05 November 2025
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New Orleans is a city of decadence, its old streets dotted with historic drinking holes and eateries, including dozens of the latter newly recognized in The MICHELIN Guide's very first restaurant selection in the city. But if the drinking and dining scene represent one of the most tantalizing blends of flavors in the country, informed by centuries of cultural infusion from around the world, the hotel scene too is an explosion of joy and color rarely matched in an American city. You won't find this level of preserved history in many U.S. cities outside New Orleans, and it is the privilege of the city's most creative hoteliers to mold, honor and reinterpret it for locals and travelers both.
As of 2025, Inspectors have selected 14 New Orleans hotels for inclusion in The Guide, six of which are distinguished with Keys, the hotel equivalent of Stars. Just two of the 14 make their home in the historic French Quarter, New Orleans' most famous, storied district and perhaps the liveliest in America.
But New Orleans is more than the debauchery of Bourbon Street, and its top stays, dispersed through the leafy Garden District, the trendy Marigny, and the arts and business districts, offer accommodations both ecstatic and relaxed, with options for solo travelers, families and — yes — partiers, too.
A compact city for one with such a massive reputation, the best hotels in New Orleans are never far from the famous sites. At each selection below, find several MICHELIN-selected restaurants just a short distance away.
Hotel Peter and Paul
What it's all about: A restored religious complex is now one of the most distinctive hotels in the country, recognized by Inspectors with One Key.The Marigny is the second-oldest neighborhood in New Orleans. While it's traditionally referred to as a suburb, it's well within today's city limits, just a 10-minute drive or bike ride from the heart of the French Quarter. This is a neighborhood with a vibrant dining and nightlife scene, yet those who appreciate the artistry behind a special hotel might discover it almost by happenstance, drawn here instead for a special pilgrimage to the accommodation itself.
Encompassing four historic buildings, including an 1860 church, an 1875 rectory and a 1900 elementary school, this is among the most unique hotel estates in the country, the result of a painstaking development process that promised to bring a more responsible tourism to a neighborhood reeling from short-term rental operations.
The design blends preserved historic spaces with carefully chosen furnishings and antiques, placing guests in a historic fantasy that extends from 71 guest rooms to a characterful bar and restaurant spilling into a sunny cobblestone courtyard. The preserved church is now host to candlelight concerts and other community events, and a small outdoor pool is on the way to complete the picture.
Restaurants nearby: Acamaya, Saint-Germain
Celestine
What it's all about: The spirit of New Orleans in the latest iteration of this iconic hotel, the only Key in the heart of the French Quarter.You can imagine legendary playwright Tennessee Williams stepping out of what was reputedly his occasional room, now an unassuming alcove for a cortado or mimosa, and into the casual courtyard bar for inspiration and a Sazerac while he wrote A Streetcar Named Desire. It's enough to make even the quietest dreamer consider a room at the center of the unabashedly wild French Quarter.
A reinvention of the Maison de Ville hotel circa 1944, itself the reimagining of a 1791 townhouse, this is a refuge from the partying outside, but certain intrusions must be anticipated: here, it's the morning jazz from the Court of Two Sisters just behind the hotel courtyard. The 14 guest rooms retain their historic ambiance with a smattering of intentionally retained blemishes, each romantic in the most soulful sense of the word; a special place for couples or solo explorers.
The courtyard bar, where Williams once recorded a famous interview with American interviewer Dick Cavett, is one part of Peychaud's — a cocktail bar named for the building's original owner, who invented the Sazerac's famous bitters.
Restaurants nearby: Dooky Chase Restaurant, Galatoire's
Hotel Saint Vincent
What it's all about: A One-Key boutique transformed from a historic former orphanage into a paradise of indoor-outdoor living.The bar features an original stained-glass window that looks onto a side street. In the building's first life, this is where a nun would sit, for hours on end, in case a boy was left outside to find his way into her orphanage. The institution's century-long history ended only in 1970, and since its opening in 2021 as Hotel Saint Vincent, some of the boys who lived here have returned for their own weddings.
Today, this is the pinnacle of boutique hotel expression, a richly restored campus that sets 75 guest rooms around its bamboo-laden outdoor spaces, internal courtyard and guests-only pool. There's a quirky restaurant and a formal one, a private bar in the former chapel, and even a café with a French Vietnamese theme and outdoor seating that is the epitome of the Lower Garden District — a leafy neighborhood known for its historic homes.
Restaurants nearby: Molly's Rise and Shine, Turkey and the Wolf
Columns
What it's all about: A historic One-Key mansion in the Garden District, with a lush sense of private romance in the rooms and spaces upstairs.If you catch a scent of a richly pleasant, tobacco-tinged incense, follow it past the broad patio where happy groups lunch on duck confit and steak frites, past the tall white columns and into the dark, moody lobby and lounge that appear much as they must have when the building was a private home in 1883. The unmistakably historic bones of the building are filled with a funky, cool and casual vibe, a sumptuous base in the Garden District where the city comes to hang out just steps from the nearest streetcar stop.
Only guests have access to the porch and the corridors upstairs, where each of the 20 rooms adheres to the unique contours of the historic space. Some add clawfoot tubs and private terraces for an extra romantic touch.
Restaurants nearby: SAFFRON NOLA, La Petite Grocery
Henrietta
What it's all about: A comfortable One-Key standout makes the perfect contemporary counterpart to its sister hotel, Columns, just down the road.Decorated with art discovered in the attic of the 150-year-old Columns, the clean, professional interiors suit long-stay travelers especially well, providing washer-dryer access and Smeg refrigerators. But any travelers looking for a low-key and luxe Garden District base will find the boxes checked at Henrietta, including families or small group parties that may book separate rooms connected by a shared balcony.
The proprietors of the nearby Columns built this one from scratch, and they've taken advantage of the rare New Orleans new-build to prioritize huge windows and outdoor space, all the better to soak in the airy Garden District and views of the Mardi Gras procession as it marches down St. Charles.
Restaurants nearby: Dakar NOLA, Hungry Eyes
Maison Metier
What it's all about: Intimacy and romance define this One-Key standout in the Warehouse District — the rare all-private hotel in New Orleans.Just next door to its sister hotel, the Barnett, in the Warehouse District, this is the rare hotel in New Orleans that's entirely private, a guests-only enclave that makes one of the strongest first impressions in the city. Your first steps are into the private lobby, a showcase for the building's historic origins with two wrought-iron staircases framing red chairs dripping in gold tassels. The mantra here is Parisian guest house, and the decadence and exclusivity make it perhaps the most romantic choice in New Orleans.
Guests enjoy a breakfast in an airy, French-style restaurant and cocktails in a warm parlor space, while next door, the excellent Salon Salon is open to the city — but Maison Metier guests get their own private entrance, through a secret bookcase in the middle of the wall. For novelty and romance, hotel guests may sit instead in the alcove behind the bookcase, and order drinks served through a compartment that connects straight to the bar.
Restaurants nearby: Herbsaint, Pêche
The Barnett
What it's all about: Vibey public spaces, including the oyster restaurant and rooftop pool, to go with ample meeting space and historic touches.A hand-painted armoire sits in each room, a testament to the care that's gone into the Barnett, another of a crop of superlative hotels in the Warehouse District particularly suitable to those who mix business and pleasure. Of the many public spaces, guests have access to a rooftop pool, a live-music venue that spills out into the lobby and an oyster restaurant, Seaworthy, with an upstairs space that feels like exactly what it is — the upper floor of an 1832 townhouse, with tables set under a chandelier intentionally overflowing with dripping wax.
It's the kind of hotel, with 16,000 square feet of meeting space, that appeals to all kinds of guests. Families, wedding parties or VIPs will appreciate the top room category, a sprawling bi-level suite that can connect with an additional guest room.
Restaurants nearby: 34 Restaurant & Bar, Willie Mae's NOLA
Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery
What it's all about: A historic building shares its neighborhood's love for the arts, with a MICHELIN-selected restaurant on site.Ample exposed brick and evocative artwork by professionals, as well as by students at the nearby New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), make this the quintessential expression of the neighborhood known as the Warehouse or Arts District. In fact, the primary appeal of this hip and comfortable outpost is the location. For business travelers, it's a 10-minute walk to the New Orleans convention center; for Bourbon Street haters or revelers, it's comfortably removed, yet just a 15-minute stroll to the center of the French Quarter. Mardi Gras parades pass right by on Tchoupitoulas Street.
The hotel is four warehouse buildings in one, within which are 167 rooms, a coffee shop, and the MICHELIN-selected, Creole and Caribbean blend of cuisine at Compère Lapin.
Restaurants nearby: Cochon Butcher, August Restaurant
Virgin Hotels New Orleans
What it's all about: A bright, funky, unmistakably Virgin hotel that makes an inviting hotel to stop and catch your breath.One of the rare ground-up hotel builds in New Orleans, the space — opened in 2021 — is optimized for the modern luxury traveler, whether they've arrived for business or entertainment. Every space is bright, both in natural light and Virgin's typically rich color palette, and common areas find remote workers posted up next to funky design touches like local visual artist Alex Podesta's surreal bunny-man sculpture.
Like the Virgin Hotels around the world, it's the kind of hotel with so much going on you could have a perfectly fine week without ever leaving the premises. Even the most basic rooms have a breakfast nook and Smeg fridge, and beds feature a distinctive corner seat tacked on the corner, designed particularly for lounging. Even if you spend 99 percent of your time out on the town, it's lovely to know the 13th-floor pool — with its wraparound lounge and full bar — is awaiting your return.
Restaurants nearby: LUFU NOLA, 34 Restaurant & Bar
Kimpton Fontenot
What it's all about: Spacious and professional rooms, with a bar and café that give equal time to business and pleasure.Just up the block from Old No. 77, the Kimpton Fontenot is another well-situated hotel on the border of the Central Business District and the Warehouse District, not far from the French Quarter but with more than enough breathing room from Bourbon Street. Business travelers and families will appreciate the residential feel of the larger-than-average rooms, while those here solo will enjoy mingling with locals at the jewel-box of a saloon and performance space known as the Peacock Room.
During weekdays, the Peacock Room is an excellent space to do some work in the midst of a riot of colors, patterns and a couple stuffed peacocks. At night, it's a space transformed by a myriad of activations, from drag brunch to weekly performances by Robin Barnes, also known as the Songbird of New Orleans. The café, Gospel Coffee + Boozy Treats, serves its own dual purpose, ideal for a casual morning coffee or one spiked with bourbon or chicory liqueur.
Restaurants nearby: August Restaurant, Compère Lapin
Four Seasons New Orleans
What it's all about: A serene, quiet refuge with every luxe amenity, just next door to the Caesars Palace casino.Given the relative affordability of New Orleans compared with some of the world's other top travel cities, the Four Seasons New Orleans is many travelers' first introduction to the brand — and it's a strong one. In what was once the World Trade Center of New Orleans, designed by the architect of New York's Radio City Music Hall, it's a favorite hotel for parents visiting Tulane University and sports teams in town to play the Saints or the Pelicans.
It is also simply a serene, quiet refuge with a small but mighty spa, two signature restaurants, a bar that's set under thousands of crystals — and finds itself on nearly every "best of" list — and a long pool largely exclusive to guests. The garden space is the final touch, meant for yoga and relaxation.
Restaurants nearby: Emeril's, Cochon
Maidstone
What it's all about: A restored midcentury motel set around a lively pool scene in Mid-City.The Maidstone, in the Mid-City district, harkens back to a 1957 motel for pit stops along what is still a major thoroughfare, Tulane Avenue. Enter through the bar and into the courtyard to find a refuge — 18 rooms that ring a picturesque saltwater pool. The atmosphere jumps between calm oasis and party scene, the latter when a DJ sets up on the small stage.
A short drive from the art museum in Mid-City's fantastic City Park, the hotel is a favorite for those in town for a show or a game, an excellent, often affordable hotel with design-forward rooms in moody tones adorned with textiles by an Oaxacan artist named Ismael Gutierrez Montano and comforts like Frette linens and in-room robes.
Restaurants nearby: Zasu, Parkway Bakery & Tavern
The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans
What it's all about: In the French Quarter itself, a gilded refuge just a block from Bourbon Street.The lobby sits three floors up, a tranquil, minimalist space that opens onto a quiet green courtyard above the French Quarter. A certain type of luxury is expected of a Ritz-Carlton, and this one adds to its sophisticated spaces one of the largest day spas in the city, as well as a performance space, the Davenport Lounge, featuring house jazz musician Jeremy Davenport, who has been playing here since the hotel's opening in 2000.
It's one of the longest uninterrupted runs for a hotel of this caliber in New Orleans, and its success depends on a broad appeal to any number of luxury travelers. 528 rooms are well suited for everything from family to business trips. On the fourth floor, a club-level with common spaces and hotel rooms in a darker, more boutique style affords guests even more perks.
Restaurants nearby: Killer PoBoys, Galatoire's
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Hero image: A living space at Hotel Peter and Paul. ©Hotel Peter and Paul
