The French Quarter's last grande dame. Hemingway, Faulkner, and Tennessee Williams all drank at the Carousel Bar. The bar still spins.
The Hotel Monteleone has operated on Royal Street in the French Quarter since 1886 — the only continuously operating hotel in the Quarter and the largest. The family-owned property has been expanded and renovated several times, and the current building's 1908 Beaux-Arts facade on Royal Street anchors one of the Quarter's finest architectural blocks. The Carousel Bar, a 25-seat revolving bar that completes one rotation every 15 minutes, is the most singular hotel amenity in New Orleans.
The 600 rooms occupy the original building and a 1964 tower addition. The Royal Street-facing rooms in the original building have views of the Quarter's balconied streetscape; the tower rooms are larger and have city views. The Criollo Restaurant serves a contemporary Creole menu that is more serious than the hotel's tourist-heavy location might suggest. The rooftop pool overlooks the Quarter's roofline.
The hotel's literary credentials are genuine — Hemingway mentioned it in a story, Faulkner stayed regularly while writing, and Tennessee Williams called it his favourite New Orleans hotel. The Historic Hotels of America designation reflects a property that has been maintained with institutional memory rather than merely market positioning.
The Monteleone anniversary experience is built around the Carousel Bar — the rotating counter, the classic New Orleans cocktails, and the century of literary romance attached to the room create an anniversary evening that no other hotel in the French Quarter can replicate. The Royal Street location, surrounded by antique galleries and the Quarter's finest architecture, provides the walk before dinner. See all anniversary hotels →
The French Quarter honeymoon at the Monteleone is the classic New Orleans version — Bourbon Street accessible but not inescapable, the Carousel Bar for the arrival cocktail, Criollo for dinner, and jazz from Frenchmen Street as the ambient programme. The honeymoon suite faces Royal Street on the upper floors of the original building. See all honeymoon hotels →
From $250/night. Check availability.
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