Hotel Monteleone
Luxury in the Heart of the French Quarter
An ornate entrance to New Orleans’ famed French Quarter, the curlicued façade of the 17 story Hotel Monteleone, rises grandly in salutation to city locals, celebrities, trendsetters and literati. Lovely to gaze upon, this Beaux-Arts beauty proves even more spectacular if you plan on being a guest and spending the night.
While some folks might find it hard to be stylish after 124 years, the Monteleone makes it look easy, sporting a heated rooftop pool (enhanced by icy cocktails in hot weather) and rooms adorned with marble and furnished with heavenly linens and complimentary chocolates. A polished lobby brightened by glittering chandeliers and towers of majestic flowers is a marvelous scene, all kept in time to the tick-tock of the 100-year-old mahogany clock.
In a city that’s known for drinking, the Monteleone raises the bar with one of the coolest watering holes in town that is an integral part of New Orleans history. Situated beneath an antique merry-go-round canopy with a fiber optic ceiling of stars in the night sky and decorated with a wild circus motif, the Carousel Bar & Lounge is the only bar in town that revolves around the room (propelling guests to get ahead on their buzz). Overlooking famous Royal Street through large fan windows, it has long been a favorite of locals and tourists. Originally installed in 1949, the 25-seat carousel bar turns on 2,000 large steel rollers and while the bar always rotates at the same speed, tipsy visitors are often heard to claim that the bartender has turned up the motor’s speed. Stay long enough and you may think you are hallucinating, especially when one special shooting star crosses the room at regular intervals. A long string of fabulous people have imbibed from their ornate stools, including Liberace, Tennessee Williams, and Truman Capote; the latter frequently joked that he was born in the Monteleone (in fact his parents were living in the hotel when his mother went to the hospital for his birth).
A trip to New Orleans can be a wild ride. Do yourself a favor and seek sanctuary at the Hotel Monteleone, one of the country’s most historic, hospitable, and alluring hotels.
Hotel Monteleone
214 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA
(504) 523-3341