For years, the cost of transportation and parking has been cited as a major challenge faced by local hospitality workers and businesses. As a means of addressing this challenge, the City of New Orleans Mayor’s Office of Nighttime Economy has partnered with Premium Parking, LAZ Parking, and Parking Management Services Inc. (PMSI) to provide cheaper parking.

“This new program will provide downtown hospitality workers with access to more than 1,000 discounted parking spaces at over two dozen participating parking lots and garages,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “New Orleans runs on the strength and dedication of our hospitality workers, the cooks, servers, bartenders, concierges, and culture-bearers who keep our city vibrant and welcoming. Downtown Discount is more than a parking program; it’s a commitment to equity, affordability, and valuing the very people who make our city world-famous.”

“Our aim from the beginning was to work with parking providers to support the industry, specifically the workers who support them and all of New Orleans,”said Robert Henig Bell, Community Projects Manager for the Office of Nighttime Economy. “We’re gratified to provide some much-needed relief to the people who make and serve the food, clean the sheets and fill up the dance floors of New Orleans. We value them and appreciate PMSI, LAZ, and Premium Parking for stepping up and delivering real savings to the people whose work embodies our culture every day of the year.”

Downtown Discount reduces the financial burden and stress on local hospitality workers by providing reliable access to more affordable parking options near their workplaces. A range of discounted monthly and daily parking memberships will be available at lots and garages throughout the Central Business District, French Quarter, Marigny, and Tremé.

Key features of the Downtown Discount program:

• Over 1,000 discounted parking spaces across 27 locations.
• Daily discounts averaging over 43% off the listed price.
• Monthly subscriptions discounted by up to $140 per month.
• Downtown Discount is part of the City’s broader commitment to supporting hospitality workers and creating a more accessible and sustainable nighttime economy.

To qualify, applicants must be current employees who meet both of the following criteria:

• Work for a business that is a restaurant, café, coffee shop, bar, museum, hotel, hostel, bed & breakfast, tour service or live entertainment venue.
• Work at a location within the French Quarter, Central Business District, Marigny, or Tremé.

While Downtown Discount covers verifiable employees at eligible hospitality businesses, the City also recognized that live performers and gigging musicians operate differently. To address this, the Office of Nighttime Economy and its partners are working to release a live performer’s discount for musicians and performers who cannot be verified through traditional employment. Stay tuned for more information. To celebrate the launch, the Office of Nighttime Economy and hospitality industry partners will hold an outreach event in the French Quarter on Thursday, August 7, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., where they will distribute promotional materials and assist workers with sign-ups.

Applications open Monday, August 4. To learn more and apply, visit nola.gov/downtowndiscount or contact Robert Henig Bell, Community Projects Manager, Mayor’s Office of Nighttime Economy, at [email protected].