Beignets in the Lobby, Jazz in a Chapel, Poolside Cabanas: The Best Hotels in New Orleans

There are plenty of reasons to travel to New Orleans, from herby Creole dishes and puffy beignets to late-night jazz sets and antebellum architecture. And, like never before, there’s a hotel here to suit nearly every whim. You can sleep in a restored 1900s mansion—complete with grand staircases, stained glass, and layers of history—or opt for modern digs with a happening social scene. Big-name luxury brands have made their mark alongside properties that seem distinctly New Orleanian. Amenities now go well beyond the expected, too: Among them are tiki menus served in poolside cabanas, thoughtful spa treatments, cocktail classes, and guided tours of historic homes. The only real challenge is choosing just one accommodation, but our Hotels We Love: New Orleans list narrows it down to the very best places to stay in the Big Easy.

The Blackbird

Courtesy of The Blackbird

Prytania Street is one of the prettiest stretches in the Lower Garden District. Running parallel to busy St. Charles Avenue, it’s quieter and more residential, shaded by century-old trees and lined with stately historic homes. One of the most striking among them is now The Blackbird, a charcoal-hued Victorian mansion reimagined as a 13-room boutique hotel with the intimacy of a grand private residence.

Interiors by local designer Jeannine Jacob lean moody: jewel tones, rich fabrics, and layered textures that nod to both midcentury modern and Gothic revival. No two rooms are alike. Some have wainscoting and gilded mirrors, others four-poster brass beds or fabric-covered walls. All come with Revival New York linens, Samsung Frame TVs, and Sodashi bath amenities.

The hotel’s crown jewel is the courtyard’s temperature-controlled saltwater pool, surrounded by towering palms and plush loungers. It’s an easy place to linger over light bites and tropical cocktails.

The Celestine

Carlos M. Silva Photography/Carlos M. Silva Photography

A petite, 10-room boutique in the heart of the French Quarter, Celestine opened in early 2024 as a collaboration between hotelier Robért LeBlanc (the owner behind Uptown favorite The Chloe, Uptown) and Neal Bodenheimer, the force behind several of the city’s best cocktail programs. The idea: to craft a hotel equally dedicated to a good time and a good night’s rest.

Guests enter through Peychaud’s, a cozy cocktail bar named for Antoine Peychaud, inventor of Peychaud’s Bitters, who once lived at this 1791 address. Tucked behind the bar, the hotel is centered around a pretty central courtyard with a large fountain, with balconies overlooking it all. Part of the building’s long creative lineage, Tennessee Williams was known to write here.

Rooms strike a comfortable, romantic note, with four-poster beds, original doors and hardwood floors, botanical-print wallpapers, and French, Spanish, and Afro-Caribbean influences woven through the art and textiles. Thoughtful guest services include cocktail courses at Peychaud’s, and the hotel offers a genuinely friendly welcome for all pets under 40 pounds.

The Chloe

Courtesy of The Chloe

Set directly on the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line, this enormous white Victorian was designed in 1891 by architect Thomas Sully, and much of his original vision remains intact, including intricate woodwork, curving porches, commanding front columns, wide parlor rooms, and a stately dark-wood staircase. The 14 guest rooms reference a bygone era and have a residential aesthetic. Expect leather benches, custom drapery, rattan rocking chairs, and oversize armoires that discreetly conceal the tile-and-marble bathrooms with soaking tubs and bamboo shades. Each room comes equipped with a record player and sound system, and the hotel will send up a curated selection of vinyl based on guests’ musical preferences.

In the public spaces, the mood is convivial, whether you’re ordering a martini in the main-level bar, slipping into one of the hidden lounges, cooling off at the pool, surrounded by cream checkered tiles and pink umbrellas, or claiming a bistro table in the carefully landscaped front yard. Executive chef Ben Triola oversees the on-site restaurant, serving seasonal, modern Creole dishes with local ingredients, many of which appear in the dynamic beverage program. Regular live DJ sets and artist talks keep the whole house animated, not just the check-in area.

Four Seasons Hotel, New Orleans

Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel, New Orleans

Opened in 2021 in the city’s historic World Trade Center, the 341-room Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans occupies a prime location on the edge of the Mississippi River. Arrival is suitably theatrical: Guests pass a dapper valet and step straight into the Chandelier Bar. A towering 15,000-Czech-crystal showstopper reigns over the space, and the menu is devoted to impeccably executed classics, from martinis served with multiple garnish choices on ice to heirloom cornbread hot cakes topped with Osetra caviar.

Dining is a major draw. Just beyond the lobby, Miss River serves refined Southern cooking by chef Alon Shaya, while Chemin à la Mer is chef Donald Link’s ode to oysters and Gulf seafood that overlooks the cabana-lined pool. The spa is notable, too, with its treatments built around Biologique Recherche’s concentrated botanical and marine-based products.

The guest rooms skew coastal, with pale wood accents and white walls, while bathrooms are true sanctuaries, complete with soaking tubs and thick robes. Still, the hotel’s curated experiences are what set it apart: Try seasonal cocktail classes, oyster tastings with thoughtful wine pairings, and intimate, only-in–New Orleans jazz performances.

Henry Howard Hotel

Courtesy of Kathleen Fitzgerald

Named for the architect who designed the house in the 1860s, the Henry Howard is a study in Lower Garden District grandeur. Beyond wrought-iron front gates, large gallery porches are supported by 14 fluted Corinthian columns. Inside, 18 guest rooms balance period details with local craftsmanship, with beds by local furniture maker Doorman Designs, and a hotel-specific toile wallpaper created by artist Hayley Gaberlavage.

The front Parlor Room impresses with 12-foot ceilings, red-pine hardwood floors, and floor-to-ceiling windows that open directly onto the porches. The penthouse occupies the entire third floor, offering three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an inviting grand salon.

Approaching its 10th anniversary in 2026, the Henry Howard attracts a loyal following of repeat guests who value a deeper connection with the city and the slower pace of the Lower Garden District. One of the best ways to connect with the city is the hotel’s guided historic walking tour, which leads guests through the neighborhood, stopping at notable architecture and revealing historic anecdotes, tall tales, and the native flora and fauna unique to the landscape of New Orleans.

Hotel Peter and Paul

Courtesy of Hotel Peter & Paul

Set in architecturally rich Faubourg Marigny, the 71-room Hotel Peter and Paul occupies a former church, rectory, schoolhouse, and convent that dates back to the late 1800s. In converting the site, local resident Nathalie Jordi and New York–based hotelier Ash took care to preserve original cypress moldings, stained-glass windows, and marble fireplaces while adding antique chandeliers and custom rugs handmade in India. No two guest rooms are alike. Expect a mix of gingham accents, canopy beds, Italian linens, and trays of locally sourced snacks.

On-site, The Elysian Bar is a reliable stop for a spritz and regionally focused dishes such as roasted Gulf shrimp and braised beef short ribs. The adjoining café serves coffee and pastries, best enjoyed in one of two grand parlors or the sun room modeled after Claude Monet’s Giverny home. Outside, a tranquil brick courtyard is lined with palms and ferns.

The decommissioned church sanctuary—designed by noted New Orleans architect Henry Howard—now hosts jazz brunches alongside a rotating calendar of events, from concerts and yoga sessions to pop-up artisan markets. A pool inspired by European bathhouse traditions is slated to open in 2026. —Wayne Curtis

Hotel Saint Vincent

Courtesy of Hotel Saint Vincent

The 70,000-square-foot landmark on Magazine Street once housed the Saint Vincent Infants Asylum, an orphanage built in the late 1800s. After years of decline, the building was reimagined by Austin-based hospitality veterans Larry McGuire, Tom Moorman, and Liz Lambert, reopening in 2021 as one of the city’s most visually striking hotels.

The setting is glamorous, from the moment visitors step through the lacquered maroon front door, beneath swirling wrought iron and weathered brick. Interiors blend art deco, Italian, and New Orleans influences, mixing red velvet and teak, antique brass, and original tile. Public spaces are a destination in their own right, with enough dining, drinking, and lounging options to happily derail any plans to leave. There’s Vietnamese fare at the outdoor Elizabeth Street café, Amalfi Coast–inspired fine dining at San Lorenzo, and late-night cocktails and parties at the Chapel Club. In the Paradise Lounge, you’ll find hand-painted murals by local artist Ann Marie Auricchio, which surround a dark-wood, L-shaped bar crafted by local woodworker Daniel Bell.

Upstairs, the rooms are sexy and high drama, with blue-gray walls, red velvet bed frames, and an eclectic mix of antiques. The bathrooms are especially photogenic, with their persimmon tile, psychedelic wallpaper by George Venson of Voutsa, and custom silk bathrobes that can be purchased at the ByGeorge gift shop downstairs. Those same robes look right at home poolside on a pink-and-white striped chaise, next to the Italian Riviera–inspired swimming pool.

Inn at the Old Jail

Courtesy of Inn at the Old Jail

Set on the edge of Tremé—the birthplace of New Orleans sound and the nation’s oldest African American neighborhood—this blush-hued Queen Anne Victorian makes for an unusually memorable base. The building once served as a city jail and police headquarters, and its history is on full display: Inmate records, initials carved into stone walls, original floors, decorative dormers, and curling turrets have all been preserved.

Guest rooms now occupy the former cells, but you’ll find no rough night’s sleep here. These days, accommodations come with memory-foam mattresses, cozy blankets, antique nightstands, and an overall flea-market-chic aesthetic. Gregarious owner Todd Schwartz lives upstairs and is often found pouring strong cocktails at the lobby tiki bar, introducing guests to locals, or hosting impromptu jam sessions and games of pool.

Small details amuse and charm, from wainscoting crafted from Hurricane Katrina debris to the honor bar fridge stocked with canned cocktails and wine. Upstairs, a 2,000-square-foot roof deck hosts crawfish boils and live bands in the warmer months.

The Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery

Courtesy of the Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery

Housed in an 1854 warehouse a few blocks from the French Quarter, the Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery opens onto a contemporary-industrial lobby and restaurant washed in warm tones, tile floors, exposed brick, and wall-to-wall windows softened by tropical greenery.

In the guest rooms and suites, you’ll find midcentury furnishings, Tivoli radios, flat-screen TVs, and original works by emerging local artists. Art plays a central role in the lobby, which hosts rotating exhibits on walls and in display cases, and a charming art vending machine dispenses palm-size pieces for a few dollars.

Beyond the pastry-stocked lobby coffee counter, Compère Lapin is Top Chef alum Nina Compton’s celebrated restaurant, whose name—French for “brother rabbit”—is that of a fictional character in Caribbean and Creole folk tales. The menu honors Compton’s island roots and classic French training: Think jerk pork belly with plantains and curried goat with sweet potato gnocchi, alongside one of the city’s most reliably excellent Negronis. —Geraldine Campbell

The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans

Courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans

Occupying the former Maison Blanche department store and S.H. Kress & Co. five-and-dime, The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans first opened its doors in 2000 and completed major renovations in 2020, 2021, and 2023. Updates included refreshed corridors and overhauls to more than 400 guest rooms. The hotel now has new club-level accommodations and a sprawling two-bedroom penthouse Residence Suite, as well as the largest spa in the city.

As a Ritz-Carlton, there’s a baseline of attentive service, sumptuous linens, and ornate furnishings. What distinguishes this outpost is the New Orleans–focused touches. The extensive art collection, in excess of $1 million, lends the hotel a grand, Southern-home feel. Purchased largely via auction houses, the collection spans centuries and continents and comprises all types of works, from sculptures to sketches and oil paintings. Guests are also offered complimentary city treats, like hot, powdery beignets, served from a charming lobby cart each afternoon, and Jeremy Davenport croons jazz tunes four nights a week in his namesake lounge. Finally, the location—right on the edge of the French Quarter—makes exploration effortless. —GC

The Virgin Hotels New Orleans

Courtesy of Virgin Hotels New Orleans

The Virgin Hotels New Orleans manages to blend into the industrial landscape of the Warehouse District while standing apart in a city known for visual excess. The hotel is a reliable pick for travelers who like their design playful and their atmosphere lively. The Richard Branson–backed brand opened here in 2021 with 238 guest rooms and two penthouse suites.

Rooms are generous in size by New Orleans standards, starting just under 300 square feet and expanding to the 1,097-square-foot Richard’s Penthouse Flat with downtown views. The design is modern and functional, with built-in window seats, yoga mats, 4K flat screens, and Red Flower bath products.

Much of the action unfolds in the common spaces, which are designed to keep guests circulating beyond the check-in lobby. There’s a 24-hour fitness center, a rooftop Pool Club, and an adjacent indoor lounge called Dreamboat. On the lobby level is the Funny Library Coffee Shop, where patrons sip on La Colombe roast against a backdrop of dark-wood shelves, entertaining books, and a human-size bunny sculpture. Commons Club, the on-site restaurant, serves Mediterranean-inspired plates with Southern accents and a solid wine list, while interiors mix art deco with modern pop art—a subtle nod to the neighborhood’s warehouse past.

The Windsor Court

Courtesy of Windsor Court Hotel

The English-inspired Windsor Court has long functioned as one of the city’s great living rooms. Locals dress up for afternoon conversations over high tea at Le Salon, cocktails in the posh Polo Club Lounge, or leisurely weekend brunches in the sunlit Grill Room. Another popular gathering spot is the 65-foot saltwater rooftop pool with private cabanas. The 313 guest rooms mirror the hotel’s classic sensibility, with a palette of soft neutrals, traditional furnishings, marble bathrooms, and large, airy windows.

The hotel is home to one of the city’s most dazzling art collections, spanning tapestries, oil paintings, sculptures, and antiques, including original works by William Powell Frith, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, and Jacob Huntsman. Guests can explore the $10 million collection via a self-guided audio tour through the common spaces, then retreat to the 4,500-square-foot spa for a restorative reset. —Farah Fleurima