In this guide · 5 sections
Where you stay in New Orleans matters more than in most cities. The neighborhoods here are genuinely different, and that changes your trip. The French Quarter is tourist infrastructure, history, and the gay bar scene, all in one walkable area. The Marigny is quieter, more residential, and has the best live music in the city. The Garden District and Uptown are beautiful and residential, connected to the Quarter by the St. Charles streetcar.
If your primary interest is the LGBTQ+ scene, the French Quarter is the most convenient base. If you want to experience the city more broadly and don't mind a short rideshare to the gay bars, the Marigny and Garden District offer more interesting stays.
French Quarter
The Quarter has the widest range of accommodation: from bare-bones guesthouses to boutique hotels with courtyard pools to a few larger chain properties. The historic buildings mean rooms are often smaller than you'd expect for the price. The architecture — exposed brick, wood floors, gallery windows — adds texture that a convention-center hotel lacks. Noise is a consideration: Bourbon Street hotels face sound levels that don't drop until the early hours. If you're a light sleeper, specify a room on a quieter street within the Quarter when booking.
The gay bars are walkable from anywhere in the Quarter. That's the main reason to stay here.
Faubourg Marigny
The Marigny has guesthouses and short-term rentals, not conventional hotels. It's a quieter base, and the neighborhood has its own daytime life: coffee shops, restaurants, and Frenchmen Street's live music corridor. From the Marigny, you can walk to the French Quarter in 10-15 minutes or take a rideshare. For travelers who find the Quarter too tourist-heavy or noisy, the Marigny is often the better choice.
Garden District and Uptown
These are New Orleans' beautiful residential neighborhoods: Greek Revival and Italianate houses, mature oak trees, quieter streets. The St. Charles streetcar connects them to downtown and the Quarter. If you want a base that feels like New Orleans rather than a tourist zone, and you don't mind the 20-minute streetcar ride, this area has good hotels at slightly lower prices than comparable Quarter properties.
The Hotels
- Hotel St. Marie — A gay-welcoming boutique hotel on Toulouse Street, steps from Bourbon Street's gay bars. It has a courtyard pool and that classic French Quarter hotel experience in a historic building.
- Lamothe House Hotel — This gay-friendly historic mansion hotel sits on Esplanade Avenue, right where the French Quarter meets the Marigny. It has antebellum architecture, a courtyard, and makes a good base for exploring both the French Quarter gay scene and the Marigny arts district.
Booking Notes
Southern Decadence weekend (Labor Day) fills hotels across the city six months in advance for the best properties. Book early. Mardi Gras is even tighter; French Quarter hotels for the peak Mardi Gras weekend are often sold out by October the year before. If you want specific properties for either event, that timeline isn't an exaggeration.
Outside the major events, New Orleans hotels are reasonably priced. January (outside Mardi Gras season) and August (outside Southern Decadence weekend) are the quietest months. Summer heat keeps some visitors away, which means lower rates if you can tolerate it. Spring Jazz Fest (late April / early May) also tightens availability across the city.
French Quarter guesthouses with courtyard pools book out quickly for any event period. These are among the best accommodation experiences the city has; they're worth securing well in advance if a courtyard pool matters to your trip.
For the full city picture, see the Gay New Orleans Guide.