The 11 Most Haunted Hotels in New Orleans

New Orleans is one of the most haunted cities in America. Ghost hunters, dark history fans and people who love great jazz flock to the Big Easy every year. Is it to spend time enjoying Mardi Gras? Or to visit the Jazz festival? Or is it because they want to spend time with ghosts in New Orleans?

While there are so many haunted places to visit in New Orleans – hotels are a great place to spend an extended period of time trying to reach out to the supernatural. So why not spend your trip at one of the most haunted hotels in New Orleans? You may meet one of the many spirits that linger in the dark as they watch you sleep.

Haunted Hotels in New Orleans - Andrew Jackson Statue in front of St Louis Cathedral in New ORleans

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11 Haunted Hotels in New Orleans

Bourbon Orleans Hotel

The Bourbon Orleans Hotel is one of the most haunted hotels in New Orleans. Before becoming the beautiful hotel, it is now, the building had many lives, including being home to the New Orleans Ballroom and Theater and a convent.

Ghosts are spotted in almost every spot in the haunted hotel in New Orleans. One such spirit can usually be identified by smell rather than visually. For example, an older man reads a newspaper in the lobby while smoking a cigar. If you smell smoke, take a look around and see if you can find him!

During the yellow fever epidemic, the building was a convent and many of the people who perished still roam the halls and rooms of the historic Bourbon Orleans Hotel. Ghosts that have been spotted linger around the hotel, including children and nuns who didn’t survive yellow fever. The children’s spirits are known for turning TVs on and off, so have your remote control in your hand, ready to fight back and keep watching your favourite movie.

Another ghost that is often seen wandering the ballroom of the historic Bourbon Orleans Hotel is a lone dancer. She is seen floating gently underneath the crystal chandelier before disappearing into thin air.

If you stay on the third or sixth floor, you may come in contact with the ghost of a Confederate Soldier. He is often seen lurking in the shadows between the third and sixth floors of the hotel.

Which room is the most haunted?

If you are spending the night in the most haunted room, I recommend staying in Room 644. The ghost of a woman is often seen walking around all night. Another very haunted floor is the 4^th floor, where ghosts walk up and down the halls waiting to pass you in the night.

I spoke to a former employee of the Bourbon Orleans Hotel on the podcast Everything is Spooky in the Dark. Travis had several ghostly experiences while working at the hotel, including seeing ghosts walk by him and sending in a photo of a ghostly image they captured on the security cameras. Check out the podcast with Travis on youtube – The Haunted Bourbon Orleans Hotel in New Orleans.

Spend the night: Bourbon Orleans Hotel

Hotel Monteleone

Do you know someone who doesn’t believe in ghosts? Change that by spending a night at Hotel Monteleone. While the hotel is famous for its stunning Carousel Bar & Lounge, it is also renowned for its dead patrons.

Hotel Monteleone is the most haunted hotel in New Orleans and was investigated by the International Society of Paranormal Research. The paranormal team reached out to several resident ghosts, including one spirit who used to work at the hotel. Wouldn’t it be cool to interact with a ghost who could direct you to the front desk?

Other ghosts include a young boy who died in the hotel and the ghosts of his parents who are trying to get to him before he dies. Rumour says that after the young boy, who died of yellow fever, perished, his parents would return once a year to connect with the spirit of the child they lost.

Other ghostly incidences occur, such as the opening and closing door in the restaurant. The culprits are two former employees, the ghost of a chef and a waiter who will forever haunt the hotels’ restaurant doors.

The creepiest ghostly activity at Hotel Monteleone is with the elevator. Be wary of it stopping on the wrong floor because it will lead you down a hallway that drops in temperature as you head towards a group of young ghost children playing. Spooky!

If you want to spend the nights on the most haunted floors, book a room on the 14^th floor! It is where most of the paranormal activity takes place.

Spend the night: Hotel Monteleone

Le Pavillon New Orleans

Le Pavillion New Orleans is one of the most haunted hotels in New Orleans. Upon arriving at the hotel, be sure to ask the front desk staff for a pamphlet that talks about all of their resident ghosts.

According to paranormal investigators, Le Pavillion Hotel sits on land that has a portal to the spiritual realm. Over 100 ghosts have been spotted at the very haunted hotel in New Orleans.

The downtown hotel, known for its luxurious rooms, was once the home of the National Theatre. Theatres are always hot spots for ghostly activity, but the National Theatre burned down makes the spirits more active. Some say that the paranormal activity comes from the old actors and patrons who once frequented the theatre.

After the theatre burned down, the site was known to attract less favourable patrons who enjoyed watching spicy and risqué shows that took place where the hotel now sits. So, with this massive mix of ghosts located at Le Pavillion Hotel, who do you think you will come across when you spend the night?

Some of the most active entities include a couple from the 1920s, so you know they will be stylish. The woman is seen wearing a 1920s flowing dress and gorgeous jewelry when they are spotted making their way to the elevator on the 2^nd floor.

More Ghosts?

Another ghost that guests often come into contact with is the ghost of a teen girl. She frequents the 9^th floor in room 930, either standing in the corner of the room or on the corner of the bed. Unfortunately, she died by getting hit by a carriage on her way out of New Orleans.

And finally, there is a male ghost who loves to prank guests and staff members. He loves to pull sheets off of beds and is known for tickling guests as they sleep, weird right? Creepy, but I would still stay in the rooms he hangs out in, which are rooms 301 and 302! Be sure to book those rooms if you are okay with waking up without a sheet.

Spend the night: Le Pavillon New Orleans

Dauphine Orleans Hotel

Are you looking for one of the most haunted places to stay in New Orleans? The Dauphine Orleans Hotel is one of the most famous haunted hotels in New Orleans.

Spiritual residents like civil war soldiers to the ladies who serviced customers at the former bordello known as May Baily’s Place. One of the ghosts that people often see is the phantom bride known as Millie Baily, May Baily’s sister.

Millie’s long-lost love story is sad as her soon-to-be husband was shot the day of their wedding. However, her spirit is seen wandering around the hotel wearing a wedding dress, looking for her soon to be husband.

Many ghosts are spotted in the courtyard, but many guests have reported hearing footsteps coming from other rooms, which have been empty all night. I highly recommend checking out the video that Ryan and Shane from Buzzfeed Unsolved did during their stay at the Dauphine Orleans Hotel. They heard many noises, including mysterious footsteps coming from the empty room above their room.

Spend the night: Dauphine Orleans Hotel

Lafitte Hotel & Bar

The entire Lafitte Hotel & Bar is haunted, but one room seems to be the epicentre for most ghostly activity. Room 21 is the most haunted, and I highly recommend booking this room if you want to experience some supernatural activity possibly.

You may think that the most infamous ghost would be that of Pirate Pierre Lafitte (or his brother Jean Lafitte), but the entity that haunts room 21 is a young girl named Marie. According to legend, Marie was one of the many victims of the Yellow Fever epidemic that tore through New Orleans in the 1800s.

The spirit often chats to children guests, but if you aren’t planning with children, she is also spotted in mirrors around the guest house (Creepy, right). Other guests hear a small girl crying and coughing in various parts of the guest house.

Marie isn’t the only entity that haunts the Lafitte Hotel, though. Guests and staff report hearing items moving around the hotel and even have heard the sound of a body being dragged across the floor.

Would you stay in room 21? Or is the idea of a child ghost a little too spooky?

Spend the night: Lafitte Hotel & Bar

Andrew Jackson Hotel

If you take one of the best ghost tours in New Orleans, you will pass by the Andrew Jackson Hotel.

Andrew Jackson Hotel is one of the most haunted hotels in New Orleans. Like many hotels in New Orleans, the building now home to the Andrew Jackson Hotel was affected by Yellow Fever. The building was a boarding school and orphanage for boys who lost their parents to Yellow Fever.

Unfortunately, a fire broke out and resulted in five boys perishing during the fire. So, now their spirits linger in the rooms and courtyard of the hotel. Of course, the boys love to get up to no good, but it is all harmless fun – unless you are scared of ghosts, that is!

The boys’ spirits are known for playing with the tv as they love to watch cartoons like Spongebob Squarepants. One of the creepiest ghostly activities at the hotel is that guests who leave their cameras out will find pictures of them as they sleep taken from above.

The hotel is haunted by its namesake Andrew Jackson. According to staff and guests, they think the ghost of the former American President roams the halls. I wonder if he likes the hotel named after him?

Want to spend the night in the most haunted room? Book room 208 as it is frequented by the ghost of a young child named Armond. Guests have reported hearing a child laughing and feeling their blankets tugged down as they sleep.

Spend the night: Andrew Jackson Hotel

Hotel Provincial

What is a haunted hotel without the ghosts of the wounded soldiers? The haunted hotel in New Orleans was once used as a military hospital during the Civil War, and many of the confederate soldiers’ spirits remain on the land. Staff have reported bloodstains to appear on clean bedding only to disappear without a trace.

Guests say that they often hear the wails of wounded soldiers ringing in the air at all times of the night. One of the most haunted areas of the hotel is Building 500, where people suspect most of the soldiers stayed while trying to heal from the war.

Would you take an EVP recorder with you and see if you can speak to the soldiers who still linger on the grounds of Hotel Provincial? Then, let me know what they say back to you!

Spend the night: Hotel Provincial

Audubon Cottages

Do you want to spend the night in a romantic getaway with a side of spirits? I was talking about ghosts, but you can indeed drink the night away as well! Audubon Cottages is one of the best haunted places to stay in New Orleans. If you want a better chance at experiencing paranormal activity, be sure to book cottage two or cottage four.

The ghosts at Audubon Cottages are not super spooky, so it’s perfect for guests who want to reach out to ghosts and be sure a friendly one contacts you back. In addition, cottage Four is haunted by a ghost who loves country music, so be sure to load up your Spotify with the best country music playlists for a night of fun.

If you want a night filled with more spooky experiences, stay in Cottage Two. People who have stayed in this cottage often hear the sounds of disembodied voices and have felt the cold touches of ghosts passing them by in the night.

Spend the night: Audubon Cottages

Hotel Villa Convento

Want to spend the night at a former haunted brothel? Of course, you do! Spend a night at one of the many haunted hotels in New Orleans with a stay at Hotel Villa Convento.

Like many other locations in New Orleans, the building now Hotel Villa Convento was once a bustling hangout for adult activities. The ghosts that linger around the hotel include “the Madame,” a spirit who worked at the brothel and makes herself known to male guests.

Other supernatural activities involve knocking on doors which the hotel suspect is to signify that the patrons’ “time is up” from when the hotel was a brothel.

The most haunted rooms in the hotel are rooms 301, 302 and 209. All of these rooms experience random creepy paranormal activities, including hearing disembodied voices, knocking, belongings going missing, and feeling like someone is watching you. If you are lucky enough (or unlucky enough), you may see one of the many ghosts that continue to relive their lives at the hotel.

Spend the night: Hotel Villa Convento

Haunted Hotel New Orleans

Have you heard of the dark history of the Axeman in New Orleans? If not, he tormented the city of New Orleans in 1918 when he targeted Italian citizens and took their lives.

However, he loved Jazz music so much that he told the people that he would spare the lives of anyone who blasted jazz music from their homes.

While that is interesting, it would be terrifying not to hear anyone coming over the sounds of jazz. However, he kept his promise, and no one perished that night.

So, what ties does he have to the Haunted Hotel New Orleans? The elusive Axeman spent the night at what is now one of the most haunted hotels in New Orleans. During renovations, a bloody axe was found within the walls! Could it belong to the Axeman?

To be safe, I suggest playing some jazz music in your room during your stay.

Spend the night: Haunted Hotel New Orleans

Omni Royal Orleans

Do you want to be tucked into your bed by the ghost of a former maid? Of course, you know how tight they tuck those sheets and blankets in when they clean your hotel room, so you might be stuck for a while, haha!

The ghostly maid is also known to turn lights on and off, flush toilets and even run a bath! How luxurious does it get?

The maid isn’t the only ghost that resides at the Omni Royal Orleans. During the Civil War, the hotel was used as a medical center for wounded soldiers.

Unfortunately, as with most haunted hotels in New Orleans, a few soldiers decided to stick around and spook you in the night with their moans of pain.

Spend the night: Omni Royal Orleans

Do More Spooky Things in New Orleans

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