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New Orleans is a city where the living mingle with the dead. From being built on an ancient Indian burial ground to New Orleans’s rich history, filled with fires, natural disasters, vampires, and voodoo culture, these restless spirits roam between our world and theirs, making New Orleans one of the most haunted cities in the United States.
Many of them do so at hotels in New Orleans where their earthly lives suddenly ended. There, eerie figures haunt the grounds, and paranormal entities interact with guests in the middle of the night.
Ready to visit or perhaps stay in one of these haunted locations, hoping for a paranormal experience? Let’s dive into the most haunted hotels: New Orleans edition.
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Ghost Tours – Make the Most of Spooky History
The Haunted Pub Crawl with Ghost City Tours was one of the most memorable experiences of our stays in New Orleans. We visited the first pirate bar in New Orleans (complete with absinthe drinks!), Madame LaLurie’s house, and the Omni New Orleans Royal Hotel, where a ghost named Zack jumped from the balcony after murdering his girlfriend, Addie.
Ghostly drinks and ghastly tales were on the menu for our haunted bar crawl!
Photo Credit: Samantha Davis
I’ll always remember the story of Zack and Addie and our tour guide Koby’s chilling voice as he told it to us. They had a romantic beginning but a much darker end.
After discovering Zack was cheating, Addie took steps to get her own apartment. Zack learned of this deception and strangled her the night of October 6, 2005 – but that isn’t the darkest part of this story.
Over the next weeks, Zack dismembered her body in the bathtub of their apartment. He put pieces of her on the stovetop and in the oven and cooked them, though the official autopsy reports there were no signs of cannabilism.
Eventually, one night, Zack was ready to confess to his crime. He visited the bar of the Omni Royal Hotel, got incredibly drunk, and then jumped from the rooftop. In his pockets was a letter to police detailing his crime, his military dog tags, and the keys to Addie’s apartment. On Zack’s body were 27 cigarette burns, according to Zack, “one for each year of his life that he was a failure.”
Koby took us to stand across from the Omni Royal Hotel. I took a picture of the roof where Zack had jumped. Much to my surprise, when looking at the motion photos that are my camera’s default, a moving white light seems to be jumping from the top of the building.
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Hotel Monteleone
Keep an eye out for Maurice, known to roam the 14th floor of the hotel. Maurice stayed in the care of a nanny while his parents visited the famed French Opera House, passing from a fever late that evening.
Maurice does not haunt Hotel Monteleone alone. Hotel guests have seen ghostly children playing in the halls and former employees still performing their duties in empty rooms.
Brightly lit corridors quickly become creepy as ghastly children come out to play.
Photo by runnyrem on Unsplash
For visitors who can’t work up the courage to stay in the guest rooms, stop by the unique Carousel Bar & Lounge – the only rotating bar in the Big Easy! You’ll find Hotel Monteleone on Royal Street in the heart of the French Quarter.
Dauphine Orleans Hotel
The most infamous (and haunted) area of Dauphine Orleans Hotel is May Baily’s. May Baily’s brothel opened in 1857. It was shockingly the only brothel in the city that qualified for a city license, legalizing everything that happened there and cementing May’s as a French Quarter staple.
May Baily’s operated during the Civil War and was a popular stop for Confederate soldiers, some of whom still haunt the halls! One Confederate soldier in particular is called the “Worrying General.” He can be seen pacing the courtyards, wringing his hands.
May’s younger sister Millie, who despised the business, wanders in her wedding dress. Her fiance was shot and killed the morning of their wedding, and Millie would later die of a broken heart.
The spirit of May Baily’s younger sister wanders the halls looking for her husband-to-be – still wearing her wedding dress! Photo by mokhalad musavi on Unsplash
The spirit of a little girl is said to dance above the surface of the hotel pool. Other paranormal activity in this historic hotel include glasses flying off the bar, lights switching on and off, and doors opening and closing without help – just what guests would expect from a hotel in the most haunted city!
Andrew Jackson Hotel
Steps away from Bourbon Street, the Andrew Jackson Hotel is considered one of the most haunted hotels in New Orleans. In the late 1700s, it was an orphanage and boarding school for young boys who had lost their parents during the Yellow Fever epidemic. Five of these boys lost their lives in the 1794 fires that burned much of New Orleans to the ground.
Before it was a hotel, the Andrew Jackson Hotel was an orphanage for boys whose parents died during the yellow fever epidemic. Some of their spirits still roam today! Photo by Steinar Engeland on Unsplash
Years later, the infamous courthouse where General Andrew Jackson was arrested would be erected. Countless ghosts roam the hotel, with guests seeing the caretaker of the orphanage fluffing pillows, Andrew Jackson, and the spirit of young “Armand,” known for waking guests by pushing them out of bed.
[ctt template=”8″ link=”eQ1Xl” via=”no” ]Ready to feel the hair stand up on the back of your neck? Stop by for a visit or stay at these haunted hotels New Orleans – if you dare![/ctt]
Hotel Provincial
Hotel Provincial was once a military hospital granted for use during the War of the States by King Louis XV. Many wounded soldiers died (and still roam) the halls of this hotel. Staff members are constantly washing bloodstains from bedsheets, seeming to appear from nowhere. Guests hear soldiers crying out in pain and see a young girl tending to soldiers.
The ghosts of Confederate soldiers can still be heard wailing through the halls. Photo by British Library on Unsplash
The architecture of this historic hotel is also said to hold spirits from the colonial era, making it one of the most haunted places in the city. Visitors can glimpse into the past as they see spiritual visitors. Overnight guests report lights operating themselves, beds rocking them out of sleep, and other paranormal experiences.
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Le Pavillon Hotel
Believed to be home to over 100 ghosts, Le Pavillon Hotel has been investigated by the ghost hunters of the International Society of Paranormal Research. Upon stepping into the lobby, guests are likely to bump into Ava. Killed by a runaway carriage, she spends her time pacing the lobby and is known for bumping into guests, apologizing, and then vanishing into thin air. She also resides in room 930, the most haunted room, where she can be seen hiding in bed.
Le Pavillon Hotel is full of spirits reaching out from beyond.
Photo by Steinar Engeland on Unsplash
A couple who died on the property, who are very much still in love, can be seen wandering the grounds while holding hands. The man smokes a cigar, and the woman wears a light blue dress. Prior to the hotel being erected, Podryas Street, where the hotel sits, was known for violent crime that contributed to the many poltergeists haunting the area.
When You Go
Traveling to New Orleans from Los Angeles
Families from Los Angeles can fly directly into the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Flights are relatively affordable, depending on the time of year. Fly via Spirit, Delta, United, or Southwest, with nonstop flights taking less than four hours!
WayAway is a flight search engine that looks for the best deals for destinations you’re visiting with the possibility of earning cash back on your purchases. Have you tried them yet? If not, give them a spin and see how much money you’ll save on flights.
This is an excellent discount site for rental cars! We’ve literally saved hundreds using it.
To get discounts on tours in the area, we recommend Get Your Guide or Viator (which offers 51% off last-minute tours!).
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