The Most Haunted Hotels in New Orleans

The City of New Orleans is believed to be the most haunted city in the entire country. And if you know anything about The Big Easy, that should come as no surprise. With legends of Voodoo queens practicing dark magic, generations of witches casting spells, and even talk of vampires lurking in the shadows, there are hardly any places in NOLA that aren’t considered haunted.

Staying at a haunted hotel can be a dream, or a nightmare, come true, depending on how you look at it. But in a town so full of mystery and mystique, which hotel in New Orleans is considered the most haunted of them all?

What is the Most Haunted Hotel in New Orleans?

There are several haunted hotels in New Orleans that are linked to tragic ends. From the casualties of war to sudden death caused by illness, these hotels are home to many tortured souls who had unfinished business here on earth. But which is the most haunted hotel of them all? Here are a few of our favorites for you to consider.

Andrew Jackson Hotel

The Andrew Jackson Hotel is a significant part of New Orleans’ history and a popular spot on local ghost tours in New Orleans. Located in the French Quarter, this boutique hotel now stands where an all-boys boarding school was once located.

In 1792, the Spanish Colonial Government opened a school for young underprivileged boys in need of an education and a home. But just two years later, the city endured two fires, destroying many buildings, including the boarding school. Tragically, several of the children who lived there perished in the fire.

After the school was destroyed, the property became home to the U.S. Federal Courthouse. It was here that the United States District Judge, Dominick Hall, fined Major General Andrew Jackson a fee of $1,000 for contempt of court.

Several of the people of New Orleans offered to pay the fine for Jackson, but he declined, insisting that they use their money to help those who lost their fathers, husbands, and brothers during the Battle of New Orleans instead.

Jackson went on to become the seventh President of the United States from 1829 to 1837. A year before he died, in 1844, Congress ordered that his $1,000 fine be repaid to him plus interest. He received $2,700.

The courthouse was eventually demolished, and in 1888, construction began on the two-story building we now know as the Andrew Jackson Hotel. It is considered one of the most historic buildings in town and also one of the most haunted.

Hauntings at the Andrew Jackson Hotel

The site of the Andrew Jackson Hotel experienced more than its fair share of hardships. During the fire that destroyed most of the boarding school in 1774, five young boys were trapped inside. It’s been said that the ghost of a boy, referred to by staff members as Armand, will wake up guests with his laughter. 

Some guests have even reported being pushed out of their beds by this playful spirit. Guests have also reported hearing the sound of children playing in the courtyard at night, and one even spotted a ghostly child watching television.

Hotel guests also mentioned seeing the former caretaker of the boy’s school walking through the rooms, making sure everything was tidy. The ghost will sometimes clean up the rooms and fluff the pillows. Other visitors and staff members of the hotel have mentioned seeing the apparition of Andrew Jackson himself, roaming throughout the hallways.

 

Hotel Monteleone

Hotel Monteleone has been owned and operated by five generations of the Monteleone family. It was established by Antonio Monteleone in 1886, a cobbler by trade who immigrated to the United States from Sicily. He purchased the quaint hotel and transformed it into one of the Grand Dames of New Orleans by adding 200 additional guestrooms and making it the top spot to hear live jazz music during the roaring twenties.

Antonio’s son Frank took over ownership of the hotel after his father’s death in 1913 and successfully managed the family business throughout the Great Depression, making Hotel Monteleone one of the few businesses in New Orleans to survive the era.

Following the events of World War II, the hotel had several more expansions, including the addition of the Carousel Bar & Lounge in 1949 and more guest rooms in 1964. The Monteleone became the preferred place for authors and playwrights to stay, including the likes of William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway.

The hotel was added to the Historic Hotels of America in 2007 and has earned the prestigious Four-Diamond award for hotels several times.

Hauntings at Hotel Monteleone

With its rich history of surviving the Great Depression and World War II eras, the Hotel Monteleone has several tales of ghosts and spirits that locals and staff members know all about. One of the most popular tales from the hotel is about a young boy named Maurice Begere.

Maurice was a little boy, around the age of 2 or 3, who stayed at the Hotel Monteleone with his parents in the 1890s. His parents, Jacques and Josephine Begere, loved going to the theater and would visit the French Opera House on Bourbon Street often. The Begeres hired a nanny to watch Maurice whenever they would go out to the opera house.

One night, the Begeres decided to book a room at the Hotel Monteleone, which is close to the theater. After they left for the show, Maurice developed a serious fever. The nanny tried to help, but it was no use, and the young boy died a short time later. When Jacques and Josephine returned to the hotel, they were devastated to discover that their only child had passed away.

Unable to deal with the grief of losing their son, the Begeres would return to the hotel every year, hoping that Maurice’s spirit was still there. And according to the legend, they were right.

One night, while on the 14th floor, Maurice appeared to his mother, saying, “Mommy, don’t cry. I’m fine.” The encounter with her son’s ghost left Josephine in tears, but she was happy to learn that her son was at peace.

Since then, several guests at the hotel have reported seeing the apparition of little Maurice. Some have seen him running around on the 14th floor. One guest in particular gave a chilling account of seeing him walking around the foot of her bed early in the morning. 

She sat up in bed, thinking it was her husband, but then noticed he had already left the room. As the woman realized she was alone in her room, she determined that whatever she saw must have been the spirit of Maurice.

Maison De Ville

The Hotel Maison De Ville, located in the French Quarter, and the buildings nearby are some of the oldest still standing in New Orleans. They survived several fires and hurricanes, making them a symbol of New Orleans’ strength and resilience.

The current hotel’s main building was built by Jean Baptiste Lilie Sarpy in the early 1800s. The buildings adjacent to the hotel were once slave quarters built around 1750. These smaller buildings were later used as garconnieres, or what we’d refer to as a bachelor pad these days. 

It’s been said that Creole dignitaries would use the homes to provide a place for their unmarried sons to carry out a variety of unspoken deeds. These days, the buildings are used as private suites as an extension of the hotel.

Several famous people have stayed at the Hotel Maison De Ville, including playwright Tennessee Williams. He used room nine as his temporary residence until he purchased his home at 1014 Dumaine Street. It was at the Maison De Ville that he wrote his most successful play, A Streetcar Named Desire.

Hauntings at Maison De Ville

There have been several hauntings reported at the hotel. One of the former bachelor pads, Cottage 4, is believed to have the most ghost activity. Inside, you can find the spirit of a young soldier dressed in a military uniform from the 1940s. 

It is said that the soldier will sit inside and listen to the radio, and he loves to listen to the country music stations. If someone happens to change the station to another genre, the spirit will become upset and immediately change the radio back to the station he prefers.

But the ghost soldier doesn’t stay in the cottage all the time. Some guests have reported seeing him in other rooms of the hotel. It seems as if he doesn’t mind making his presence known to the living, as he will often move items around, knock on the walls, and tug on bedsheets while guests are sleeping at night.

There are other areas of the hotel where people have experienced haunting activity. Guests have reported cold spots where the temperature will suddenly drop. They’ve also heard disembodied voices throughout the building when it appears that no one else is around.

 

The Pontchartrain Hotel

The impressive 14-story Pontchartrain Hotel stands in the upscale part of town known as the Garden District. This hotel opened in March of 1927 and was named after Louis Phélypeaux, comte de Pontchartrain, also known as Count de Pontchartrain. 

Originally, it operated as a residential hotel for residents who lived there long-term. Eventually, the owner, Lysle Aschaffenburg, changed how the hotel operated and catered to guests who only stayed overnight or a few days at a time.

Some of the most famous people to stay at the Pontchartrain include Zsa Zsa Gabor, Tom Cruise, Frank Sinatra, Ronald Reagan, and Walt Disney.

The luxury hotel remained in the Aschaffenburg family for decades until it was sold in 1987. It endured some damage during Hurricane Katrina but later reopened after being restored to its former beauty. The hotel also went back to offering long-term residential options, this time to senior citizens. These accommodations were limited to specific floors while the rest of the hotel operated the same as usual.

Hauntings at the Pontchartrain

With such an illustrious history, it is no surprise that the Pontchartrain Hotel is considered to be haunted. Some of the staff members claim there are as many as twenty ghosts who occupy the hotel.

In 1929, during the early days of the hotel, a fire started on the ninth floor, killing a couple who were staying there. It is said that the husband and wife roam the ninth floor and will sometimes interact with guests by switching the lights on and off. They have also been known to activate the elevator and play around with the ice machine while guests are using it.

There is also the legend of the locally famous piano player, Tuts Washington’s ghost, who is said to haunt the hotel. It’s been said he will play haunting songs on the piano downstairs. There have also been sightings of an older man and woman wandering around the halls of the upper floors of the building, perhaps searching for their room.

Other Haunting Things to Do in the Big Easy

With so many haunted locations throughout New Orleans, it can be difficult to see them all while visiting the area. There are dozens of haunted hotels, restaurants, cemeteries, and historic homes that are known to be haunted by dark entities.

One of the best ways to visit as many haunted locations as possible and learn about the history and legends associated with each place is to take a guided ghost tour.

New Orleans ghost tours will take you on a journey throughout the French Quarter as you learn more about the stranger-than-fiction true stories and ghost tales behind locations such as The French Opera House, the LaLaurie Mansion, the Beauregard-Keyes House, and so much more.

Whether you are just curious enough to visit a haunted location or two or want to immerse yourself in the full experience and book a stay at one of these spooky hotels, be sure to keep your eyes open for unexplained apparitions or strange visitors roaming the halls. You just might come in contact with some of the guests who checked in but never left.