The Haunted Pontchartrain Hotel

Posted: 12.09.2024 | Updated: 12.09.2024

The Pontchartrain Hotel. It’s a luxurious, swanky, just plain electric hotel in a city that’s just as colorful – New Orleans. For those of you who haven’t been, it’s challenging to paint a good picture for you but we’ll do our best. 

Everything about it seems out of time. Your room key? It’s made of brass, not one of those flimsy plastic numbers that the big hotel chains give you. Walking into the lobby to get your key, you’ll see a framed page from a script. 

That’s the original draft of A Streetcar Named Desire, which Tennessee Williams wrote while he stayed here in 1945. And he’s far from the only famous name that’s stayed under the roof of the Pontchartrain, as you’ll soon find out. 

Each of the 106 hotel rooms bears the name of one of the Muses from Ancient Greek Mythology. However, that may not be the only fantastical element that haunts those rooms. Indeed, the Pontchartrain Hotel is known to be one of New Orleans’s most haunted hotels and that’s saying something, considering the staggering amount that The Big Easy has. 

Keep reading to learn just what we mean and if you want to take an even more in-depth look, book an in-person ghost tour with New Orleans Ghosts to find out more. 

Is the Pontchartrain Hotel Haunted? 

While hard proof of people sticking around this planet after they’d died is impossible to come by, many folks would say that if there is a place where that happens, it would be Pontchartrain. 

Whether you’re a skeptic or a true believer, you can make a strong argument that this crazy hotel has something going on with it. 

From unexplained events to consistent stories being told year after year by hotel staff and visitors alike, the Pontchartrain Hotel seems to be a magnet for the weird and otherworldly. We’ll lay out our evidence and make our case as plainly as possible, but ultimately, it’s up to you to decide if none, some, or all of the ghosts rumored to haunt this hotel are real.

And maybe even a creature beyond that of a ghost! 

History of the Hotel 

The Pontchartrain Hotel was constructed in 1927 and intended to be used as luxury apartments. Luxury inspired its unusual name too, as the famously luxurious King Louis XIV had a Count de Pontchartrain in his court. 

We’ll let you be the judge on whether or not this hotel lived up to the French king’s standards but it certainly tried its best to. The city’s then-new streetcar line had a stop that went right up to the hotel’s doorsteps, and its fourteen stories gave you a panoramic view of the 200 oak trees that lined Garden District and the Mississippi River. 

The hotel was built to be at the crossroads of uptown and downtown. If you wanted to enjoy a nice evening out dining, dancing, drinking, or enjoying New Orleans’ famous jazz – the Pontchartrain Hotel was ideally located.  

As the hotel’s reputation grew, so did its guestbook’s caliber. We talked before about Tennessee Williams but he’s not the only guest with their own Wikipedia page.

Over the years, guests such as The Doors, Rita Hayworth, Frank Sinatra, and even presidents like Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush have all called this place home for a night or two. 

Speaking of presidents, during the election year of 2016, the hotel went through a major renovation phase with even more luxurious accommodations and new nightlife, all while still keeping that timeless look and feel to it. 

Hauntings of the Hotel

Of course, luxury doesn’t always come without baggage! And the Pontchartrain Hotel is no exception to that rule. It’s said to house twenty-five ghosts under its chandeliered ceiling – and that number is a conservative guess!

The reason for those stories is probably from the hotel’s first major incident – a catastrophic hotel fire in 1929. The fire was deadly and killed a couple who were staying in the hotel on the ninth floor. According to the hotel staff and more than a few guests staying on the ninth floor – they’ve never left the building. They can still be seen today enjoying each other’s company in the afterlife.

They’re not the only ones either. If you hang around the hotel long enough, you’re bound to hear whispers of other ghosts who haunt the eleventh floor, a couple up from our couple. It’s hard to say why the eleventh floor is so ghost-friendly – maybe it’s the best place to hear the music of the city from – but whatever the reason is, ghosts just love it. 

Some other ghosts include an elderly man, who may have died in the 1912 fire. There’s also a pair of sisters who are said to haunt the building too. 

But the most famous ghost of the building, by far is Tuts Washington. He was a blues legend who taught himself how to play the piano at ten years old and he was also a fixture in New Orleans’ famous music scene during the first half of the twentieth century.  Even though he died in 1977, Tuts is said to still pop by and play the piano by the bar, sometimes summoning other lively ghosts while he does. 

A Vampire Afoot? 

But there’s more than just ghosts that might haunt the swanky halls of the Pontchartrain Hotel. No, we’re not talking about bellhops or the dogs in pet-friendly rooms. We’re talking about vampires. 

Yes, other than Tuts Washington, the legendary and seldom-seen vampire of Pontchartrain Hotel might be the place’s most famous current resident. If he does exist, it’s not hard to see why a vampire like him would take up in New Orleans. 

Ever since Anne Rice, noted vampire author and NOLA resident, started writing about vampires, the association between the bloodsucking monsters and the city has been strong. She even wrote about the Pontchartrain Hotel in The Witching Hour. 

Like most good vampires, the Pontchartrain one is said to hide out during the daylight – perhaps taking up residence in the sunlight-free basement below. He’ll come out at night, maybe to enjoy old Tuts’ tunes. 

However, if he does partake in a vampire’s favorite meal (we’re sure he likes his steaks rare), he does it discreetly. No guest has ever been attacked by such a figure. Maybe he’s found other ways to satisfy his cravings, or perhaps he just doesn’t want his home to garner a bad reputation. After all, moving can be such a pain, even for a vampire.  

Haunted New Orleans

Vampires or not, the Pontchartrain Hotel is safe to stay in today. If you stay there and see a ghost, just sit back, order a drink, and enjoy the company. Unlike many of the haunts we cover, the ghosts here seem content to enjoy their luxury and have a good time. To learn more about them and other New Orleans haunts, be sure and take our in-person ghost tour. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real Louisiana ghost tales!

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