Thanks to my profession, I spend a great deal of time in our most famous haunted hotels. Over the years I have discovered then grown to know many of their unearthly inhabitants. While I do have a few of my favorites, each one is worth a nights stay. An icy hand may waken you from sleep or you may hear the giggle of invisible children echoing in the halls, at these locations, this phenomena, and more, is possible.
I am the psychic who originally identified several of the notorious spirits here. In the mid 1990s I was brought in with a team of investigators and discovered both the dancing girl and the soldier. It was one of the most interesting experiences that I have had as this hotel is particularly populated by spirits. The outer area by the pool and cabanas feels like central casting for dead people. Or maybe it was just rush hour…
Where to find it: https://www.dauphineorleans.com/
his building once housed the city’s slave market where lives were bought and sold and treated with great cruelty. Then in the 1830s, when the building became the Saint Louis Hotel, it boasted some of the grandest Mardi Gras Balls ever. Quite a switch – but that switch has kept the paranormal energy flowing. There are lots of physical manifestations as both lights and faucets turn themselves on and cold spots abound.
Where to find it: https://www.omnihotels.com/
Once the site of an orphanage, the sound of children often echo down the hallways. A frisky pirate is known to surprise folks in the stairwell and the televisions are fond of turning themselves off. Nuns are often seen, as the orphanage was run by nuns who were free women of color, quite rare in those days. Prior to the orphanage it was a grand theater and ball room. You can feel electrical charges near the stairwells if you are particularly intuitive or using paranormal detection equipment.
Where to find it: https://www.bourbonorleans.com/
I participated in the most credited paranormal investigation of the Monteleone Hotel. CLICK HERE to read more. As part of a team of psychics, we located a dozen spirits who continue to be actively haunting there today. Several can be found by the rooftop near the pool while others prefer their own rooms or floors. They roam quite freely and might just find you anywhere.
Where to find it: https://hotelmonteleone.com/
This land was once occupied by Jesuits and their presence can still be felt today. It had also been a great theater filled with gaiety until it burned down in the late 1800s. Again, I was involved in the most recognized paranormal investigation of this hotel and can validate the extremely high number of cold spots here. We located the spirits of children, a young teen girl, and a rather dashing gentleman who likes to play pranks.
Where to find it: https://www.lepavillon.com/
When I first did an investigation here I was fooled by the very sweet aura and sunny yellow exterior. It felt so peaceful and calm. But there are several spirits here. One in particular can be quite jarring as she stares at you while you sleep. The other walks the halls through both walls and doors. This building has held many occupants while being a hotel, then an apartment building, and finally a hotel again. Some of the guests just refuse to leave.
Where to find it: https://bienvillehouse.com/
This building was built in what was a real “rough and tumble” part of town. Down by the river where the liquor, women, and thieves abounded, this property and those surrounding them are ripe for a haunting. Chills are felt here, forms are seen and things go clanking in the night. It is definitely an edgy paranormal experience and one that wouldn’t be easily forgotten.
Where to find it: https://www.frenchmarketinn.com/
Sitting majestically on St. Charles Avenue, this 19th century hotel is so pleasing that neither former owners nor former guests want to leave. Perhaps most well known are the former owners, both now deceased, who just don’t know how to take a day off. There is also a woman in white because, in the south, there is just always a woman in white. Here you can have your ghosts al fresco while you enjoy cocktails on the famous columned porch.
Where to find it: https://thecolumns.com/
In the historic Bywater neighborhood that runs along the mighty Mississippi, the Inn once served as a actual lookout point. When I did an investigation here I heard a party where there was none and tapped into an old murder case that kept causing an upstairs bathtub to fill by itself. Many guests report hearing sounds and feeling cold spots.
Where to find it: https://lookoutneworleans.com/
Just a few short blocks outside the French Quarter, in the Marigny, sits a lovely haunted B&B owned by an actual paranormal investigator. Built in the 1800’s, the house has several permanent inhabitants and doors like to open and shut by themselves.
Where to find it: https://dauphinehouse.com/