Some travelers would rather stay somewhere that feels like a house than a hotel tower. These five keep the room count low, or at least keep the feeling close.
Audubon Cottages, French Quarter
Seven private cottages sit behind a green door on Dauphine Street, built after the two great fires that leveled much of the city in the late 18th century. Naturalist John James Audubon lived in Cottage One while working on Birds of America in 1821 and 1822, and Cottage Seven served as his studio. Elizabeth Taylor favored Cottage Three, and staff swear a humming soldier still visits Cottage Four.
Each one- or two-bedroom cottage opens onto a private or semi-private courtyard with fountains, and all of them share a heated saltwater pool believed to be the oldest hotel pool in the Quarter. Butlers work around the clock. Guests check in at the sister Dauphine Orleans hotel at 415 Dauphine, a block from the cottages at 509.
The Chloe, Uptown
A French grocer named Henri Picard built this Queen Anne house at 4125 St. Charles Avenue in 1891, and restaurateur Robert LeBlanc turned it into a 14-room hotel in 2020. Designer Sara Ruffin Costello styled it as if five generations of one family had lived there, with an alligator-print runner on the stairs and record players in the rooms.
A deep porch with rocking chairs faces the avenue, and a saltwater pool sits in the garden out back. The restaurant and bar draw neighbors most evenings, so guests end up sharing the house with Uptown. With so few rooms, weddings can book the common spaces, so ask about events when you reserve. Call (504) 541-5500.
Canal Street Inn, Mid-City
The Canal streetcar stops directly in front of this 1912 house at 3620 Canal Street. Ten guest rooms fill the building, each decorated differently, and craftsman woodwork runs throughout. The Prytania room carries 14-foot ceilings and a mahogany fireplace.
Guests single out the three-course breakfast cooked in house. The inn holds Select Registry certification, offers free parking, and sits steps from Mandina’s. Rooms fill fast during festival season, so book early.
Maison Métier, Central Business District
The old City Hall Annex, built in 1908, holds 67 rooms styled like a well-traveled collector’s home, with antiques, colorful marble bathrooms, and a snake motif running from shower handles to hallway lamps. It opened in 2019 as Maison de la Luz and took its current name in 2024.
Guests get a private living room with an evening wine and cheese hour, and a secret passage leads into Salon Salon, the bar in the former Annex library. The hotel sits at 546 Carondelet Street, and guests can use the rooftop pool at The Barnett across the street. Call (504) 814-7720.
Hotel Saint Vincent, Lower Garden District
This 1860s building began as an orphanage funded by philanthropist Margaret Haughery. Austin hoteliers Liz Lambert, Larry McGuire, and Tom Moorman restored it and reopened it as a 75-room hotel in 2021, layering Italian modernist design over the old brick.
Verandas with sky-blue ceilings wrap the building, and a Saltillo-tiled pool fills the courtyard among palms. The on-site restaurants and the moody Chapel Club lounge keep guests close to home at night. Check current dining before planning around a specific spot.
