Our first experience with Hotel Monteleone was in 2004 during our first trip to the Big Easy. We stayed on Royal Street at a terrible hotel that wasn’t very impressionable as we can’t remember its name. Today it appears to be an empty building. The things we remember most about that terrible experience was the nauseating, cherry-scent that lingered in every room, elevator, and hallway of this hotel. Our fondest memory at this hotel was our view of Royal Street. We would gaze at the luxurious Hotel Monteleone and think, one day . . . one day we would love to stay at this grand hotel.
Our next experience was in December of 2008, when Girl’s mom took us down to New Orleans for a long weekend to celebrate Girl’s college graduation. On our last day, Guy and Girl took a quick taxi ride down to the Mississippi River to photograph the sun rising over Jackson Square. We decided to venture into the French Quarter to greet the morning sun and stumbled upon Royal Street where Hotel Monteleone stood. Immediately we remembered this grand hotel and captured a few pictures of its Holiday decor all while thinking, one day . . . one day.
Then in July of 2009, it happened! It actually happened. We were invited to Tales of The Cocktail, a famous cocktail convention where some of its seminars would be taking place at the one and only Hotel Monteleone! We were so excited to actually see our beloved hotel’s interiors! We tried to book a room, but unfortunately there weren’t any rooms available within our price range. We were bummed, but not dismayed because we knew we’d be able to walk the interiors and at least pretend we were guests!
During Tales of The Cocktail, we were so intrigued by Hotel Monteleone. We loved the Old Orleans decor and went early every day to enjoy breakfast at Le Café. Here, Girl ordered Eggs Benedicts religiously, repeatedly losing her olive virginity while Guy discovered his new found love for Biscuits and Gravy. (To date, Girl still hasn’t eaten an olive other than at Hotel Monteleone.) During breakfast and breaks, we tweeted with @HotelMonteleone and @Carouselbar and were so excited because they were actually tweeting us back, playing along with our silly antics. After seminars, we quickly found ourselves spinning in the famous Carousel Bar, toasting to the good life and to Hotel Monteleone.
It didn’t take much for us to fall in love with this hotel. We imagined what it would be like to have our wedding here as we sat in the beautiful ballrooms of Tales of the Cocktail. We could picture our first dance together, the echoing laughter, the intoxicating chit chatting amongst guests, etc. This was one of the most beautiful, historical hotels we have ever been to. And to top it all off – it was seriously haunted! (You can feel the energy the second you entered.) As we were leaving Tales of The Cocktail, we knew the next time we came to New Orleans we just had stay at this hotel. (Plus, we’d already planned out our future children’s weddings here!)
Then it happened. The tweet of all tweets, the Holy Grail, the mothership of all motherships . . . the invitation! We were invited down to Hotel Monteleone’s Halloween Murder Mystery Weekend! We nearly lost our voices from screaming so loud. Hotel Monteleone and spending Halloween in New Orleans had been on our minds since 2004 and it was actually happening! Our one day . . . one day was finally here and we were psyched!
