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Destination Spotlight: Haunted New Orleans

October 22, 2017| By:Rachael Weir, Five Star Alliance

Destination Spotlight: Haunted New Orleans

Founded by the French in 1718, the city was named in honor of Philip, Duke of Orleans. After being passed back and forth between the French and the Spanish, New Orleans became part of the U.S. in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Since then, the southernmost city on the Mississippi River with a strong Creole culture, has been a battleground with a storied past, including the slave trade, American and French Revolution, War of 1812, and being captured by the Union during the Civil War. The city's various hardships have led to legendary stories of haunted buildings and alleyways, sightings of ghosts, and supernatural appearances. Offering a variety of ghost tours, as well as graveyards that are tourists destinations in their own right, we've gathered a list of five of the top haunted luxury hotels in New Orleans, where you may be able to experience a haunted happening of your own. 

1. Hotel Monteleone

Hotel Monteleone New Orleans

Recognized as as one of the city's premier haunted hotels, Hotel Monteleone has a locked restaurant door that opens on its own every now and then. Along with an elevator that stops on the wrong floor, revealing a couple down the hallway and ghostly children playing. The International Society of Paranormal Research spent several days at the hotel in 2003, making contact with more than a dozen entities, including a former employee and a young boy that both died in the hotel.

Check rates at Hotel Monteleone

2. Audubon Cottages

Audubon Cottages, New Orleans

Built shortly after the two great fires that destroyed New Orleans in the late 18th century, the Audubon Cottages are named in honor of naturalist and painter John James Audubon, who lived in Cottage One from 1821-1822 while he completed his Birds of America series. Consisting of seven private cottages in the heart of the French Quarter, the secluded retreat includes haunted histories for Cottages Two and Four. Legend has it, there's a country music-loving Confederate Soldier that ensures the radio is always playing is favorite music in Cottage Four (he's also been seen in the courtyard), plus the feeling of being touched and disembodied voices are common happenings. 

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3. Le Pavillon Hotel

Le Pavillon Hotel, New Orleans

Located in the French Quarter, Le Pavillon Hotel opened in 1907 as the New Denechaud Hotel, later renamed the DeSoto Hotel, and was transformed into the luxury Le Pavillon Hotel in the 1970s. Recognized as a haunted hotel, common stories include showers turning on in the middle of the night, travel items found in random locations, and sheets being pulled off the bed. There's several ghosts from the 1960s, including a couple, young woman, and a young man with varying stories of what happened to them at the hotel, and other guests have been awakened by supernatural light at the foot of the bed. 

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4. Bourbon Orleans Hotel

Bourbon Orleans Hotel

Next to two famous landmarks, the St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square, the Bourbon Orleans Hotel originally opened as ballroom in 1927. Acquired by the Sisters of the Holy Family in the late 1800s, the building was used as an orphanage, medical ward, school, and convent. The Yellow Fever struck during that time, and many children died during the epidemic. Today, stories of ghostly children and nuns have been reported throughout the hotel, as well as ghost dancers in the Orleans Ballroom. 

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5. Omni Royal Orleans

Omni Royal Orleans

Originally rebuilt in the 1840s, following a fire that destroyed the Saint Louis Exchange Hotel in 1841, the Omni Royal Orleans was transformed in the 1960s into a luxury French Quarter property. Featuring architectural elements like the stone arches and wrought-iron railings that graced the original Saint Louis Hotel, the property is recognized as one of the Historic Hotels of America by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Over the years the property has welcomed movie stars, famous athletes, and entertainers from around the world, and according to stories and paranormal investigators, the hotel is also frequented by ghosts including an 18th century maid who sometimes tucks guests into bed, while other ghosts have played pranks on visitors by moving historic artifacts. 

Check rates at Omni Royal Orleans

Explore all New Orleans Luxury Hotels

Posted in: New Orleans, LA

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