New Orleans is considered one of America's most haunted cities. And with its history of mysticism and voodoo along with many tragic events and aboveground cemeteries, it's easy to understand why this may be so. If you're a ghost enthusiast visiting this historic city, you may be able to encounter a spirit right where you sleep, as NOLA also has its share if haunted hotels. So, when you're ready to set up your travel itinerary, consider staying at one of these haunted hotels in New Orleans.
Hotel Maison de Ville
Located on Toulouse Street in the French Quarter, the Hotel Maison de Ville is one of New Orleans' top-rated hotels. It features luxury accommodations, one of the finest restaurants in the city and many other amenities that make it a top choice to stay in New Orleans. However, the hotel also has a few otherworldly guests. In fact, it's such a well-known haunt that the hotel is a stop on Ghost City Tours. Cottage number four is haunted by the ghost of soldier, and it's said that if you have the radio on inside the cottage, he'll change the station to a country music one every time. He's been seen to materialize a number of times during séances. Paranormal investigators have even picked up his voice through EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon). Hotel guests have also reported hearing knocking sounds and disembodied voices, seeing unexplainable wet footprints, and various apparitions dressed in vintage clothing walking the hallways.
The Andrew Jackson Hotel
Also located in the French Quarter, the Andrew Jackson Hotel offers guests a relaxed atmosphere and spacious comfortable rooms. If you believe the rumors, it's also haunted by the ghost of Andrew Jackson and several school children. The hotel was built on the site of an old boarding school that burned to the ground, killing five children in the process. There have been several reports from guests who claim to have heard the sounds of children playing in the hotel courtyard during the middle of the night when nobody was around.
Le Pavillion Hotel
Located in the downtown section of the city and often referred to as The Belle of New Orleans, Le Pavillion Hotel is well known as another one of the most haunted hotels in New Orleans. In fact, several paranormal investigative teams have identified at least four spirits that roam the grounds, while some investigators claim the hotel is home to well over 100 ghosts. From strange noises in the night and shadowy apparitions to items being moved around the room and sheets being pulled off of you while you sleep, this hotel has it all. In fact, it's said that the entire cleaning staff refuses to go onto one of the hotel's floors because they're too spooked by the constant paranormal activity that takes place there.
Hotel Monteleone
The Hotel Monteleone offers its guests, including some high-profile movie stars and dignitaries, European-styled comfort and luxury. To paranormal investigators, this hotel is home to more than a dozen ghosts. There have been reports of a naked male ghost who wears only his Mardi Gras mask and visits certain rooms before he turns and disappears. There are also several accounts of apparitions walking the hallways. A ghost of a young child, reportedly grabs your hand, looks into your eyes and then fades away. There's also the restless spirit of a jazz singer heard wailing away in the middle of the night.
Dauphine Orleans Hotel
The Dauphine Orleans Hotel is an 18th Century townhouse-turned-hotel that sits in the heart of the French Quarter. A one-time bordello, the hotel's bar features the spirits of several well-dressed ladies of the evening and their Civil War soldier companions. The hotel's beds are said to bounce in the early morning hours and late afternoon. Many guests report the feeling of being watched, having their room doors locked from the inside as well as hearing mysterious sounds throughout the night.
Lafitte Guest House
The Lafitte Guest House can be found on New Orleans's famous Bourbon Street and offers 14 guest rooms that feature top-luxury accommodations. Legend has it that a mother and her two children died in room 21 and continue to haunt it to this day. One child died from yellow fever. The other child hanged herself and the mother died a few years later of a broken heart. Visitors to room 21 feel an intense sense of despair. It's said that weeping can often be heard at night, and the ghost of the young girl who died of yellow fever reportedly shows herself in the mirror right outside of the room.
Bourbon Orleans Hotel
Once the location of a theater, the Bourbon Orleans Hotel is located on Orleans Street. Along with being a theater and a ballroom, the hotel was once the site of a convent. Ghosts sightings include Confederate soldiers, nuns, children, and a ghost dancer who spins a lonely dance under a crystal chandelier.
Le Richelieu Hotel
This French Quarter hotel on Charter Street sits on the property of a former lodging hospital, school, and housing for soldiers. Reports include sightings of Spanish soldiers who died on the property, particularly near the swimming pool.
Omni Royal Orleans Hotel
The Omni Royal Orleans Hotel sits at the intersection of St. Louis and Royal Streets in the French Quarter. The current hotel building was built in the 1960s, but other hotels sat on the site including one flattened by a hurricane in 1915. It may be that hurricane that is the source of the haunting there; reportedly a maid who died in the storm. It's said that with true southern hospitality, the maid tucks current guests into their beds at night.
Hotel Provincial
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Hotel Provincial is a charming building furnished with antiques. Guests and staff experience many ghosts in the hotel, including seeing apparitions of soldiers wounded in battle and the surgeons who worked to save them. It is said pools of blood also appear and disappear, particularly on the hotel's beds in building #5.
Stay in Haunted Hotel in New Orleans
Many people choose to stay in these reportedly haunted hotels in New Orleans because of the supposed ghostly and paranormal activity that occurs in them. Whether or not you have such an encounter, you're sure to enjoy a bit of history and the mystique of this fascinating city.
