Who haunts the The Columns Hotel
Reported as stories, with where each one comes from. Most reported: The ghostly host.
The ghostly host
Guests report a polite man at their room door or in the lobby who asks if they need anything, then vanishes.
The woman in white
A woman in a long white dress is said to drift silently across the old ballroom; she has never been heard to speak.
The sick little girl
Guests describe a little girl on the third-floor balcony and around Room 21.
The woman in Room 10
Guests say they woke to find a middle-aged woman sitting on the bed; cold spots and a self-flushing toilet are also reported.
"Guests report on waking up in the dead of night, only to see a middle-aged woman sitting on the bed beside them."Ghost City Tours
The building
Before you book
| Room to request | Room 10 (Woman seen sitting on the bed, cold spots, toilet flushing by itself), Room 21 (Pale little girl seen on the third floor) |
|---|---|
| Does the hotel tell the stories? | ✕ No its own website does not mention ghosts |
| Built | 1883, as private residence of tobacco merchant Simon Hernsheim; boarding house from World War I |
| Historic listing | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (Simon Hernsheim House) |
| Historic Hotels of America | No |
| Google rating | 4.6 from 1,148 reviews |
| Address | 3811 St Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115 |
| Jackson Square | 2.9 mi (4.6 km), 72 min walk |
Sources
6 independent sources, quotes checked
- Ghost City ToursGhost tour
- Haunted Rooms, 2026Blog
- Out All Day NOLABlog
- Haunted Hotel StaysBlog
- Haunted Rooms, 2026Blog
- The Columns (hotel)The hotel
- WikipediaHistory
Photo: St. Louis Cathedral at night, OrleansPhotoArt, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. This is the area, not the hotel.
Around the The Columns Hotel
Straight-line distances from the front door; walking times allow for streets. Places from OpenStreetMap.
Eat and drink
- Zee's Pizzeria3 min walk
- New Orleans Hamburger & Seafood Co.5 min walk
- Qi Qi6 min walk
- Orleans Coffee6 min walk
- Prytania Bar6 min walk
- Fat Harry's8 min walk
See nearby
- The Brown Mansion0.6 mi (1.0 km)
- Rosenberg House0.7 mi (1.2 km)
Other haunted hotels
- The Pontchartrain Hotel1.1 mi (1.8 km)
- Le Pavillon2.1 mi (3.4 km)
- Hotel Monteleone2.5 mi (4.1 km)
- Dauphine Orleans2.7 mi (4.3 km)
Cemeteries
- St. Joseph Cemetery0.6 mi (1.0 km)
- Lafayette Cemetery Number 10.7 mi (1.1 km)
- Valient Cemetery0.7 mi (1.1 km)
- Congretation Gates of Prayer Cemetery1.2 mi (1.9 km)
Questions
Is the Columns Hotel haunted?
It has a gentle ghost reputation. Ghost City Tours and Haunted Rooms report a courteous gentleman who vanishes after offering help, a woman in white in the ballroom, an ill-looking girl on the third floor and a woman seen sitting on the bed in Room 10.
Which room at the Columns is haunted?
Room 10 is the room most often named, for a middle-aged woman seen sitting on the bed and cold spots. The third floor near Room 21 is linked to the little girl.
Is the hotel historic?
Yes. The hotel says it was built in 1883 as a private home and is on the National Register of Historic Places; Wikipedia credits architect Thomas Sully.