New Orleans, Louisiana · Haunted hotel guide
Hotel Monteleone: Haunted History, Ghost Stories & Where to Stay
In the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter, just one block from Bourbon Street, stands a grand hotel where literary history, old New Orleans glamour and ghost stories have been sharing the same hallways for generations.
The Hotel Monteleone has occupied its corner of Royal Street since 1886. It remains family-owned five generations later and has hosted everyone from Tennessee Williams and William Faulkner to Truman Capote. It also has another distinction. Hotel Monteleone openly acknowledges its reputation as one of New Orleans’ famously haunted places. Guests have reported elevators behaving strangely, doors opening without explanation, shadowy figures and the apparition of a small child wandering the hotel. His name is said to be Maurice Begere. And unlike many legendary haunted buildings in New Orleans, you don’t have to stand outside and look through the gates.
You can actually stay here.
Reported hauntings are folklore and guest accounts; a reservation does not guarantee a paranormal experience. Booking links open the named provider’s website. Read our affiliate disclosure.
Plan a stay at Hotel Monteleone
Compare dates and room types on the official website. If a particular room or floor matters to your trip, confirm it directly, along with access arrangements and the full price, before booking.
Hotel Monteleone at a glance
- Location
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- The setting
- Historic French Quarter hotel — established 1886
- Reported lore
- The ghost of Maurice Begere, unexplained elevator stops, mysterious doors and reported apparitions
- Famous for
- The rotating Carousel Bar, literary history and its Royal Street location in the French Quarter
- Best fit
- Haunted getaways, New Orleans trips, literary lovers and paranormal travellers
The Real History of Hotel Monteleone
The story begins with Antonio Monteleone, a Sicilian immigrant who arrived in New Orleans in 1880. Antonio established himself as a successful cobbler and shoe manufacturer on Royal Street before turning his attention to real estate. In 1886, he purchased the Hotel Victor at Royal and Iberville Streets. The property expanded considerably over the following decades. By 1896 it had become the Commercial Hotel, and another enormous renovation beginning in 1908 added a Beaux-Arts façade, hundreds of rooms and luxuries that were impressive for the era. In 1909, it officially became the Hotel Monteleone.
Antonio died in 1913, but his family continued developing the hotel. Remarkably, they still do. Nearly 140 years after Antonio bought that first hotel, the Monteleone remains a family-owned New Orleans landmark.
A Hotel Built for Storytellers
The Monteleone isn’t famous only because of its age. Few hotels have a literary history quite like this one. William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, Ernest Hemingway, Eudora Welty and Truman Capote are among the writers associated with the property. The connection became so significant that the hotel was designated a National Literary Landmark in 1999. Today, the hotel even has Literary Author Suites honoring some of the writers connected with its history. It’s an unusually appropriate legacy for a place filled with stories. Especially when some of those stories involve people who may never have left.
The Carousel Bar
Before we get to the ghosts, there’s one part of Hotel Monteleone you absolutely need to see. The Carousel Bar & Lounge opened in 1949. And yes—the bar actually rotates. The elaborate carousel-shaped bar slowly carries its seats around a stationary center, completing approximately one revolution every 15 minutes. The hotel says the mechanism still uses a single motor to move the barstools around the central bar. Over the years, it became one of New Orleans’ iconic drinking spots. Truman Capote was a regular, and literary figures including Hemingway and Faulkner have been associated with the bar.
It’s worth visiting even if you have absolutely no interest in ghosts. But we’re Go Ghostly. So naturally, we’re heading upstairs.
The Ghost of Maurice Begere
The hotel’s best-known ghost story concerns a young boy named Maurice Begere. According to the story preserved by Hotel Monteleone and Historic Hotels of America, Maurice stayed at the hotel with his parents, Jacques and Josephine Begere, during the late nineteenth century. His parents enjoyed attending performances at the nearby French Opera House. One evening, Maurice was left at the hotel with a nurse while his parents went out. The child developed a fever. Before his parents returned… Maurice died. The loss devastated the Begeres.
According to the legend, they repeatedly returned to Hotel Monteleone hoping somehow to reconnect with their son. Then something extraordinary supposedly happened.
“Mommy, Don’t Cry”
The story says Josephine eventually encountered Maurice again inside the hotel. But he wasn’t alive. According to the legend, the apparition of the little boy appeared to his grieving mother and reassured her that he was all right. Whether that encounter actually occurred is impossible to establish. But Maurice became the most famous spirit associated with Hotel Monteleone. And the stories didn’t end with his mother. Guests have since reported seeing what appears to be a young boy inside the hotel, particularly around the 14th floor.
One account preserved by Historic Hotels of America describes a guest awakening and seeing a child pass the foot of her bed. She initially assumed someone else was in the room before realizing she was alone. Hotel Monteleone itself continues to include Maurice in its haunted history.
The Haunted 14th Floor
Maurice isn’t the only reason the 14th floor has developed a paranormal reputation. Guests have reported strange activity involving the hotel’s elevators and hallways. Hotel Monteleone describes stories of doors opening on their own, elevators insisting on the wrong floor and playful shadows of children appearing within the property. Elevator stories are especially effective in old hotels. You press your floor. The doors close. The elevator begins moving. Then it stops somewhere you didn’t select. The doors open. Nobody is there. Maybe it’s an electrical glitch. Maybe another guest pressed the button and walked away.
Or maybe you’re staying at Hotel Monteleone and suddenly remembering every ghost story you read before checking in.
When the Elevator Stops on the 14th Floor
There’s something particularly effective about an elevator ghost story. Inside an elevator, you give up control. You press a button and trust the machine to take you where you’re going. That’s why stories about Hotel Monteleone’s elevators stopping unexpectedly have become such a memorable part of its paranormal reputation. Imagine returning to your room late at night. You step inside the elevator. Press your floor. The doors close. Then the elevator stops somewhere you didn’t select. The doors slide open. An empty hallway waits outside. During the day, you’d probably assume someone pressed the call button and walked away.
At midnight, after hearing about Maurice and the strange activity associated with the upper floors, you might be slightly less eager to step out and investigate. There are plenty of ordinary explanations for elevators behaving unexpectedly. But that’s the problem with staying in a famously haunted hotel. Once you know the stories, even ordinary things become suspicious.
The Paranormal Investigation
Hotel Monteleone’s ghost reputation became serious enough that paranormal investigators eventually examined the property. According to the hotel, the International Society of Paranormal Research spent several days investigating in March 2003. The hotel says the investigators reported making contact with more than a dozen supposed entities, including former employees and Maurice Begere. Of course, paranormal investigations don’t constitute scientific proof that ghosts exist. But the investigation became another chapter in the hotel’s supernatural reputation. And Hotel Monteleone hasn’t exactly tried to hide it. Quite the opposite.
Its own official history proudly includes a section devoted to the spirits said to remain inside.
Is Hotel Monteleone Actually Haunted?
There’s no scientific evidence proving that Hotel Monteleone contains ghosts. But that’s not the same as saying the stories aren’t interesting. The documented history is impressive on its own. Antonio Monteleone really did purchase the property in 1886. His descendants really did transform it into one of the French Quarter’s landmark hotels. The Carousel Bar really has been rotating since 1949. Some of America’s greatest writers really did spend time here. And generations of guests have passed along stories about strange experiences inside the building. Maurice’s ghost belongs to the realm of paranormal folklore.
Whether he’s still wandering the halls is something you’ll have to decide for yourself. Fortunately, you can spend the night and investigate.
Can You Stay at Hotel Monteleone?
Absolutely. Hotel Monteleone remains a luxury hotel at 214 Royal Street in the French Quarter. Current accommodations include traditional rooms and suites, Literary Author Suites and the renovated Iberville Tower. The property also has the Carousel Bar, Criollo Restaurant, Spa Aria and a rooftop pool. Hotel Monteleone official website And the location is difficult to beat. You’re staying directly in the French Quarter, within walking distance of many of New Orleans’ most famous streets and attractions. Which brings us to the bigger opportunity.
Ready to Stay at Hotel Monteleone?
Spend the night in the heart of the French Quarter and see whether Hotel Monteleone’s famous ghost stories feel a little more convincing after dark.
What It’s Like to Stay Here After Dark
Hotel Monteleone has an advantage few haunted hotels can match. When you walk out the front door, you’re already in the French Quarter. During the evening, Royal Street and the surrounding blocks are filled with people, music, restaurants and nightlife. You can explore New Orleans for hours without ever getting far from your hotel. Then eventually you come back. Perhaps you stop at the Carousel Bar for a drink. The bar slowly rotates while guests talk around you. Nothing particularly frightening about that. Then you head upstairs. The atmosphere changes. The hotel becomes quieter. The hallways empty. You remember Maurice.
You remember the elevators. You remember the stories about doors opening and shadows appearing in corridors. Eventually you reach your room. Most likely, you’ll sleep through the night without anything unusual happening. But if you wake up and see what looks like a small figure moving past the foot of your bed? You probably won’t be thinking about the Carousel Bar anymore.
Make It a Haunted New Orleans Trip
Hotel Monteleone shouldn’t be the only paranormal stop on this trip. You’re in New Orleans. The French Quarter and surrounding historic neighborhoods are packed with centuries-old buildings, cemeteries, legends, ghost tours and locations associated with some of the city’s darkest stories. You could spend the afternoon exploring the Quarter. Take a ghost tour after dark. Return to Royal Street. Have a drink while slowly circling the Carousel Bar. Then take the elevator upstairs. If it stops on the wrong floor… well… at least you’ll know the story.
Why Go Ghostly
Hotel Monteleone combines almost everything we’re looking for in a Go Ghostly destination. It’s historic. It’s beautiful. It’s connected to some of America’s greatest writers. It has one of the strangest bars you’ll ever drink in. It’s located in one of America’s most famously haunted cities. And its ghost stories aren’t something the hotel tries to sweep under the carpet. They’re part of the experience. Maybe Maurice is only a legend. Maybe the strange elevator stories have perfectly ordinary explanations. Maybe you’ll stay three nights and experience absolutely nothing unusual.
But when you’re walking back to your room late at night and notice what looks like the shadow of a small child disappearing around the corner… you might suddenly become considerably less skeptical. Hotel Monteleone isn’t simply a ghost story. It’s a ghost story you can travel to. Hotel Monteleone is also featured in our guide to 15 Haunted Hotels You Can Actually Stay In.
Ready to Spend the Night at Hotel Monteleone?
Book your stay in New Orleans’ French Quarter and see whether one of the city’s most legendary haunted hotels feels quite as lively after dark.
Keep planning your haunted getaway
Find another historic stay, compare the original collection, or pair your hotel with an evening tour.