedside (for sweat free ice cold water all night long), in the car on the way to carpool for coffee, on the beach to keep our beers ice cold, and of course we’ll be rockin’ SIC Cups come Mardi Gras! We recommend these as an easy holiday gift as well.

In addition to SIC Cups, we also were thrilled to partner with New Orleans Lip and Soaps (NOLAS). While Kristen’s brand is not new to the blog, we truly LOVE her New Orleans made soap products. The NOLAS packaging is beautiful, and the products smell and feel luxurious. Whether you’re looking for a gift or to pamper yourself, you need to give the all natural NOLAS brand a try. Our team was lucky enough to sample her lip balm, bath bomb and soaps. If you’re on the Northshore, NOLAS will be opening its new storefront in Covington soon.

As a part of our team building, we were excited to offer our team the chance to win a gift from the one and only Kendra Scott! If you’re looking for a custom jewelry experience, we recommend you visit their store on Magazine Street where you can create any custom piece you like at the color bar and watch as their masterful staff creates exactly what you envisioned!

If you were at our Moms Night Out last month, you were lucky enough to try BIG EASY BUCHA. Needless to say, we needed more! We were thrilled to each receive our own bottle of kombucha to accompany lunch. It was served ice cold in their glass jar and made the perfect pairing with lunch. We were surprised that many of our team members from Baton Rouge had not ever tried kombucha and they were all hooked! Insider tip :: add champagne for that something special!

Next up were the sweet treats that Sugar High NOLA designed for our dessert finale. Sugar High NOLA is run by one extremely talented local New Orleans mom who pours her heart and soul into each cookie. I truly am sad to eat her creations when I see them because they are that beautiful. That is, until I taste it, and then I devour the sugary works of art. Gaby not only offers custom cookies for parties and special occasions, but also offers classes and will even come to your next party and lead a fun class to you and your friends.

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A few lucky winners at each table scored a full-sized bag of Truly Scrumptious Pretzel Crunch, another one of our favorite brands from Moms Night Out last month. Who didn’t run to their table for taste of their salty/sweet confections?

And finally, as our loyal readers know, we swear by Fresh Wave. Sold at Target, Fresh Wave is a natural way to freshen your home. Whether you’re trying to keep the diaper changing area fresh or you have a pet or you want to keep your gym bag smelling clean, they’ve got you covered with non-toxic products that eliminate odor as effectively as anything we’ve tried.

Win an International House Hotel Staycation

And since we loved the International House Hotel and Ciao Bella Vita Catering so much, we want to offer one lucky reader the chance to win their own staycation! International House Hotel offers top notch service, a convenient location and a luxurious ambiance … and we want to treat one of our readers to a one night stay at this premier New Orleans hotel!

Win 1 Night in a Panoramic Corner King!

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IHH Giveaway

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