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Encounters with a ghostly child at the Hotel Monteleone

Encounters with a ghostly child at the Hotel Monteleone

Many visitors delight in the beauty of the Hotel Monteleone. A fixture in the French Quarter for many years, this business is one of the few grand hotels still run by a family. Yet, like many historic buildings in New Orleans, this hotel has a haunted history.

An immigrant establishes a successful business
By the time Antonio Monteleone arrived in America in 1880, this nobleman had already built a prospering shoe factory in his native Sicily. After he bought a cobbler’s shop, he turned his attention to a 64 room hotel in the French Quarter at the corner of Royal and Iberville Streets.
Originally named the Commercial Hotel, the building was renamed the Hotel Monteleone in 1908 after a large 300 room expansion. This luxurious hotel now boasts a rooftop pool with a superior view of New Orleans, a spa and access to the latest technology.

A young boy’s ghost wanders the 14th floor
The most famous ghost associated with the hotel is of a little boy named Maurice Begere, who stayed at the Hotel Monteleone with his parents in the 1880s. Unfortunately for Maurice, the three-year-old developed a fever one night while in the care of a nanny, had convulsions and died. His parents were enjoying an evening out and were stunned to find their son dead upon their return.
His grief-stricken mother came back to the hotel each year on the anniversary of his death. She claimed that one year his spirit actually showed up and told her, "Mommy, don't cry. I'm fine." Since then other guests have seen Maurice standing at the foot of their bed late at night.

A quirky elevator
Some believe Maurice is responsible for unexplained problems with the elevator. Two parents were staying at the hotel with their school-aged daughters in 2014. If the adults were in the elevator it ran normally but if the children were present the elevator always made an unexplained stop at the 14th floor

The remains of the past
Other ghosts have been spotted as well. A phantom child reaches for visitor’s hands and some hear the unexplained sound of jazz singers in the lobby. A ghostly clockmaker’s face sometimes appears in a grandfather clock. Today the Hotel Monteleone still thrives as a popular and elegant place for visitors to stay in New Orleans. The ghosts make it unique.