10 Haunted Hotels in New Orleans You Can Actually Stay In
Where to Stay in New Orleans that's Unusual?
Known for its jazz, its parties, and its connections to the supernatural, it’s only natural you’d find haunted hotels in New Orleans that you can actually stay in. Whether you’re a dedicated ghost hunter or merely someone who enjoys a bit of a scare, the Big Easy has a wide range of spooky places for you to stay.
Whether you prefer to stay in a homey cottage or a high-rise hotel with a love of jazz, you can enjoy all the comforts of an excellent hotel break while also exploring the eerie side of the city. The hauntings also vary, so take your pick from mischievous children, helpful housekeepers, or expert piano players.
1. Bourbon Orleans Hotel
Magnificent hotel with haunted ballroom
Good for: History, Photo
Bourbon Orleans Hotel has a history dating back to the 1810s as a theater and an orphanage, before finally becoming a hotel in the 1960s. Its elegant architecture and design echo its opulent past, but those echoes also come through its ghosts. A phantom dancer twirls in the ballroom, children are heard in the corridors, and a confederate soldier is said to walk the halls. This is not a stop for the faint of heart.
But if you’re brave enough to face its ghosts, the Bourbon Orleans Hotel offers charm, live music, and craft cocktails to amaze. During your stay be sure to check out the cathedral and stroll around St Anthony’s Garden.
Bourbon Orleans Hotel
2. Dauphine Orleans Hotel
Large hotel with tragic past
Good for: Families, Couples, Unusual
Whether you’re traveling solo, with a partner, your family, or friends, Dauphine Orleans Hotel has the perfect room for you. The main hotel is perfect for smaller parties, while the Cottages and Hermann house guest rooms can play host to larger groups.
Of course, if you’re looking for something spooktacular, head to the hotel’s bar, May Baily’s Place. It was once a bordello, where the younger sister of the infamous brothel owner, whose groom was shot the day before her wedding, still waits for him in her wedding dress. Should you be lucky enough to see the phantom bride, raise your glass to her.
Dauphine Orleans Hotel
3. Hotel Monteleone
19th-century hotel haunted by the ghosts of children
Good for: History, Luxury, Nightlife
The luxurious Hotel Monteleone has been in business since 1886 and its Beaux-Arts design, grand chandeliers, and sumptuous furnishings pay homage to its origins. Settled in the heart of the French Quarter, it’s a great base for your New Orleans holiday. And, of course, it’s haunted, too.
Paranormal investigators, both amateur and otherwise, should ask for a room on the 14th floor, though one of the elevators might take you there on its own. This is the place where guests have seen the apparitions of many children, including Maurice Bergere who died one night in his hotel room. If you need a pick-me-up before the night falls, head to the rotating Carousel Bar and ask for a suitable nightcap.
Hotel Monteleone
4. Andrew Jackson Hotel
Charming 1890s building with many ghosts
Good for: History, Photo
With elegant wrought-iron balconies and a delightful courtyard, complete with fountain, Andrew Jackson Hotel is a charming place to stay. Built in the 1890s, it is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a fine example of New Orleans architecture and history.
Naturally, with all that history, there’s a spirit or 2 hiding in its hallways. Five schoolboys said to have died when the boarding school that once stood on the site burned, a helpful housekeeper who might fluff your pillows, and of course the ghost of the hotel’s namesake himself. Book a stay in room 208 and the mischievous spirit of young Armond might wake you up in the night.
Andrew Jackson Hotel
5. Audubon Cottages
Boutique hotel made up of delightful cottages
Good for: History, Luxury
An exclusive, boutique hotel, Audubon Cottages only has 7 suites, but each of them is beautifully decorated and appointed with everything you might need. Each cottage faces onto a charming courtyard with a turquoise pool and lush greenery, and each has its own story. Several even have their own ghosts. If you’re a fan of spooky settings, then fingers crossed you get cottage 2 or 4.
The ghost of Audubon Cottages is a country-music loving confederate soldier. So, if a radio turns on when no one is near, don’t be alarmed; it’s just the soldier’s spirit, longing for a little music in his afterlife.
Audubon Cottages
6. The Pontchartrain
One of the most haunted hotels in New Orleans
Good for: History, Luxury, Food
Even in New Orleans, home of all things spooky and supernatural, it’s rare to find a hotel as haunted as The Pontchartrain. It has as many as 25 ghosts, many of whom are said to have died in a tragic fire. Head to the ice machine on the 9th floor for a chance to meet some of its victims. You shouldn’t miss a trip to the Bayou Bar either, not just for its excellent Creole dishes and smooth jazz, but also because you might witness Tuts Washington’s ghostly piano playing.
The hotel is in the Garden Quarter, right by the St Charles at Josephine tram stop, making it a great location to get to and from easily within the city.
The Pontchartrain
7. Haunted Hotel
Site of macabre murders
Good for: History, Photo, Unusual
The location of a dozen murders since it was built in 1829, the Haunted Hotel lives up to its name and they take great pride in it. The hauntings date back to the infamous Axeman murders from 1918 and a bloodied axe, found during renovations, is now on display.
This is the hotel to stay in if you love the gruesome and the macabre, from its logo to its decor, The Haunted Hotel revels in its past and invites guests to join in on the fun. Located on the Ursulines Avenue, this very popular New Orleans hotel fills up quickly, so be sure to book well in advance.
Haunted Hotel
8. Lafitte Guest House
A haunted home away from home
Good for: History, Unusual
Lafitte Guest House sits on the bustling Bourbon Street, the most famous and liveliest street in the city. The suites are designed to feel like your own private residence within the city, many with private balconies, becoming your home away from home.
But ghost lovers will be delighted to discover they share this place with permanent residents of a more spiritual nature. The history of the site includes pirates and hospital patients, so it’s no surprise that hauntings are reported. Room 21 is known as the most haunted part, but elsewhere, lights turn on and off, footsteps are heard, and guests report things moving when they aren’t looking.
Lafitte Guest House
9. Hotel Provincial
Family-run hotel on the site of an old hospital
Good for: History, Food
This charming hotel in the French Quarter is family-owned and run. Its buildings surround elegant courtyards complete with pools and fountains. Its location makes it an excellent starting point for exploring the bustling French Quarter and sampling the amazing restaurants within walking distance.
Those interested in exploring its spookier side will want to check out Building 5, reportedly the most haunted. Sitting where a military hospital once stood, guests have seen wounded soldiers and heard their cries echoing the halls. It’s a great place for a chilling stay. To warm up your bones under the New Orleans sun, lounge by the pool in the lush tropical courtyard.
Hotel Provincial
10. The Mercantile Hotel
Jazz in every room and hauntings in the hallways
Good for: History, Unusual
The Mercantile Hotel is one of the more typical city hotels on this list with its classic high-rise style. To get you into the New Orleans mood, each room has a record player and jazz records available for you to enjoy.
In the 1940s, the sugar factory that once stood here suffered a massive explosion, and the hotel is said to be haunted by the spirits of those who died in the tragic event. However, those who have encountered these ghosts, claim they feel no malice from the apparitions. Your comfort is maximized in this all-suite hotel, so all you need to do is to relax and enjoy the New Orleans vibes.
The Mercantile Hotel
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