Address: 214 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
Website: Hotel Monteleone
Phone: (504) 523-3341
Book: Book your stay at the hotel here
Hotel Monteleone is one of New Orleans’ most famous haunted hotels
In a city full of ghost stories, Hotel Monteleone stands near the top of almost every haunted New Orleans list. The Louisiana hotel has been welcoming guests in the French Quarter since 1886, and its mix of old-world elegance, literary prestige, and long-running paranormal lore has made it one of the most talked-about places to stay in the city. The official hotel history even leans into that reputation, calling it one of the premier haunted places in New Orleans.
What makes Hotel Monteleone so interesting is that it is not just a spooky stop for ghost tours. It is also a major historic property with deep roots in the city. The hotel says it has been shaped by five generations of the Monteleone family, making it one of the last great family-owned and operated hotels in New Orleans.
The history of Hotel Monteleone
Hotel Monteleone began when Antonio Monteleone, a Sicilian immigrant who had already found success in New Orleans as a cobbler, bought a 64-room hotel at Royal and Iberville in 1886. At the time it was known as the Commercial Hotel. The property was expanded over the years, and in 1908 the name was changed to Hotel Monteleone. The hotel still stands in the heart of the French Quarter at 214 Royal Street.
The hotel is also known for its architecture and cultural significance. The official site describes it as a Beaux-Arts landmark, while Historic Hotels of America highlights its ornate facade and long-standing place in the city’s hospitality history.
Hotel Monteleone also carved out a huge place in American literary history. The American Library Association notes that the hotel opened in 1886 and that the Carousel Bar & Lounge, built in 1949, became associated with a long list of literary guests and works. Historic Hotels of America says the hotel is one of only three hotels in the country to hold National Literary Landmark status, and names Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner, and Truman Capote among its famous visitors.
Why people think Hotel Monteleone is haunted
The haunting reputation of Hotel Monteleone is not a recent invention. The hotel’s own history page says generations of guests and staff have reported strange activity there, including doors opening on their own, elevators going to the wrong floor, shadows of children playing, and unexplained figures seen at the ends of hallways.
Book your stay at Hotel Monteleone
That matters because many haunted hotel stories depend entirely on outside legend. In this case, the property itself openly acknowledges the reports and has helped preserve the stories for years. That does not prove paranormal activity, of course, but it does show how central the hauntings are to the hotel’s identity.
Maurice Begere and the haunted 14th floor
The best-known ghost story at Hotel Monteleone is the tale of Maurice Begere. According to Historic Hotels of America, Maurice was a young boy who stayed at the hotel with his family in the 1890s. While his parents went out to the French Opera House, Maurice became ill under the care of his nurse and died that same night. The story says his grieving parents returned year after year hoping to see him again.
The legend goes on to say that Maurice eventually appeared to his mother on the 14th floor and told her not to cry because he was fine. Historic Hotels of America also says many later guests reported seeing him on that same floor. One account on the site describes a woman spotting a small boy at the foot of her bed early in the morning, only to realize she was alone in the room.
The hotel’s own website backs up the broad outline of that story. It says the International Society of Paranormal Research spent several days at the hotel in March 2003 and claimed contact with more than a dozen entities, including Maurice Begere. The site adds that guests still report seeing him near the room where he died.
Other reported ghost encounters at Hotel Monteleone
Maurice is the star of the hotel’s haunted lore, but he is far from the only reported spirit. The official history page mentions several recurring themes in guest and staff stories:
- doors that open by themselves
- elevators that stop on the wrong floor
- shadows of children at play
- mysterious couples appearing in hallways
- former employees said to remain on the property
These reports fit the larger pattern you see in old New Orleans hotels, where hauntings are often tied to the building itself rather than a single sensational event. Hotel Monteleone has been expanded, renovated, and occupied continuously for generations, so the stories have had plenty of time to grow and circulate.
The Carousel Bar adds to the atmosphere
Even without the ghost stories, Hotel Monteleone would still be one of the city’s most memorable historic hotels. The Carousel Bar opened in 1949 and remains New Orleans’ first and only rotating bar, with hand-painted carousel seats completing a slow revolution every 15 minutes. It is one of the hotel’s signature features and probably one reason so many people describe the place as feeling frozen in time.
That atmosphere matters in a haunted setting. The Monteleone is not a crumbling ruin or abandoned building. It is a polished, active, upscale hotel where the old and the modern sit side by side. For paranormal fans, that contrast tends to make reported encounters feel even stranger. A child in a hallway or an elevator that seems to have a mind of its own feels more unsettling when it happens in a luxury hotel that looks very much alive. This is an interpretation based on the hotel’s documented setting and reported experiences.
Is Hotel Monteleone really haunted?
Factually, what can be said is this: Hotel Monteleone is a real historic hotel in the French Quarter with a well-documented past, recognized literary importance, and a long public record of ghost stories repeated by the hotel itself, Historic Hotels of America, and New Orleans tourism coverage. Whether those stories are paranormal truth, folklore, or a little of both is up to the visitor.
For Beyond Haunted readers, that is exactly what makes the property worth covering. It is not just “haunted” because somebody on the internet said so. It has a long historical foundation, named apparitions, repeat location-specific reports, and a reputation strong enough that the hotel has embraced it as part of its own story.
Final thoughts
Hotel Monteleone is one of those rare places that works on every level. It is a legitimate historic landmark, a literary destination, a classic French Quarter hotel, and one of the best-known allegedly haunted stays in New Orleans. If you want a haunted hotel with real history behind it, this is one of the strongest examples in the country.
Never trespass on property that is not yours without permission, and remember that ghost hunting can be dangerous, so always use caution.
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